This multimedia MEDIUM set of stories was jointly authored by Yara Al-Athel, Tiajna Amayo, Juan Carlos Castillo, Nick Cicchitelli, Laura Cross, Catherine Gessner, Dana Ghanem, Emily Marks, Pedro Molina, Devin Van Houten and Frankie Wong (alphabetical order). Editors were Susan Moeller and Daphne Wales.

(MY)GRATION • The Traveling Finjal

The bitterness and sweetness of coffee has comforted me throughout my travels. Hear my story and connect with its essence.

A Finjal is an Arabic coffee cup.

“I am an aspiring reformer and avid coffee drinker.”

Follow the trajectory of my object as it migrates from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Boston, Massachusetts.

The Finjal Migrating.

“It has provided me with an avenue to connect with other cultures and people.”

COFFEE can mean many things.

Although born in the U.S., Yara has lived half her life in Saudi Arabia. She believes that coffee is not only central to her Arabic culture, but has also helped her to discover links to other cultures who share her love for the beverage.

Every aspect of the coffee, including the cup called a finjal (a traditional Arabic espresso sized coffee cup), speaks volumes about her culture and the traditions of socializing in the middle east. Even though Yara doesn’t feel like she has a personal migration story, both Saudi Arabia and the U.S. have had substantial problems surrounding migration due to political and social shifts. In terms of what she has learned from the Salzburg Academy, she now understands that deconstructing the various attitudes around the aspects of migration is important when it comes to understanding the complexities of other cultures. Yara attends Emerson College in Boston Massachusetts and is majoring in Communication Studies. In the future, she hopes to be a reformer and to forever be able to drink good coffee.

To migrate to another story in the series click on one of the object photos below OR click to return to the (MY)GRATION home page.