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Before I made my trip to the Middle East it seemed like everybody I knew was cautioning me to be very careful. I could literally feel the anxiety they had over my trip. Hearing cautionary words so often even made me a bit afraid of the trip, though I have been to the region frequently throughout my life. My worrying seems a bit foolish now. I have never felt threatened or endangered throughout this entire trip.

Versus an average American, I do have an advantage of blending in fairly well with the populations of Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Iran, but I speak Persian with an accent and no Arabic at all, making me easily stick out the second I open my mouth (which is always because I am a very talkative person). Unless I am haggling with a storeowner at the bazaar, anytime somebody asks me where I am from, I answer that I am American. The people I’ve encountered don’t get jittery. I’ve never even seen a hateful look in response to saying my nationality. Instead, people react with surprise, a smile, and then some questioning on my life.

The sentiments I have felt have been confirmed through my interviews of regular citizens in the Middle East in which I ask a question about what they think of the U.S. people. The overwhelming response has been positive and extremely positive for those who know Americans personally. The greater positivity of those who know Americans personally makes sense because these people don’t have to make potentially false assumptions about what Americans are like. They have interacted with them. They know. The same approach can be used to bridge potential American assumptions of what the Middle-Eastern people are like.

My point here is that the entire Middle East is not like the TV images of Iraq. Americans can come and safely visit, and I encourage them to do so, because little by little the American people and those of the Middle-East can understand each other and build bridges between these two great civilizations.