The Exponent Online


9/25/01	5 day quick link 9/24 \| 9/21 \| 9/20 \| 9/19 \| 9/18

Group gives insight on Islam

By Emily Baldauf
Senior Writer

Attending Purdue was a dream come true for sophomore Aida Ahmud.

"I have dreamed about coming to the United States to study all of my life," said the student in the School of Technology.

Like many international students, Ahmud, from Malaysia, had a lot to adjust to when coming to Purdue.

She had to cope with being homesick, learning a new city and adjusting to cold weather for the first time.

But one of the biggest challenges for Ahmud was incorporating her Islamic religion into her new life.

For Ahmud, and many Muslims, her religion is a major part of her lifestyle. Little things that she had once taken for granted were suddenly very different.

She now has to order her meat from a special butcher in Chicago; she has to explain many times to people why she needs to pray five times a day; and she endures stares when she wears her head scarf to class.

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Purdue high jumper spends free time on runways in London

Hilary Heintz/Exponent Photographer

KICKIN' IT INTO GEAR: Carrie Long, a high jumper on the Purdue women's track team and a junior in the School of Liberal Arts, trains at a track practice.

She never imagined that a trip to the market would lead to a modeling job for Vidal Sassoon. But that is exactly what happened.

Carrie Long, a Purdue student interning in London over the summer, was walking through Camden market in London eating pastries with a friend when a man approached her and said, "I like your look."

The man explained that he was looking for models for a Vidal Sassoon show.

"Oh baby, you got to do this," he said, handing her his card. "Call this number if you’re interested."

Two days earlier, Long was running late and in a hurry to get to the tube, the London subway, when a woman behind her started yelling, "Excuse me."

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