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A young American woman in pursuit of Saudi culture

Mohammed Jamal, Al Arabiya
Published:

Corissa Chantelle surprised her Youtube viewers when she donned a green T-shirt, a color similar to that of the Saudi flag, and sung in jubilation for the kingdom’s Independence Day anniversary.

Chantelle, 22, who has a desire to meet King Abdullah, has a channel on YouTube, and nearly every Thursday she posts a video expressing her infatuation with Saudi Arabia and its culture.

On the videos, which so far have attracted more than 2.8 million viewers, she speaks some Arabic words and sentences and tries to throw in some Saudi Arabian vernacular.

Chanetelle says that her passion for discovering new cultures led her to wanting to learn the Arabic language, which led her to learning more about the Saudi Arabian culture and later spurred her to learn more about the country and its culture.

Chanetelle favors the Saudi Arabian accent, and says it is distinctive and unique. And the Hijazi accent, which comes from the kingdom’s western region, is her favorite.

Chantelle says she can’t explain her infatuation with the country, but likens it to the passion that people have for soccer teams.

She also an avid supporter of the Saudi Ettihad soccer club and would like to see them play in their stadium, but the kingdom’s conservative rules would not permit her to enter the stadium. However, she says she would not mind standing outside the grounds to support her team.

In one of her YouTube videos, Chanetelle wore a black Abaya, which was a gift from a friend from Saudi.

If she ever has the chance to visit the kingdom, Chanetelle plans to visit Jeddah first, al-Hijaz second, and then Riyadh.

Chantelle’s parents were wary of her passion for Saudi Arabia, but are now praising her for being nonjudgmental of other people’s cultures and admire her openness to the world.

Chantelle has also criticized the U.S. media forits portrayal of Arabs. She says she loves the Saudi comedy show Tash Ma Tash and fell in love with the singer Rashid al-Majid even more when she learned that he was Saudi Arabian.