One UNM student stays in a mansion one step down from a castle when she visits her second home.
Alaa Ishak a member of Jordan's royal family, Hashimi, is working on a bachelor's degree at UNM. Ishak's mother is a descendant of the Hashimi king of Jordan. In America, she is considered a princess.
"I'm a princess," she said. "But over there, there's so many of them, so you just get treated better than the common people."
Ishak returns to Jordan once a year. She said members of the Jordanian royal family also reap benefits in other Middle Eastern countries.
Because Ishak is not a part of the immediate family, she is not obligated to marry royalty. She said in Jordan, marriage is a family affair where meetings are arranged with potential spouses before they are wed.
"You get to see the husband or wife before and consent if you want to or not," Ishak said.
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She is engaged to someone from the Middle East who is also not part of a royal family. After meeting so many potential husbands, she said she could not count them.
Ishak was born in Arizona. When her father became a doctor in New Mexico, the family moved. She said she considers Iraq and Jordan her second home, but the lifestyle in America is more normal.
"I live like everyone else," Ishak said. "It's nice - more down to earth. Everyone treats you the same."
Because Middle Eastern countries are smaller with more people, she said the traffic is much more chaotic. She said drivers do not stay in the lanes and do not wear seat belts.
But she said there is more to do in the Middle East. Because she is surrounded by her entire family, she said she feels more unity. When she is back home, she does similar things to what Americans do, such as shopping and sightseeing.
"It's like the bazaar," Ishak said. "There are parts of Jordan where the shops are right next to each other."
To give back to her community, she said she would definitely like to return to the Middle East. She said she wants to stay in the health care field and possibly enter a research laboratory in biology.
Regardless of the women from the Middle East traditionally being limited in what they can do, Ishak said growing up in America has opened more doors for opportunity.
She said she is looking forward to voting in this year's election.
"There's so many young people that if they did vote, it would make a difference," Ishak said.
During her last visit to Iraq in May, she said she was so shocked by the state of her country that she was motivated to make a difference in America. She said while she was in a cab, cars were exploding nearby. There was no organization or sense of safety.
People in Iraq often don't stay out after 9 p.m., Ishak said, because that is when bombings happen. There were times when there was no electricity and the water wasn't safe to drink.
Americans often take things for granted, and the people in the Middle East think they are lucky to have everyday things, she said.
"Common American people don't know what it's like out there," Ishak said.
As for America's foreign policies, she said her people are against them. Iraqi people wait in line for up to two days to get gasoline for their cars. Oil is exported so it creates a strain on the oil supply, forcing people to mix water with oil.
Despite the negative circumstances in the Middle East, Ishak said there is always hope. She said it will take time and understanding from Americans and Iraqis.