Towards my junior year as an undergraduate, I knew that I wanted to work abroad in the Middle East. I was fascinated by the culture, history, and US relations in the region. I decided to take a year of Arabic for fun my senior year knowing it would prove useful for my future plans and in doing so, I also fell in love with the language as well. In Islam, it is believed creation is only meant for god (Allah) so the manifestation of animals or people in art is not very prevalent. Instead, the written language was turned into an art form. The letters and structure of written Arabic (fous-ha) have a beautiful flow and rhythm that can be taken to great lengths in both modern and ancient works of calligraphy.
The courses I took are considered to be "classical" Arabic, that is, I can read and write Arabic, but the spoken language (colloquial Arabic) is different. There are also various dialects that change depending on the country or even different regions within the same country (Palestinian is different from Egyptian which is different from Yemeni, etc.). While I can still use some of the verbal skills taught in my classes, I didn't feel that I was learning the spoken language quickly enough. I received a flier for an intensive course in spoken Arabic for 4 days a week 3 hours a day to be held during the month of August in the Old City. I really didn't have the financial means to take the course so I emailed the professor (Dr. Moin) with my situation. We worked out an arrangement where I will be taking the class for half price and working in the office as a translator to cover the additional costs.
My first class was on Tuesday and after receiving my books I fell right back into student mode, taking my usual place in the front of the room. It felt a little strange to be back in a classroom, but I got comfortable quickly, although I'm not sure its possible to fully adjust to a three hour class period.
Most of the students in the class are foreigners involved in some sort of governmental relations. With the exception of myself and perhaps one other, the age range seems to be early thirties to mid-fifties. Yvette (my cheerful partner who sits next to me) is from Holland and her enthusiasm usually helps focus my attention when its waning.
My previous skills in Arabic sometimes gives me an upper hand as I have been exposed to much of what we're covering. However, a good deal of what we're learning is similar to what I've been taught, but differs slightly which then puts me at a disadvantage in that I have to unlearn quite a bit of information. What's more amusing is that after taking seven years of French, whenever a question is asked I automatically have to fight the urge to give an answer in French. Thankfully the only language spoken thus far has been Arabic. I'm hoping that embarrassing myself on a daily basis will pay off in the long run. On the bright side, everyone in the class is in the same boat and my professor is extremely patient, enthusiastic, and has a sense of humor.
The courses I took are considered to be "classical" Arabic, that is, I can read and write Arabic, but the spoken language (colloquial Arabic) is different. There are also various dialects that change depending on the country or even different regions within the same country (Palestinian is different from Egyptian which is different from Yemeni, etc.). While I can still use some of the verbal skills taught in my classes, I didn't feel that I was learning the spoken language quickly enough. I received a flier for an intensive course in spoken Arabic for 4 days a week 3 hours a day to be held during the month of August in the Old City. I really didn't have the financial means to take the course so I emailed the professor (Dr. Moin) with my situation. We worked out an arrangement where I will be taking the class for half price and working in the office as a translator to cover the additional costs.
My first class was on Tuesday and after receiving my books I fell right back into student mode, taking my usual place in the front of the room. It felt a little strange to be back in a classroom, but I got comfortable quickly, although I'm not sure its possible to fully adjust to a three hour class period.
Most of the students in the class are foreigners involved in some sort of governmental relations. With the exception of myself and perhaps one other, the age range seems to be early thirties to mid-fifties. Yvette (my cheerful partner who sits next to me) is from Holland and her enthusiasm usually helps focus my attention when its waning.
My previous skills in Arabic sometimes gives me an upper hand as I have been exposed to much of what we're covering. However, a good deal of what we're learning is similar to what I've been taught, but differs slightly which then puts me at a disadvantage in that I have to unlearn quite a bit of information. What's more amusing is that after taking seven years of French, whenever a question is asked I automatically have to fight the urge to give an answer in French. Thankfully the only language spoken thus far has been Arabic. I'm hoping that embarrassing myself on a daily basis will pay off in the long run. On the bright side, everyone in the class is in the same boat and my professor is extremely patient, enthusiastic, and has a sense of humor.
how is posible that no one makes a comment!Nobody reads this interesting thinfs?
ReplyDeleteIssa