I am almost halfway through my program here in Jordan and looking at what I have learned during the few weeks I have been here kind of surprises me.
I am far from being fluent in the language and make many, many mistakes all the time, and still have to ask people to repeat themselves a lot of the time but... I am making progress.
I remember when I first decided to learn Arabic I kept telling myself that one day I would actually be able to speak it, even though at the time I was struggling through listening to a simple conversation of exchanging greetings. Even though it seemed far away I always got excited about the idea.
I am at the point now where I can carry a conversation to a certain degree, but what I am most excited about is the new way my language is being put into use. Of course, it goes without saying that being in the country where the language is spoken will make a big difference but I never even imagined the things I would be trying to explain in Arabic. For example, I have explained the rules of American football, summarized Lord of the Rings to people who have never heard about it before, played risk and helped explain the rules of the game, discussed the concept of superficial crushes, described what the Aurora Borealis is, and thoroughly participated in conversations regarding political issues of all kinds ranging from the revolution in Syria to the Islamic stance on abortion. Not to mention the random conversation I once had about time travel and cannibalism... don't quite remember how those two fit together...
I tried not to make this sound braggy, but I think I may have failed because, to be perfectly honest, not only am I thrilled that I have had to find a way to discuss these issues in Arabic, I am also somewhat proud that I have managed to do this. I feel like learning a new language is like entering a new world. Right now, all I have been able to do in Arabic is put my foot through the door but it has been a wonderful experience.
I don't really have any pictures to put to this so I drew a pretty picture of a belly dancer on paint:
I am far from being fluent in the language and make many, many mistakes all the time, and still have to ask people to repeat themselves a lot of the time but... I am making progress.
I remember when I first decided to learn Arabic I kept telling myself that one day I would actually be able to speak it, even though at the time I was struggling through listening to a simple conversation of exchanging greetings. Even though it seemed far away I always got excited about the idea.
I am at the point now where I can carry a conversation to a certain degree, but what I am most excited about is the new way my language is being put into use. Of course, it goes without saying that being in the country where the language is spoken will make a big difference but I never even imagined the things I would be trying to explain in Arabic. For example, I have explained the rules of American football, summarized Lord of the Rings to people who have never heard about it before, played risk and helped explain the rules of the game, discussed the concept of superficial crushes, described what the Aurora Borealis is, and thoroughly participated in conversations regarding political issues of all kinds ranging from the revolution in Syria to the Islamic stance on abortion. Not to mention the random conversation I once had about time travel and cannibalism... don't quite remember how those two fit together...
I tried not to make this sound braggy, but I think I may have failed because, to be perfectly honest, not only am I thrilled that I have had to find a way to discuss these issues in Arabic, I am also somewhat proud that I have managed to do this. I feel like learning a new language is like entering a new world. Right now, all I have been able to do in Arabic is put my foot through the door but it has been a wonderful experience.
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