Pyramids this Saturday...
Hello everybody! It's been a while. Sorry, this will be another text-only post for all of you. I received my camera in the mail a few days ago and I'm trying to get some decent pictures for all of you. All of us Arabic Language Institute folks are headed off to the Pyramids this Saturday, so I'll be posting pictures of that shortly afterward.
I have started classes (finally) and I am enjoying myself. I have three teachers, one of whom has already threatened my life. Her name is Nabila, and she is the "fiesty-est" of all fiesty purple-haired grandmas. The students in the class were lamenting having to learn some vocabulary by repetition, and she decided to have us write down what she told us was a well-known Arabic proverb: "Repetition teaches the intelligent." But I had heard this proverb in the States from my previous Arabic teacher and it really says, "Repetition teaches even the donkey." So, I said to my teacher during class, "Hey, doesn't that saying involve a donkey somehow?" She got a very strange look on her face and walks around the giant conference table to stand behind me. Then, she leans down and gives a big bear hug. She's a rotund lady, so at this point I'm sitting there with one giant breast resting on each of my shoulders. The class is laughing hysterically, and in the middle of all that commotion she leans down into my left ear and says in her Southern Egyptian accent, "I kill you!" From then on, she has been my favorite teacher ever, and I have been her go-to girl for all matters concerning the Engligh language. She has named me Jamila, which means "beautiful one". She named the other girl in the class Warda, which means "rose". None of the boys get special names. Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!
So, that's my little vignette for now. More later. I'll really try to update this more often.
Lesley
I have started classes (finally) and I am enjoying myself. I have three teachers, one of whom has already threatened my life. Her name is Nabila, and she is the "fiesty-est" of all fiesty purple-haired grandmas. The students in the class were lamenting having to learn some vocabulary by repetition, and she decided to have us write down what she told us was a well-known Arabic proverb: "Repetition teaches the intelligent." But I had heard this proverb in the States from my previous Arabic teacher and it really says, "Repetition teaches even the donkey." So, I said to my teacher during class, "Hey, doesn't that saying involve a donkey somehow?" She got a very strange look on her face and walks around the giant conference table to stand behind me. Then, she leans down and gives a big bear hug. She's a rotund lady, so at this point I'm sitting there with one giant breast resting on each of my shoulders. The class is laughing hysterically, and in the middle of all that commotion she leans down into my left ear and says in her Southern Egyptian accent, "I kill you!" From then on, she has been my favorite teacher ever, and I have been her go-to girl for all matters concerning the Engligh language. She has named me Jamila, which means "beautiful one". She named the other girl in the class Warda, which means "rose". None of the boys get special names. Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah!
So, that's my little vignette for now. More later. I'll really try to update this more often.
Lesley
posted by Lesley at 7:17 AM
1 Comments:
What a great descriptive post! I just smiled reading it. And I love your new given name. Seems very appropriate! We can hardly wait to see pictures of the pyramids. Wow, you're really there! We're thinking of you often--I'm so glad we can keep in touch. Technology is great! Keep those posts coming!
Love Uncle Ron and Aunt Cheryl
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