Learning Arabic!

Today, I took my first lesson in Arabic. It´s surprising because of two reasons: first of all because not so much women living here wants to learn this language, specially because you don´t need to speak it, as everybody speaks english, and the second reason is because trying to learn arabic in english when you don´t speak perfect english is.....what can I say.... funny??? So that means that I'm making a double effort, and, of course, I'm having "the 2 in 1": I'm learning arabic, improving my english and all for free, that's the best thing.

I'm going to the Islamic Education Foundation Center (of course, to the Ladies section). This is a center that gives different courses to women of every nationality. Besides, they arrange pilgrimage to Mecca for women, specially for those who don´t speak arabic; and sometimes they organize exhibitions of pictures and things connected with Islam. So, as you can see, not everything is bad in this country.

Learning Arabic was one of the things that I was sure of doing here. I think that if you live in a country that is not your country, you should do what you see. So, besides than wearing an abaya, not driving and so on, I want to speak just a few sentences to be kind with arabic people. I know that I'm not going to speak fluent arabic, but if I manage to learn enough to read a paper, or see a tv program, or talk with the drivers and shop assistants, I will be very proud of myself.

So this morning I went to the center full of hopes and I returned home happier, because I saw three women that started studying Arabic four months ago that can read some words, know the letters, can write .... so that means that I can learn it too!!! Teacher told me that being spanish is an advantage, because there are a lot of similarities between the two languages. By the moment I've only found one: the sound of the vowels A, I, U is the same than in spanish. And you could think this is not important, but believe me, it is. Because for the other women, is very difficult say A like in spanish, they don´t have this sound in english. So well, by the moment I'm starting letter by letter (one of the most difficult thing I've found, is that letters are not written in the same way "alone" than together with another letters, they change a lot. And you can say that this happens in all languages, of course, but think that this is a different alphabet with wich we are not used to work to), sound by sound, and little by little. I hope I can tell and write some sentences in Christmas. Wish me luck!!!!

Impossible to see in Spain

When you start living in Jeddah, women full covered pay your attention. But, after a couple of months you get used with it. Until you see things like this: a new TV shows that discusses issues concerning teenage girls and female university students, with saudi presenters dressed in black from head to toe.

Well, this is curious, but not strange concerning this country. But reading the article, and the opinions of the presenter, I get scared, believe me.

The show is broadcast in one of the 60 religious channels that works across the Middle East. Some of them have women presenters who not cover their faces and dress in different clothes and colours. Another ones, have no women presenters. So, this is the one that toes in the middle line, by allowing women to appear but only when they are covered from head to toe. Presenter is a 26-year-old saudi women graduate in Media and Guidance. She presents the show with her sister, specialist in blood disease, and a psychologist. The interview is with the presenter, Sawsan Salah Al-Deen; commenting on how she looks on TV, she said that´s the way she used to wear, she's not wearing it because of the channel, this is her "hijab" (arabic word that means "courtain" or "cover" and has recently emerged as the symbol of Islamic conciousness). She says that her family has been supporting her, "particularly since people will not see me and the program reaches out to young women". Another thing that reassure her family is the fact that her work enviroment is women-only, male technical assistant do not enter the studio while women are inside and carry out their duties from outside.

Asking her about the comments on the program, she says that you can´t please all. She knows that a woman has criticized her appearance on TV and she can't understand why, mostly when she is in full hijab and nobody criticize those women that appear in improper dresses on another channels. She says too, that the support of religious scholars has been very encouraging for her. There are some opposing religious views that regard the voice of women as something that cannot be revealed in the presence of men, but she added that this only concern to women that are speaking softly or on inmoral topics.

All of this sounds "strange" for our, women that are used to work with men, to say what we want to say, to dress what we want to dress. But there are places in the world where time stopped on the Middle Age, specially for women. And where women looks to agree with this rules. Look what she says when the reporter asked her if she thinks that her presence in TV would now lean women to appear on cooking or children programs: "When it comes to cooking, men can present them. However, there are some issues relating to women wich men cannot handle in the way we can". And I wonder, wich...?

(This post has been written based on the article of Arab News of November 4th. Of course, all of this post is not mine, and not all of it has been copy. So guess....)

Why this blog?

My husband use to talk everybody about my blog, http://lasaventurasdemarisa.blogspot.com/, and after telling them that it´s very funny, so that they ask him how can they read it, he tell them it´s in spanish. So everybody ask me to translate it. I thought about the option that blogger offers to translate the posts, but finally, I decided that it could be very helpful for me writting a blog in english, because it means learning new words and trying to explain things in another language could help me to improve my rusty english.

So, here we are, my blog and I.

I hope that people who read it help me correcting all the mistakes I'll make, tones of them for sure, and have fun reading it (the blog and the mistakes), but you all know that I'm very intrepid and it´s not easy to make me feel scare about something, so let´s go!!!