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!!!!