Language

I swear if I went to live with the lady who cleaned my house, I would be fluent in Arabic in about two weeks. She talks loud and fast and constantly to me. I understand about every other word, and sometimes I don't understand a single word she says. But she keeps talking away, and I keep nodding. At first, I found this extremely annoying. I had to ask her to stop one day. I said in my very basic Arabic, "Listen, I do not understand the word you are saying" Come to find out she was telling me that I needed more toilet cleaner. I consider that phrase to be one on the "near fluency" level, and thus did not feel any less competent.

The thing that can be frustrating about learning Arabic is how much the dialect changes not only from country to country, but from person to person. In Palestine, I am amazed at how much it varies. I don't know if its that my comprehension is getting to the a point that I can pick up quite well the variations, or if it is specific to the country and work environment which I am in.

It took me months to realize that the reason I couldn't understand a colleague was because he has a speech impediment, like a drastic lisp. There is also the "country bumpkin" language which pronounces some beginning and middle sounds of letters completely different than the formal arabic. I'm also becoming quite fluent in language around governance issues (elections, councils, ministries), but put into another context - like an informal gathering of women, and I am completely lost.

Being lost in a language can be very difficult. Its like having your mouth and ears suddenly sealed shut and having to get by in the world. It can be tiring.