Hey "NK"! *
Everything in Morocco is going really well! Arabic is so incredibly difficult, but my teacher is great. We don't speak any English in class (if we do, we have to do pushups), so I'm picking it up quickly, but it's still pretty frustrating at times. I don't really have the same familiarity with Arabic that I do for Spanish, and my ear isn't trained to hear what sounds right and what sounds wrong, so it's a lot more work. The grammar is insane. There are more than 12 different plural patterns, excluding the duals. I study classical Arabic (which is what all literature, news, and most Arab governments are conducted in) in school and attempt to speak Darija (the colloquial Moroccan dialect) with my host family. So I'm basically learning two separate languages and it would take years to become really fluent in them, but I'm still enjoying it lots.
Plus, the other kids in my class (there are only 5 of us) are some of the smartest kids I've met and they're all passionate about learning languages. So I guess you could say it's been a humbling experience, which is definitely something I needed before college/in life in general, and I'm actually enjoying it. However my Spanish is probably going to suffer some.
Plus, the other kids in my class (there are only 5 of us) are some of the smartest kids I've met and they're all passionate about learning languages. So I guess you could say it's been a humbling experience, which is definitely something I needed before college/in life in general, and I'm actually enjoying it. However my Spanish is probably going to suffer some.
My host family is the best. I have three sisters and a little brother who's 6 years old and adorable/insane/obsessed with Karate. A few weekends ago we celebrated Eid Kiber, a big Islamic holiday during which each family sacrifices a ram, so I got to experience that. I've also been hiking in the Atlas Mountains, saw the largest mosque in Africa, visited Casablanca, started studying calligraphy, am working to get certified to teach English as a foreign language, and leaving this thursday for a week long excursion to the Sahara.
I had my doubts about taking a year off at first, but it has absolutely been worth it. I wanted to thank you* so much for pushing me to excel in your classes, teaching me how to learn another language has been so important to me through this process.
I had my doubts about taking a year off at first, but it has absolutely been worth it. I wanted to thank you* so much for pushing me to excel in your classes, teaching me how to learn another language has been so important to me through this process.
I will write again in a few months to update you on my progress!
Jojo C.
* Vielen DANK, Herr L., mir diesen tollen Brief hier im Blog zu erlauben.
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