Walk Like An Egyptian

This past week has been lovely at the Egyptian Center.

It has been fun to make the meals for the doctors, help out around the Egyptian complex, and learn Arabic. I accepted an offer to be taught by Mrs. M.So fun!

I am finding myself bitten by the language bug. When you can actually use the language, it makes it enjoyable.

The Arabic is ever-so-slowly coming.
It is like I am again in preschool, trying to learn these letters and their sounds. As you may know, Arabic is written right-to-left.
This befuddled my brain as I was practicing my letters and then had to write something in English.
I started writing my English words backwards.
Oh, my brain!

I have, as you might know, been trying to learn Kirundi, too. It is only spoken in this small area, and it is like Mandarin in that the inflection matters as much as the phonics. It is slowly coming, but the verb tenses give one a headache. I am thinking of switching altogether to Swahili.

On top of this, I am studying French. Most people speak French here, and I think it's such a nice sounding language....if only I can get that accent. I can do a French accent, but not the LEGIT one, where you gurgle in the back of your throat as you talk.

The 8-year-old here at the Egyptian Center, M, speaks fluent French, English AND Arabic. I am trying not to turn green with envy.
She laughs at my inability to gurgle.

Here we are in the car (no A/C so therefore, we roll the windows down, therefore, looots of wind-blowing action.)


My brain is mixed up with so many languages!
I am not yet proficient in any of them, but I am trying to become so.

 My English is suffering as well. More than one local has said that my English is "too strong", which I suppose means too hard to understand.
One stranger told me, "Oh you must be American, your English is so bad."

Talk about humbling!

I find that it is harder to speak in English to people who are just learning it. I have to think about what I say, to make sure it is easier to comprehend. When I speak to someone as I would to someone who has English as their mother tongue, I am met with blank stares and, "I don't understand"s

I didn't realize that in day to day speaking with fluent speakers, I use words that are confusing to those who know little English. I feel like I am almost having to learn English over again, too!

Maybe soon I will just be unable to speak altogether.

It's possible.