يَلا

Less than a year ago, the title of this first post would have been completely incomprehensible to me.  Having taken French for most of my life, reading from right to left was pretty foreign.  Looking to learn something new and expose myself to a different culture, I decided to take up Arabic last fall.  Now, after a year of learning Arabic at Davidson, I've learned enough to entitle this post "Yalla!," or "Let's go!"  An apt choice, given my eager anticipation of the journeys ahead.  


This summer, I will be completing the intermediate level of Arabic at the Qasid Institute in Amman, Jordan.  Some students at Qasid are completing undergrad and graduate degrees, while others are learning Arabic for their careers or to better understand their faith.  Among the 230 students enrolled for the upcoming term, 7 of us are from Davidson, so I'll be in good company along the way.  


Apart from lots and lots of studying, I'm hoping to explore the area (Petra, the Dead Sea, perhaps Jerusalem), which is of course steeped in religious, historical, and political significance.  On a lighter note, I'm also dying to ride a camel.  The tourist in me cannot be denied.


For now, I'm enjoying 4 more nights at home before jet-setting out for my summer adventure.  My most pressing task is to finish up my packing of long skirts and lots of sunscreen.  Even after purging myself of as much pleasure reading as I can afford to, this 50 lb. limit is proving to be a challenge.  Arabic books are heavy!