This post will be kind of an explanation of what I'm feeling/been feeling. I'll try to make as least-ranty as possible, but I have many emotions running through me, with the language pledge and everything. Also, I'm listening to "Pantomime" by Imagine Dragons, seemed fitting.
Ok so with the whole language pledge...I feel kind of overwhelmed. I've never learned a language this intensely before or this quickly. It kinda seems like a avalanche of language is following me and I'm running way from it. I remember that during PDO, we did an activity which was intended to show us that if we are in our comfort zone, we would not be grasping the whole experience. It's been a week-ish in this new country, and I feel like I'm not entirely in my learning zone, and I want to be, but it's hard when everything around you, including the language, is so foreign, so I tend to be half in panic zone (like today at the henna salon, the women didn't speak any English, so we communicated in Arabic, but my friend and I speak little Arabic, so it was slightly overwhelming) and half in the learning zone. I want to be completely in the learning zone, yet I do not know how to be there fully. Also, Arabic is such a beautiful and complex language. We are learning MSA (modern standard Arabic) for the writing, and Omani Arabic for the speaking, but sometimes our teachers teach us multiple ways of saying the same thing in different Arabics, so one will be Omani, and another will be Arabic understood by everyone (MSA). It gets confusing at times. Moreover, I feel like I'm being bombarded (in a good way) with Arabic. It's a bit intense at times though.
Point two: Sleep. I am getting around nine hours a night, yet I still manage to fall asleep during our 15 minute break in between classes. Today I legitimately fell asleep (deep sleep) during the 15 minute break, I don't even understand this. I go to bed at around 11pm and wake up at around 8 am, so that's about 9 hours, no? Why am I still so exhausted?
Wow this post is ranty. I'm sorry. But with no way of expressing this to my roommates, I turn to my blog :)
I just finished making a list of a bunch of Arabic words we've been learning in the past few days of class, makes me alot more sure of myself and my Arabic skills :D
Today we went to Access and started with the girls group. We'll be with them more often so we'll get to know them better than with the boys group :)
Well off to bed!
Leila saida!
Ok so with the whole language pledge...I feel kind of overwhelmed. I've never learned a language this intensely before or this quickly. It kinda seems like a avalanche of language is following me and I'm running way from it. I remember that during PDO, we did an activity which was intended to show us that if we are in our comfort zone, we would not be grasping the whole experience. It's been a week-ish in this new country, and I feel like I'm not entirely in my learning zone, and I want to be, but it's hard when everything around you, including the language, is so foreign, so I tend to be half in panic zone (like today at the henna salon, the women didn't speak any English, so we communicated in Arabic, but my friend and I speak little Arabic, so it was slightly overwhelming) and half in the learning zone. I want to be completely in the learning zone, yet I do not know how to be there fully. Also, Arabic is such a beautiful and complex language. We are learning MSA (modern standard Arabic) for the writing, and Omani Arabic for the speaking, but sometimes our teachers teach us multiple ways of saying the same thing in different Arabics, so one will be Omani, and another will be Arabic understood by everyone (MSA). It gets confusing at times. Moreover, I feel like I'm being bombarded (in a good way) with Arabic. It's a bit intense at times though.
Point two: Sleep. I am getting around nine hours a night, yet I still manage to fall asleep during our 15 minute break in between classes. Today I legitimately fell asleep (deep sleep) during the 15 minute break, I don't even understand this. I go to bed at around 11pm and wake up at around 8 am, so that's about 9 hours, no? Why am I still so exhausted?
Wow this post is ranty. I'm sorry. But with no way of expressing this to my roommates, I turn to my blog :)
I just finished making a list of a bunch of Arabic words we've been learning in the past few days of class, makes me alot more sure of myself and my Arabic skills :D
Today we went to Access and started with the girls group. We'll be with them more often so we'll get to know them better than with the boys group :)
Well off to bed!
Leila saida!
About sleep. I find that when you are studying something very intensely, like learning a completely new language the way you are doing it, you get really exhausted, even if it is purely a mental activity. Especially if there is some level of stress associated with it. But as you become more comfortable, and you get into the learning zone, you'll get back a lot of positive energy that will more than compensate for the feeling of exhaustion. Keep up the good work and the 9 hours sleep!
ReplyDeleteAnd by the way: your blog is terrific!
Thank you :)
DeleteOH MY GOD I know EXACTLY what you mean about the confusion from the different Arabics. I'm going to Egypt on an AFS year program, and I'm trying to pick up some Egyptian Arabic and some MSA. But they're so different that I feel like I'm learning two languages at once, and it's SO OVERWHELMING. But I do love Arabic, as difficult as it is :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, I agree with the above comment, your blog is awesome and fun to read!
Hope you're living it up in Oman :) Laila sa3ida!
Ahh I really wanted to go to Egypt with NSLI-Y but they cut it.. :(
DeleteYea, Omani Arabic and Egyptian Arabic are quite different..Egyptians say "gim" instead of "jim"..I think
Thank you!!
Oh sorry :( That was probably why I didn't get the YES or NSLI-Y scholarships; because my top choice for everything was Egypt...and neither of them are offering it currently. But I'm glad regular AFS still is!
DeleteNo problem :)
But yeah, the pronunciation is one of the main differences. I think Egypt is pretty much the only Arabic country that uses the "g" sound. xD
Hath sa3id with Arabic :D (good luck- spelled حظ سعيد :))
Oo there's another word for good luck in arabic..i don't know how to spell it tho. It's quite funny, I'll ask tomorrow in class how to spell it and let you know :P
DeleteYay thank you!! I'm always looking to learn as much Arabic as possible :D
DeleteI think my FGLL (facilitated group language learning) teacher might have been humoring us...I'm sorry :( I can't find that word but I'll ask her to spell it for me tomorrow
DeleteAwwww don't worry too much about the sleep thing. Any time you're plunked into a really new environment with different weather, people, language, etc. it can be super disorienting and hard on you; even if you're having TONS of fun [which you very clearly are :D ] it still puts extra stress on your body and immune system, especially when you feel like you're kind of in that 'panic zone' about anything. Feeling like you need extra sleep is just your body's way of compensating for all of that, and *hopefully* it'll go away the longer you're there :D
ReplyDelete<3
DeleteThank you Gena!! I think it will, hopefully. And Ramadan starts soon, so I can wave goodbye to sleep :D
(disclaimer: yes I am aware this is two weeks in the past but I want to read eeeeeeverything without spoilers.)
ReplyDeleteNINE HOURS OHMYGOODNESS. I'd assume it's the heat. Heat makes you sleeeepy. And if there's such thing as a sleep debt, then...
And I totally cannot blame you for feeling overwhelmed. This is the equivalent to what, six years of a high school language class? More than that. And that would be six years time like 180 days times like an hour plus homework which would equal lots and lots and lots of time, more than this. So I'd have to hate you a little bit inside if you weren't feeling overwhelmed. <3