My hovercraft is full of eels.

I just returned from my first class at Tigerlilly Arabic Language Academy. I’m doing this because...? I’m going to Dubai in November to visit friends and I thought it might be a good idea to know some basics. I also thought it wouldn’t hurt to illuminate my oh-so-mid-western mindset and manners with a glimpse of the mid-eastern. And, I thought it would just be plain interesting.

Do I really need this much preparation for a ten-day stay? Unlikely. But if I learned anything from my trip to Budapest last summer, having a few verbal and cultural niceties in your pocket will get you a long way. Especially when you’re at the mercy of a very grumpy taxi driver whom you encounter nearly every day. (He hugged me when he dropped me off at the airport. I either won him over or he was very happy to see me go!)

My head is pretty full at the moment. With letters that connect and those that don’t. Ever. With a little trickster called the hamzah. And the fact that despite this being my first night, I was declared mumtaz. It says so on my monkey, see…

:) ممتاز