experiment

so: it's been two weeks since the summer of Arabic ended and usual summer programmes began in the life of me.  the results?  not good.  It turns out that in the last year, I've so completely devoted myself to academics that I can't really function as a normal nineteen year old.  Being unoccupied is a hazard.  Commence looking for projects.

you can talk a real big game up

looking at this next week with a lot of apprehension.  we have our final exam on thursday, and our oral exam for class (I'm doing a presentation in arabic on Qur'an recitation), and in addition to that we have two Oral Proficiency Interviews to prove our level of comprehension and ability to synthesize.  I'm pretty nervous. the downside to this programme is that there isn't really enough time to absorb words quantitatively.  we've gone through a lot of grammar concepts and patterns that I haven't had any trouble absorbing, but there are only so many words I can get in my brain at once.  that makes me nervous for the oral interviews.  but, I'll practice lots before and hope it works out well for me.  I don't expect outstanding marks, I'd just like to be able to use a positive level on transfer applications.  I think I also should probably take a French OPI at some point so that I can put that on applications, too. 

tonight the arabic programme cooked dinner for all the other programmes here.  we made kabob and shawarma and tajine and shish taouk and lybian rice and tabouli and yogurt salad and salata al-borduqal and baklava and kunafa and adeer al-afukadu.  it was really delicious.  cooking together was a lot of fun, and then sitting down to eat together felt like family.  it was really enjoyable.  

I only have five more days here, which I am pretty happy about.  I'm ready for a little bit of summer vacation before heading back to the city for fall semester.  it's going to be a very busy semester.  I can't wait to get back to it, and I especially can't wait to get back to my life and figure out what it is.  this summer school adventure has sort of shaken me up and now I can't really even tell if I have my bearings on what I want or even what I'm doing.  so in the next few weeks, I'm going to be listening to a lot of music, exercising a lot and journaling often in order to try to sort things out.  

the longer I've been here the more sure I am that I need to try to transfer colleges...  it's a sad realization;  I never thought I'd really feel this way.  it's saddest because I don't want to leave based on not liking where I am, but because I need more.  I am so happy in the city with my people.  

I have to start packing up here soon.  I'm glad to be leaving.  for once in my life, I don't think I'll have a hard time with leaving somewhere.  I will miss my friends here very much.  some of them are the most genuine people I've ever had a chance to spend time with, which is a strange sensation.  but I can feel in myself that I'm ready to move into what's coming next.  it's going to be important for me to keep attention on myself and my goals in the coming semester.  I have a lot of things to figure out and a lot of work to do in order to do that.  

David set off this morning on his poetry adventure.  he texted me this morning as he was leaving, and I got swept up in that sensation of adventure:  what an incredible one he is stepping into today.  I wish that I could be there with him...  but it reminded me that I am adventuring to, just in a more contained way.  

there are a few hours left of sunlight today.  I'm going to go sit in the fresh air and work on some crazy arabic grammar, and possibly do some figuring out of where I am these days.  

wrestles and music

Being here makes me so homesick to be back in the beautiful city with my friends and the music and streets.  And of course the Thai Food and the coffee shops and the beautiful rain clouds.  

It's been very rainy here the last few days.  We've had the most incredible thunderstorms, and I just want to spend whole afternoons in bed with Gabriel Garcia Marquez and a cup of peppermint tea.  

It's funny, when we came here they said we wouldn't be the same when we left.  It's certainly true, but I wonder if they really get the credit for that.  We're here for 8 weeks.  If we didn't change in that time, I'd be more upset.  

Lately, I've been listening to a lot of Yeasayer and Antony & the Johnsons.  Also, the Bon Iver EP is stunning.  Last weekend, the Pitchfork festival was streamed live online.  I watched the Thermals and the Flaming Lips.  Not as good as being there, but a really good medium. 

I'm looking at some pretty big changes in my life in the next year.  I have a lot to look forward to: being a sophomore, a heavy academic schedule for the first semester and then a fair amount of freedom in determining what I do with the second semester, figuring out how to fit Arabic into my life, getting back into French, starting economics classes and seeing where that leads me... so much more, but those are the big things I'm really looking forward to.  

amazing indie covers of pop and rap songs

http://www.hearya.com/2007/05/25/top-10-indie-covers-of-rap-songs/

woah woah woah

They're streaming the pitchfork concert live from Chicago.  I wish I was there.  The Flaming Lips are playing tonight...  so jealous!  They're supposed to be absolutely mindblowing live. I'm watching the Thermals right now: excellent.  But... Lolla in the future is getting me by.  

Speaking of getting by, I've had to take the last few days one at a time.  It's been tough.  The parents are headed to the redwoods today.  It's a trip we take every year as a family, and for the first time, I'm not there.  It's something I look forward to every year.  I'm going to get through today one hour at a time, and probably tomorrow too.  Hopefully I'll find somethings to cheer me up.  I don't know why I've been feeling down, but it doesn't matter why so much as what I need right now.  Probably a good long run and a hard sleep.  

week four and half of week five

The first "semester" of classes are done and I aced the finals as well as the class as a whole.  Yay!  We had no homework for the whole weekend, so it was kind of like a condensed winter break, and then things picked back up on Monday...  If anything, it's harder now.  We've had dictation quizzes everyday, some days we have more than one, and more homework than before.  But it's good.  Today there was an optional Arabic calligraphy class offered after regular class and I went with Lauren II.  It was very cool!  Then Lauren II and I went to the coffee house, which is going out of business today (boo!) and discussed politics.  She worked on the Obama campaign in several states and it was very interesting to hear her talk about what she sees going on right now and what she saw during the campaign.  Also, she's a fantastic person and I really adore her.  After coffee shop adventure, we went to Barnes & Noble and I bought the latest issue of the Atlantic, which looks amazing- check it out- and the Washington Report On Middle East Affairs, which looks really interesting.  And, I bought a set of calligraphy pens for the Arabics.  Very exciting.  

The Dead Weather album was released yesterday.  It is amaaaazing.  Lauren II and I had a homework party listening to it together.  It was excellent usage of our time.

Also, this is just proof of how much we're learning here: I had my first dream in Arabic last night.  Five weeks after knowing only about three phrases and lots of obscure Islamic terms.  I woke myself up I was so excited about it, at three a.m., and there was a thunderstorm going on.  It was a wonderful moment in my life. 

weeks two and three

well, this is certainly an intensive.  after three weeks, we've gotten through six chapters in the book and about a gazillion vocab lists.  My room is where flashcards go to thrive.  I have so many, I think I might asphyxiate amongst them.  Today I wrote a paragraph about an average day in my life...  That should give you a gauge of how quickly we're learning.

The Lolla schedule is up!  I've decided which bands I'm going to see.  (fleeeet foxes! speaking of which, they released a new song).  Very very exciting.  

My French and Arabic are starting to mix.  Very sad.  There are about five other people here who speak at least a little French, so I've been practicing a little, but in conversation, I get the languages mixed a lot.  In terms of writing, though, I obviously have a little bit of an easier time, since they're different alphabets.  It's strange because my spoken French has always been much better than my writing, but it's the opposite with Arabic. 

We have two exams this week: one tomorrow to test the last few chapters we've covered and one on friday that's a final for this first "semester".  I have to go study now.