I get a lot of people asking me how a Hindu girl like me was ever introduced to Arabic. Well, first off, what is wrong with a Hindu girl learning Arabic? Absolutely nothing.
The summer of 2007 my parents broke the news that we were picking up and moving to Doha, Qatar from 2008-2012. My first reaction was "Where is Doha?" And then of course, the tears came and went and all of my childhood friends said they would miss me. I made it my mission throughout 2007 to convince my parents that Doha was not an option and that we have to stay at home. I had lived in a small town in Texas my entire life and the biggest move I had ever made before Doha was moving from one street to another. The summer of 2008 came and before I knew it, I was sitting on a Lufthansa flight to Doha. I was in a deep state of denial when I moved to Doha and I kept thinking to myself, "This cannot be happening" I went to one of the best private schools in Doha, The American School of Doha (ASD). It was so different from the public schools I had gone to in Texas. The people were so much more different and interesting. As I was registering for classes, my mother insisted I be put in Arabic and not be like everyone else. Of course, I told her I wanted to take French and she put her foot down, and said I was taking Arabic, no arguments.
It's funny because I actually received a 20 out of 100 on my first Arabic quiz because it was so hard. But, then I started to really immerse myself in the language and try to improve my Arabic skills everyday. I would try and read the store signs on the streets and figure out the different letters. I would also write my name in Arabic over and over again on my papers. It was then on, when I decided that I was in love with the Arabic language. I was the best in my class and consistently got 100's throughout my first year in Doha. Then, my second and last year in Doha came. I was actually sad to leave because that meant I couldn't take Arabic as my foreign language anymore. I finished my second year and fell more in love everyday with the language. When it was time to go back to Texas, my mother promised me my Arabic journey will not come to an end. And thankfully, it didn't.
Whenever I tell people in India and America that I learn Arabic they are interested but you can hear the judgement in their voices. I live in a conservative, primarily Christian town in Texas and it is sometimes really hard to express my opinion because it is completely different from others. When I told people I learned Arabic in my town, they frowned and asked my why I was learning a terrorist language. Of course, I would yell at them and give them a lecture on how they should do their research and not believe everything the media tells them. However, they would walk out of the room and forget about our conversation. So, I stopped telling people and only brought the subject up when it was necessary. I'm not at all ashamed of my Arabic journey and I will continue to try and change people's minds about the Arab world.
The summer of 2007 my parents broke the news that we were picking up and moving to Doha, Qatar from 2008-2012. My first reaction was "Where is Doha?" And then of course, the tears came and went and all of my childhood friends said they would miss me. I made it my mission throughout 2007 to convince my parents that Doha was not an option and that we have to stay at home. I had lived in a small town in Texas my entire life and the biggest move I had ever made before Doha was moving from one street to another. The summer of 2008 came and before I knew it, I was sitting on a Lufthansa flight to Doha. I was in a deep state of denial when I moved to Doha and I kept thinking to myself, "This cannot be happening" I went to one of the best private schools in Doha, The American School of Doha (ASD). It was so different from the public schools I had gone to in Texas. The people were so much more different and interesting. As I was registering for classes, my mother insisted I be put in Arabic and not be like everyone else. Of course, I told her I wanted to take French and she put her foot down, and said I was taking Arabic, no arguments.
It's funny because I actually received a 20 out of 100 on my first Arabic quiz because it was so hard. But, then I started to really immerse myself in the language and try to improve my Arabic skills everyday. I would try and read the store signs on the streets and figure out the different letters. I would also write my name in Arabic over and over again on my papers. It was then on, when I decided that I was in love with the Arabic language. I was the best in my class and consistently got 100's throughout my first year in Doha. Then, my second and last year in Doha came. I was actually sad to leave because that meant I couldn't take Arabic as my foreign language anymore. I finished my second year and fell more in love everyday with the language. When it was time to go back to Texas, my mother promised me my Arabic journey will not come to an end. And thankfully, it didn't.
Whenever I tell people in India and America that I learn Arabic they are interested but you can hear the judgement in their voices. I live in a conservative, primarily Christian town in Texas and it is sometimes really hard to express my opinion because it is completely different from others. When I told people I learned Arabic in my town, they frowned and asked my why I was learning a terrorist language. Of course, I would yell at them and give them a lecture on how they should do their research and not believe everything the media tells them. However, they would walk out of the room and forget about our conversation. So, I stopped telling people and only brought the subject up when it was necessary. I'm not at all ashamed of my Arabic journey and I will continue to try and change people's minds about the Arab world.
Sahiti! I hope you have since had some more positive experiences with some of us who admire and support your love of the Arabic language and your mult-cultural viewpoints about life! Good luck with your adventures in Morocco! I look forward to following your journey.
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