Now that I have only one month left in Egypt, it's time to step back and take a look at the trip. Please forgive me for the belly-gazing, but I think it's important that I try to analyze and soak up all that's happened.
10 Things I Would Have Done the Same
1.) I would still travel to learn Arabic.
Alhamdulillah on the whole I've really benefited from the trip. I know that this is not the end of our Arabic learning curve, there's no question about that, but it's a good way to put down the fundamentals. I also think that it was important that we travelled to an Arabic country. Even if the average person doesn't speak proper fus'ha Arabic, at least distancing ourselves from Arabic helped. Also, the fact that we were away from our family helped us to focus because we knew how much everyone had sacrificed in order for us to be here. Travelling brings with its own sweetness and barakah and you can flatter yourself into believing that you are travelling on the same path as the scholars of the past. (At least you can try.)
Appreciation for having learned some Arabic I think will come after time. Right now everything is so condensed and you're so focused on Arabic you don't really realize all the doorways that the language can open for you. Insha'allah we'll finally be able to read tafsir of the Qur'an in our morning car sessions, we can listen to Arabic lectures, we will able to taste a little more of the sweetness of language without needing an intermediary. Alhamdulillah. And this is only the beginning...I can only imagine how much fun it will be to have Arabic classes with Ammo Rafik now.
2.) I would still travel to Egypt.
I'm perhaps a little bit unqualified to say this, considering I've only ever learned Arabic in one place, but I think I would still come to Egypt again. I really enjoyed learning Arabic in such a unique place. Egypt has a large percentage of Christians living side by side with Muslims. It's a place of ancient history, with *obviously* the pyramids and many ancient artifacts. There's the Nile, a part of which (I've heard) flows in Paradise. And most of all, there are the Egyptian people. A more generous and open-hearted people would be hard to find anywhere. And despite all the hardships they've faced, they remain optimistic and welcoming.
In addition, Markaz Al-Diwan is a top-notch place to learn Arabic. I've heard tons of criticism about Al-Diwan: it's too expensive, they try to hurry you along, you have to go to class instead of the teacher coming to you etc. etc. but I've realized that having a good, orderly system makes a huge difference when learning the language. I've met some students who have been studying for a long time but still can't speak Arabic. The qualified teachers in Al-Diwan make a world of difference, irrespective of whether the student is just looking for a little improvement or if the student has not seen an Arabic letter in his/her life. My teacher, Ustadh Ibrahim, is more than just an instructor now; he's my friend, and I'll never forget him for the rest of my life.
Man, belly-gazing is fun! More things I would have done the same later insha'allah.
~Ameer
10 Things I Would Have Done the Same
1.) I would still travel to learn Arabic.
Alhamdulillah on the whole I've really benefited from the trip. I know that this is not the end of our Arabic learning curve, there's no question about that, but it's a good way to put down the fundamentals. I also think that it was important that we travelled to an Arabic country. Even if the average person doesn't speak proper fus'ha Arabic, at least distancing ourselves from Arabic helped. Also, the fact that we were away from our family helped us to focus because we knew how much everyone had sacrificed in order for us to be here. Travelling brings with its own sweetness and barakah and you can flatter yourself into believing that you are travelling on the same path as the scholars of the past. (At least you can try.)
Appreciation for having learned some Arabic I think will come after time. Right now everything is so condensed and you're so focused on Arabic you don't really realize all the doorways that the language can open for you. Insha'allah we'll finally be able to read tafsir of the Qur'an in our morning car sessions, we can listen to Arabic lectures, we will able to taste a little more of the sweetness of language without needing an intermediary. Alhamdulillah. And this is only the beginning...I can only imagine how much fun it will be to have Arabic classes with Ammo Rafik now.
2.) I would still travel to Egypt.
I'm perhaps a little bit unqualified to say this, considering I've only ever learned Arabic in one place, but I think I would still come to Egypt again. I really enjoyed learning Arabic in such a unique place. Egypt has a large percentage of Christians living side by side with Muslims. It's a place of ancient history, with *obviously* the pyramids and many ancient artifacts. There's the Nile, a part of which (I've heard) flows in Paradise. And most of all, there are the Egyptian people. A more generous and open-hearted people would be hard to find anywhere. And despite all the hardships they've faced, they remain optimistic and welcoming.
In addition, Markaz Al-Diwan is a top-notch place to learn Arabic. I've heard tons of criticism about Al-Diwan: it's too expensive, they try to hurry you along, you have to go to class instead of the teacher coming to you etc. etc. but I've realized that having a good, orderly system makes a huge difference when learning the language. I've met some students who have been studying for a long time but still can't speak Arabic. The qualified teachers in Al-Diwan make a world of difference, irrespective of whether the student is just looking for a little improvement or if the student has not seen an Arabic letter in his/her life. My teacher, Ustadh Ibrahim, is more than just an instructor now; he's my friend, and I'll never forget him for the rest of my life.
Man, belly-gazing is fun! More things I would have done the same later insha'allah.
~Ameer
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