Tuesday, April 17, 2007

 

Emphatic Consonants

Arabic has four emphatic consonants: s, t, th, and I just forgot the fourth. Instead of saying them with your tongue against your teeth you pronounce them with your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Try the name Fatima as faTima.

Arabic is both harder and easier than I expected. The script is not as daunting as you would think, but some of the sounds are very difficult for an English speaker. There are no glottals in Japanese. French has a few but nothing as 'harsh' as Arabic. Still, I love learning another language. I'll be able to read a little by the time I get to Nouakchott in June! Formidable! Plus, struggling with Arabic makes French seem like a piece of cake. It's like blocking the pain in your leg by smashing your hand with a mortar (a la Dr. House).

For the best of both worlds, I recommend the music of French-Algerien pop star, Faudel. Mundial Corrida, Samra, or Baida are good albums. He's adopted some Latin stylings as well, so it's truly 'world music.'

Thursday, April 12, 2007

 

C'est officiel!

I'll be heading to the West/North African country of Mauritania at the end of June. As part of the Peace Corps' Girls Education and Empowerment program there I will focus my energy on getting more girls to stay in school. I am sure it will be incredibly rewarding, but there must be so many reasons half of Mauritania's school-age girls drop out by the end of 7th grade--cultural, economic, and social. The country is an Islamic republic and though the government has been fairly stable for the past forty years, there are racial tensions between the 'black' Africans and Arab and Berber descendants (who quarrel amongst themselves sometimes). AIDS does not seem to be as big a problem as in some countries farther south but it is still out there, along with tons of infectious diseases.

On the bright side, though, this is exactly where I wanted to go. I have a few words of Arabic under my belt already and the script is becoming familiar. It's a gorgeous written language. As I read up, I find Islam is less 'out there' than I first expected. From what we know of the prophet Mohammad, he would have made a great friend. I can't believe I have the opportunity to live and work in an Islamic society. How will it change me and equip me for the future?

One thing, I promise not to convert!

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