Bucureşti

(This is Bucarest in Romanian language)

One more day of going around the city. I had the feeling of missing arabic language, may be because I'm not having time seems a couple of month for writings and readings... I've got one book from Abdel Rahim Mounif, hope I'll finish it during this trip. Yesterday evening I was writing my diary in french as I used to do then I switched into arabic, feeling sad because I just realized that the first reason of my choice to live in Syria (as getting more and more closer to the language) is may be not anymore fulfil thanks to teaching french and speaking more in french than arabic. If I was writing this post only six month ago, I would say that learning arabic is hard and long but you will succeed... I'm not anymore convinced: Not of course for the daily life and any kind of talks in dialects but about classical arabic! Why? May be because my brains are already too old for memorizing all the words and language structures? Cause I feel that I'll never be on 'intimacy' with the language. May be it is because my culture is too far from the middle east culture and after going around the mediterranean regions for so many years*, I may finally found out that it is not possible to integrate all the cultures and be a member of each society? Not even if I am open-mind and enough adaptable to live among many different society? May this all life-long feeling of being always ready to listen and understand all human kind have been only a fantasy? Did I was only feeling what I wanted to think instead of really analyse what I was expecting to fulfil? Is all this was only confident autosuggestion to be straight right in a clear and realistic path? Is the use of foreign languages only acting in an other language instead of living on it as a native speaker? I feel a kind of vacuum, it is may be just because I let my minds going as far as my look is watching at this romanian capital through the filter of my missed arabic mindless feeling? Not sure, but this melancholic introspection is great to be instinctively done during this 'detachment from the daily life' trip even if it could be distructive, disrupting the path of my thoughts and ambitions? Arabic was not only a 'project', a language to speak in but also a new way of expression, a other kind of opportunity to understand the others and put myself into some contribution of the middle east social life? Is this impossible? Do I have to follow all the rules of the eastern life to be able of being a part of it? Do I have to marry somebody to feel I 'married the language' as I felt this intimacy in olther languages?

I had the feeling now of not loosing a religion I never had but may be loosing a bit of myself, I desire it but I'm not convinced that it is going to be productive. As usual, I would forget all of these thoughts when I'll return to my regular syrian life. It is may be just a kind of self brain-washing, a necessary reload into myself?

Let's see if I have more expectancy in the streets of Bucarest.

I'm walking to the north, I want to have a look on the lakes I saw on the city map.

*may be somthing like 7 years?

Level 5

Sorry to everybody that was expecting news...
I am now in the 5th level of the University of Damascus and I have so much to study to keep my minds up to date with the Classic Arabic (Fusrah, like 'correct') that I left a bit the blog. I have been very sick for one week in end of december. I also had some problems with my flat. I moved to Mezze Jebel (Like 'mountain of Mezze') with Anaïs and Fadi.
After the 5th level, I'll make a break of 2 months with the University. I have to practice all the grammar and vocabulary we learn in a so short time. I am thinking in taking private classes. My mother will also visit me in April for 3 weeks to visit Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. These are the 2 reasons for a smart break! The last exam of this level will be within one week.

PS: You can still check all the old post by clicking on 2007 in Blog Archive.

Damascus University

Today was the First Day on the Damascus University. It give me the same feeling as last year: good rhythm in the schedule with a pause each hour to keep concentrated, nice teachers and classes with few students (8~12). I am in the 2nd level as I was expecting. In the language center, there are many Europeans and also Syrians because they teach also Russian, Japanese, French, etc. After Abdul* lessons during one year it is easier to learn the complete writing grammar because it sounds logic and only practical application of oral expression.
The language center schedule is organized by month sessions. But it follows the Arabic Muslim calendar (Moon calendar) as dates do not fit with Christian months: a session can begin and finish in some day during the Christian month. Between each session, we have an average of 10 days of holiday. In conclusion, the rhythm of the university is strong and we can not miss more than 4 days during a session.
Lessons are between 9am to 1pm. The week-end is on Friday and Saturday.

*Abdul was my teacher in Madrid, his method of teaching Arabic is based in listening and repeating daily use of Arabic. It introduces you to the complex grammar structure of the language without getting rid of it because you just use the forms you repeat in a context.