Beirut Day 20 – July 13, 2009

I lucked out on the dialect quiz. I think I only forgot two of the proper responses to polite utterings (what you say to someone whose relative has just arrived safely from travel and what a waiter says when he gives you the bill). It also ended up being a written exam because someone high up in the program, probably Bilal, decided to give all the students manaeesh for breakfast and the dialect teachers were concerned that oral exams would be too difficult while everyone was eating.

I am in no way as optimistic about my MSA test. For some reason – probably just finishing a quiz and the fact that I was so tired – my brain just shut down and I had a difficult time with the reading and trying to come up with something for the writing topic. Eventually my brain came back on and I finished the test. Unfortunately I also finished the test first…which means I got to watch my teacher start grading it with her red pen and I’m pretty sure she made a face. Not cool. We’ll see tomorrow or Wednesday if it’s really bad.

The first part of the afternoon was spent reading a poem by Nizar Qabbani the title of which might be translated “Love me without complexes”. Before lunch I did a music exchange with my teacher Hussein. He had mentioned his love of soundtracks and I offered him the soundtrack to The Two Towers because I have always loved the Norwegian fiddle in it. I also ended up giving him this linguistics lecture I had on my flash drive, The Story of Human Language. He gave me a huuuge amount of Arabic music that I am only starting to work my way through. After lunch we worked our way through the first three pages or so of Season of Migration to the North.

Claire and I went to dinner at a small place called Airport Pizza. I ordered a Penne Arabiatta that was once again, not the least bit spicy, but tasted fine. There was a large TV there on mute which was turned towards the Lebanese version of the Food Network, Falafeat. It was interesting to see. As always happens, all the Arabic was directed towards Claire as she looks full Lebanese when she’s half and I was again assumed to be her Arabic-less American friend. Of course since I’m actually in a Lebanese dialect class I understand what the waitress was saying each time which made me glad, although the concepts weren’t that difficult, e.g. we’re out of the large water, is two smalls ok? After dinner we went to Bliss House and I got some gelato and Claire got a fruit cup with soft serve. After that it was back to the dorms to finish my homework but I finally got to bed before midnight.