A Post Long Delayed

Salaam Alaikum!

This post has been put off far too long. I've been very busy recently. Let me summarize the past couple weeks: first we meet in Washington D.C., then we flew to Madrid, Spain and finally flew on to Casablanca, Morocco. That last step was on Wednesday the 22. That week, we started Darija (Moroccan dialect). By Sunday, I felt like I was finally getting a hold on Darija. On Monday, the 27th, we started Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). From what I understand, this is the language primarily used in books, newspapers and the Qur’an. It is extremely formal. Although many Arabic- users can speak and understand it, they rarely use it in everyday conversation. Instead, they use their local dialect be it Moroccan, Egyptian, or any other. Each Arab country has it's own brand of Arabic. 

From the first day I started classes (the 22nd) to the 24th, I successfully learned the Arabic alphabet. After class for three days, I spent 3 hours learning the alphabet. Now I'm semi- literate in Arabic!

When we started MSA yesterday (Monday), I probably understood about 5% of what was said (the class was all in Arabic). Today, I feel like I understood much more. It probably helped that I was up late reviewing the alphabet and key words and phrases.

Below are several pictures from my adventures.

Dar Al Hadeeth Al Hassania.

An apartment building near my school.

Avenue Annakhil in Rabat.

Avenue Annakhil. 

Avenue Annakhil. 

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex.

The view from the top of my apartment complex. A mosque is directly in the center.

The Muslim calendar is based off the position of the moon .