Choking, Dying, or Speaking Arabic? With Me, It's Hard to Tell

Arabic. Is. Hard. I can’t even pronounce half the flippin’ letters. To make matters worse, seriously THREE-FOURTHS of the students in my Arabic class already know Arabic. I'm not kidding. What is this about?! This is beginning Arabic people!

I guess, what this is "about," is that there are many Somali students in class who have been reciting the Koran in Arabic since childhood. The only reason they signed up for the class is because they wanted to learn Modern Standard Arabic, rather than the Arabic dialect they have been taught. Plus, I am guessing most of them want to learn Arabic's use in everyday life, rather than simply for purposes of reading the Koran. Some do not know Arabic that well, but speak Somali. This does not matter. For, even if they only speak Somali, they still have a major advantage over me. The Somali language is made up of the same alphabet and consequently the same sounds. So, they at least sound good when trying to de-codify the language.

I sound like I’m choking when I try to pronounce some letters in the “Alif Ba” (translation: Arabic alphabet). Either choking or dying. Take your pick.

On the plus side, the knowledge of my classmates kind of provides me with, well, 10 personal tutors. The guy who sits next to me apparently grew up in Dubai. He tells me what every single word means. And how to pronounce it. Another student who often sits next to me offered pronunciation advice and encouragement today. “Don’t worry,” he said. “It takes practice. You can read the language, that’s a great start.” Ha. Ha.

Proof that I am not joking can be derived from the words of a fellow American classmate. As class ended yesterday - a class where I had thoroughly massacred the pronunciation of a well-intentioned sentence - a girl turned around and tried euphemistically to ask if I would like help. “You know,” she said, “if you ever want to like meet after class, or…” She was stumbling a bit with her words so I stepped in. “You mean, if I ever need help,” I said, and laughed. She smiled and was like, "Yeah with pronunciation or anything – it can be really hard. We sometimes meet after class."

Oh man. You know you need help when the American offers to help you☺. No, she was really nice. I just thought it was funny. In my other class, my lack of ability was not so obvious. Perhaps because there were more people who didn’t speak Arabic, AS NATURAL FOR A BEGINNING ARABIC CLASS. Hmph. Oh well. I guess, I will try to use it to my benefit. N’Shallah! (It means God willing. I know, I know, I am so good.)

Of Balls

I am talking about Inaugural Balls here folks. Get your mind into high culture. Last week at this time I was heading to an Inaugural Ball, one of two I would be trying to make that night. Our first stop was to be the Neighborhood Ball; the most-coveted ball tickets of the inauguaral celebration. Unfortunately, due to a set of circumstances beyond our control, we were late and missed most of it. The circumstances beyond our control included a van that took a long time to get us there because it had to pick up a few "important" people (i.e., the President of the Washington Bar (Law) Association, a couple other high-powered attorneys and a writer for Glamour Magazine) before dropping us off. I am not sure how I got myself in this van. Actually, I do, Sarah's connections got us a ride downtown.

Anyway, but once we got there it was sweet. Besides the high-priced drinks, it was the coolest event I've ever been to; equipped with acrobats, Stevie Wonder, glitter and all. The Neighborhood Ball ended early though; at 10:30. At that point, we headed to our "late-night" destination: The Youth Ball.

Let me tell you, that was a stressful experience. The last hour or so ended up being fun. Even though we missed Obama and the performers, which consequently made it like a glorified prom. With beer. I liked prom though, so it was a good time. Just not super awesome like the first one. See, they wouldn't let us in at first because they said it was overcrowded. Everyone had bought tickets though, so we were not happy. Fortunately, we got in eventually, but it took aggression and perseverance on our parts.

I'm pretty beat. I have been thrust head-first into the school year. So I'm going to stop writing about balls right now, and start digging into my globalization theories reading. What a pleasant alternative.

A New President. Part II.

Ok, continuing on from my last post...

Crowds and arrivals.

The crowd at the inauguration was crazy. In fact, although it created problems, it was also probably the part I liked most. Hearing that many people cheer is just incredible. I was a bit perturbed at some reactions though, such as the crowd's booing when George W. Bush was announced. Seriously people. I know pretty much no one likes the job he has done, but have some respect. Come on. After booing, some began singing, "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, good bye." Not classy. Get a grip. It bothered me. Joy erupted moments after however, as Biden walked onto the stage following Bush. Finally, Obama's arrival was announced and I felt the earth move under my feet as millions erupted in laud.

Onto the taking of the oath.

Thanks to annoying and really loud police sirens, I did not get to hear much of Obama's actual swearing in. Which apparently he had to do-over anyway. So I guess I didn't miss much. Plus, the cheers following the completion of the oath made up for anything I may have missed. As soon as Obama was sworn in, 21 gun shots were fired - as the tradition goes. Many of us up front near the gunman kind of forgot about this tradition.

A simple equation for our feelings during this brief moment of forgetfulness:
A country under the threat of terrorism + the biggest event of the nation + unexpected gunshots = many people slightly scared. Including me.

After like, the fifth shot though everyone relaxed. We remembered the tradition and figured that if it were a terrorist shooting those guns, security would have shot them dead by at least the third shot. Comfort.

Speaking of security it was a bit ridiculous but that's to be expected. I was glad they were there. The coolest things I saw at the ceremony were Obama's car driving into the Capitol and George Bush's plane leaving. We were in very close proximity to both events.

My final thoughts:).

So yeah, essentially, being at the Inauguration was awesome. Spirits were high, and the vibe was exhilarating, for the most part. There was one vibe running through the air, however, that kind of weirded me out. This was the vibe of Obama worship. It seemed like some people, actually worship Obama; like he had become this idol, this savior to them. I guess people are just looking to worship something huh. I thought Obama subtly spoke to that worship-vibe in his speech - inferring that it wasn't him that was going to save the world. It was up to all of us working together.

Obama is just a man. He is definitely, definitely not divine. I really, really hope most people realize his fallible humanity. I think they do. President Obama is going to screw up. If we don't realize that, we will be disappointed when it happens. In the meantime, he has done a great job inspiring people to actually take part in the improvement of their country. Creating a "more perfect union," if you will :).

When the Obama phenomenon has worn off, and it will, I hope his message leaves this nation with a lasting understanding. An understanding that what we do makes a difference and of the power of hope. For while Obama is far from divine, the hope he speaks about is divine. Through hope, people can experience a leader far greater than Obama. They can experience The Leader who rules the world, never fails and has a kingdom that never ends.

Madness, Excitement and a New President

Welp, it looks like we here in the U. S. of A. have a new president. The Inauguration was crazy. Wow. In fact, in the words of Biggie Smalls, I feel like “it was all a dream.” I have not read news of the Inauguration, so I am not aware of the event's details. I only know what I saw; millions of Obama-fans on steroids, the decorated face of the Capitol, policemen and members of the FBI, caravans of black cars, and slight glimpses of politicians, musicians, poets and preachers on the Capitol stairs welcoming in a new political era.

The ticket I had was purple, so it got me onto the Capitol’s lawn which was really close. I am grateful I got in - as two minutes after we showed our tickets and thrust ourselves through the gates security closed them off. This was not cool, because our section was ticketed. Everyone with tickets was supposed to have a spot. My section, the purple section, was closed off first. Right now on facebook there is a group called "The Purple Tunnel of Death," which is made up of purple ticket holders who didn’t get through the gates. They are noooot happy. In fact, right now, there is an investigation underway trying to figure out why they didn’t get in. Purple tickets were great tickets. So the people who did not get in were like state campaign managers, delegates, etc...; people who worked hard and deserved to see the day's spectacle.

Anyway. Back to my experience.

Rumor has it that there were millions of people on Washington Mall that morning. I wouldn’t know. I could only see the crowds in front of me, which were significantly smaller than what was supposedly behind me. Though I was close, my view of the Inauguration stars was pretty blocked by the bleachers hugging both sides of the stage.Thankfully, my other senses took in what my eyes could not. I could hear the cermony’s speakers for sure. More importantly though, I could practically taste unity while sandwiched between strangers, feel the vibrations of the crowd's excitement and hear the cheers of millions who came out to witness history.

To be continued… as I have to go to class for the first day.

Obama-Mania Day 1

Today has been fun. It has consisted of a series of random events that make me love my life - and thank God. So I wake up late, but make my plane anyway. I end up in Charlotte, NC. At Charlotte I discover that I will be in Baltimore, MD 4 hours earlier than expected. This means I can make the inaugural opening ceremonies. Yeah! On the plane from Charlotte to Baltimore, I initiate conversation with a nice couple next to me. They offer to drive me from Baltimore airport to DC. This is amazing. Especially considering I had no idea how I was going to get to DC from Baltimore. So this same couple gave me their address and phone number in case I needed anything - including a place to stay. Holler. She was a minister for a Unitarian Universalist Church. Very nice woman.

So I arrive in DC. Sarah meets me, and we go to the concert on the mall. My mouth seriously drops open as I step out onto the Washington Mall for the first time. It's like all those things I've seen in the movies become real. There, in front of me were thousands of people, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, The Capitol, and Jefferson Memorial. A couple of steps later, I see the White House. I have never seen these before. They are freaking awesome. Plus, the vibe in the city is ridiculous! Everyone is so excited, and everyone is from everywhere! I already met some sweet peeps - one who is down here training for the foreign service, which I totally want to be in someday.

Anyway, we went to the opening concert but were really far away. EVERYONE and their mother performed; Bon Jovi, Bono, Beyonce, John Mellencamp, Usher, uh... Samuel L. Jackson, Garth Brooks, and of course, a speech from the man of the moment: Obama. So the locals here are capitalizing on the prolific influx of visitors by selling everything and anything "Obama." The best product I've seen so far were Obama essential oils. Ha. Which basically, were these little bottles of sweet-smelling oils plastered with Obama's face. Sarah literally turned to them and was like, "Good luck!"

Now, we are going out on the tizz-own. I am pumped! There are people here from everywhere! Ok time to go. Thought I'd provide an update!

Amazing. Inauguration, Here I Come

After literally an entire day of searching and thoroughly working my connections, I have found somewhere to stay in Washington, D.C. What this means, is that I am actually going to attend Obama's Inauguration on Tuesday. HOOLLLYY CRAP. I am so excited. It seems to good to be true. Additionally, I get to go to one of the inaugural balls. I would like to give Sarah K. a shout out for making my dreams a reality. Thank you Sarah. And God, of course.

Wow. This is ridiculous! I have to buy a ball gown. My ball gown will be subsidized by the government of course - thank you federal loans. So far, the government has helped fund the following purchases:

1) Britney Spears tickets

2) Plane tickets to Portland, Seattle & Phoenix

3) Tickets to an Inaugural Ball

4) A ball gown

5) Christmas presents

6) Oh yeah, and of course, student service fees:)

Thank you government. I will pay you back when I can. I would also like to thank my professors for so generously giving me the opportunity to miss classes the first week of school. Wow. I still feel like this is too good to be true. Ok. Onto buying plane tickets. Obamanos baby.

DISCLAIMER: I am joking about the government money thing so do not take me seriously and take away my student loans. Thank you.

Warm Welcome

I would like to thank Minnesota for warmly welcoming me back into its territory. Five hours ago, the climate surrounding me was 75 degrees and sunny. Now, it is -10 degrees, dark and cold. Not to mention I am currently locked out of my house. Lovely. Thanks to my neighbors I am not dead yet. So good to be back...

Sun, Guns and Fun

Sun sure does revive. Unfortunately for me this revival comes at the cost of hearing my sister and her boyfriend banter for hours. I just got back from a 35-minute car ride during which they seriously argued about what hair cut my sister should have. Now, apparently they have forgiven each other because she's back to sitting on his lap and they are calling each other bunny. Seriously.

Back to the sun. It's so freaking amazing here because it is sunny and warm. Today, we went horseback riding in the desert. It was beautiful. The cacti in AZ are huge! Apparently the big ones are like 500-hundred years old and every square foot weighs 75 lbs. They are gorg, just gorg... The name of my horse was Plum Darling. She was a pretty good horse - no sudden, schizo moves were made so I was happy. My sister Megan had a horse named Baby.

When she was handing Baby's reigns over to Megan the woman who took us on the trail says, "yeah, just be careful with this one, sometimes she has problems." Megan's like "Ok, well what problems?" "Oh," the woman replied, "she just startles sometimes."

Ha. Startles sometimes? That will get your imagination running. Especially in a desert equipped with rattlesnakes.

Don't worry though ('cause I know you totally were), we all made it back safe - Megan's horse did not gallop off into the sunset thanks to any surprise snake attacks. Whew.

There are lots of strange animal behaviors in AZ I've found. In addition to the horse with the "startling problem," there is my sister's cat. The cat's name is Tuna (don't ask. I don't know), and it is manic and co-dependent. It seriously will not leave a human alone. It has to be around you at all times. The only times it can walk away from you, are the instances in which it randomly sprints off around the room bouncing off walls and other items like its tail was on fire. However, its tail is always perfectly fine.

I think I'm done writing for the day. Tomorrow, I am off to shoot guns in the AZ desert. I am not kidding.

My Mom's Dog Sings

This video is from Thanksgiving back in H-Town, but I kept forgetting to post it. So my mom's goldendoodle, Marley, has this trick/weird habit of spontaneously breaking out in song when my mom's cell phone rings. It's strange, but cute.

The film of Marley's antics is below. Be patient, the first thirty seconds are waiting for my mom how to figure out her cell phone. If you can get past that, a treasure awaits you...

On another note, I am still in Seattle. I seriously love this city. It is so cute. Even with the rain. However, I will be getting some sun tomorrow, as I'm heading to "The Dale" as my sister calls it. Otherwise known as Scottsdale, Arizona. Again. I love winter break.

Worst Proposals Ever

A very bad proposal was recently brought to my attention in preparation for what turned out to be a very beautiful wedding. We were discussing proposal stories during "bridesmaid prep" time (because, minus four girl, EVERY person there over 23 was married! ugh.) and one person told a story about her friend.

Apparently, the guy proposing was so nervous that he woke the girl up at 6:o0 a.m. and as she was rubbing her eyes to clarify her mind and sight he shoves a ring in front of her face and asks if she'd marry him. She said yes. I would pretended like I was sleepwalking or that I couldn't wake up. As soon as he left, I would call his best friend and tell him to talk to my potential fiance about picking a better proposal. Sheesh.

Another story:

My friends once came home from a basketball game and told the story of one of those jumbotron proposals gone wrong. So you all know the scene, Kriss Kross starts playing on the loudspeakers and zzzooooommm the jumbotron focuses in on a lucky couple. The women smiles and waves thinking it's just another of those "kiss-tron" things. However, as she turns to kiss her "lover," he gets down on one knee and proposes. Well, at this particular game, instead of a joyous "yes!" and an excited hug, the girl runs away in horror after her boyfriend proposes. Leaving everyone in the entire stadium feeling really awkward. Now that is a bad proposal for this poor jumbotron guy. I think this is an example of why jumbotron proposals should not be permitted. That and their abundant cheese factor.

Anyone heard of any other horrible proposals?? Do tell. I will revel in the fact that even if I am single - those proposals did not happen to me.... ;)

Editors note: I am blogging live from Seattle and I seriously love this city. Man.

Airplanes and Cookies

I wrote this on the plane about five days ago. Just now getting around to posting it, as I have been in Portland. Tomorrow morning, I am heading to Seattle. Holler.
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Ho ho ho merry belated Christmas! I am currently hovering 15,000 feet above the earth in an NWA airplane heading to the glorious land of Portland, OR. My sisters gave me these noise-canceling headphones for Christmas and they are sweet. Seriously, they make huge difference on an airplane.

Considering I am confined to a two by two area armed only with this computer I thought now would be the perfect time to recap my holiday adventures. Well actually there’s not much to report on – my most eventful feat during break was heading into the Mall of America (MOA) the day after Christmas. Believe me, this was not my idea. The place was crazy busy. Yet, my sister who lives in AZ demanded we go. I survived, and came out with some killer deals from J.Crew so perhaps it was worth the insanity. Otherwise, I spent most of the holiday (up until now) on my mom’s couch reading, watching movies and inhaling cookies. I am not kidding, inhaling. I do not think I have eaten so much, ever. Oh and of course a good portion of my pre-Christmas break was spent organizing my room and the kitchen. It is a whole new world now. Well, maybe not but I sure breath easier

Man the sky is beautiful at 15,000 feet. I am in a wedding Saturday – my college roommate’s. On Monday I am journeying to Seattle via Amtrak. From there, I do not really know what I am going to do, I have only bought the one-way ticket that is currently flying me above the clouds. I should really get on buying another ticket. I think I might go to Arizona. If anyone wants to come with me somewhere else, let me know. I am all up for an adventure. So tonight is NYE. Exciting. I think Anne’s taking me to a dinner party. I have nothing interesting to say right now so I’m going to sign off. Ten—Four.