Siyesouinahm?

Languages. I feel like I don't speak any of them. I have no language. I have become the infamous "blah" (note: previous blog post) I went to Arabic class this morning fully expecting to be fluent (joke), and I was wrong. I had absolutely NO idea what was going on and when she called on me, I would say the answer in every other language possible before I finally could utter نعم. I have come to terms with the fact that a teacher makes a large difference in the kinds of things you learn. Even though it was the same language, I was so lost because of her accent, her handwriting, and a lot of vocabulary that I had never heard of. I think after a few days (and hours of reviewing and practicing) I will start to feel more comfortable! In addition, my Arabic teacher is a badass. She is Egyptian and is working on rewriting the Egyptian constitution (sweet!). The "problem" with Egyptians is that they pronounce Arabic letters mildly different than the standard dialect.  But keeping with my positive attitude-it's a great experience!

In other news: Wednesday was fantastic! I woke up at around ten and made breakfast (2 eggs-over hard, baguette with jelly, and an orange)! Then I went to the pharmacy and picked up my inhaler (I have no idea what's in it or what purpose it serves). I then took a casual, sunny stroll along the boardwalk and ended up at school. Then I had Arabic class (low point of the day-but positive attitude!). The best part though, was belly dancing class! It was incredibly fun! My hips and abs will most definitely be sore tomorrow. The coolest part is that it's taught by a student who grew up with the culture and we are actually going to get to do performances (and she lent us all those fun hip decorations-that's definitely not the right word for them)! 

Food news: yes, there is more food news, there is always food news. The thing with European culture is that you can only buy as many groceries as you are able to carry home. In reality this is probably not a European rule, but I would like to generalize it as one-for now. This rule might seem straightforward and fairly simple, but it's not! Even just shopping for one person, I always end up having to drag my milk carton behind me or stash it in a bush and come back later. Food is heavy! Especially since i'm trying to shop every other week. who knew?

P.S I finally figured out how to add a picture, but I didn't have one relevant to this entry-but this is a pretty window! Also, my first day of school photo is completely awful, so I'm going to have to accept bribery to put that one up.

Now for the best part of my blog: I'm going to Rome this weekend! It still doesn't seem real that I can just take a casual train ride and spend the weekend in Rome, how freaking romantic! I will bring my journal with me so I can remember the good, the better, and the best and report back! Wish me luck!