My instructors are great!

I just have some of the scribbles and doodles that I did while I waited for my turn on the most resent speaking test. I did not speak real well, but I wanted to express gratitude to all of my instructors for the assistance and help that each one gives me and how much they do work for me along with all the other students to learn this wonderful language. I got a little excited today as there were a few other students that were rightfully upset over a few point they should have received on the test last week. I gave a little monologue that I do not care about the points but I have the view point that I really want to learn the language, I believe that if I can give enough energy to learning the language the grades will come along and I will still not have to worry about the grades. I love the language and would love to get proficient at producing it. It requires a lot of work and I am committing myself to give it more effort to learn it. I hope the teachers and I can more efficiently work together to do just that. Pray for me!

There I was...

So there I wasn't, waiting for my turn on a routine, and every disliked, speaking test, and I drew this guy completely out of my head. Just having some fun, not sure why, but I need to work on my speaking. I realize that the more I speak the better everything else is, I have been telling some tall tails in class to just simply practice my vocabulary, anyone who is experienced in this, I am asking for some confirmation that it is okay here to tell a white lie and or is it justifiable to fib a little in order to practice the new words? I love the language and the people that I work with and the culture is fascinating as it has shaped and been shaped so much by the language, as are so many other languages.

Some logo!

I don't remember where I saw it but it was a fun logo off of something, I had to send it through my hand and see it again. I tried to work on the horns a little extra and then started on the body, it was fun, I need to get back to studying, sure love all the inspiring words everyone has left on my blogs, thank you!

Brother Bob playing tennis!

I am getting backed up on needing to draw, I have done some great homework. Lots of listening and that reminded me of how well my brother always did at what ever language he was trying to learn. I hope to someday do half as good as he does!

Getting in Trouble!

I got in trouble for drawing, sort of strange but that's what you get with different cultures, I had drawn the previous picture and shown it to the individual who was the model (he did know at the time). I don't think he liked it and made a few comments, but then later after class, he told me to take it off my computer and said that other students have drawn pictures of teachers and put bad words on the picture and he doesn't want that to happen again. So I logged off the blog and it was off the computer. I am working on memorizing more the the lessons and I hope this will help, I think it will, it worked the first time around with spanish. I know I need to get some more sleep, the tutor is really helping and I miss my family soooo much. I will try to draw some more around class as I get some good stress out, and I can just do some talking in target language while I talk. I just have to keep myself out of trouble with drawing "bad" pictures!

the Team Leader

I am not sure who is getting stronger me as I try to hit the rock again and again or the rock at I feel it is starting to hit me with greater force with each attempt I make.
I don't know of a more dedicated educator in the sacrifice of his or her time than Ustez Eid. Thank you for all the work you give to the team.

the Tutor

I finally got a tutor, now I just need to take advantage of the opportunity. I have met with him and I know this is really going to help. I am excited to focus my work and be able to have a native english speaker to supliment the great instructors that I already have.

امنا الفريق

When I say the team mom I mean it as a compliment, as she was so helpful at the picnic, as he always is in and out of class, doing anything she can to help any student, not much different than any of the teachers but just cause she doesn't have a mustache she can be the mom!
Boy do I need to work on my vocab, I did a little on monday, now I need to stay up till ten or so tonight and get this down, it should be a horrible quiz tomorrow if I don't, wish me luck, and if you have any tips on how to improve my vocab retention let me know, please!

Mr. Amer

I have been working on finishing the drawings of my instructors for too long now, I think the basics are done now just the finishing touches and getting them into the computer. I always feel better about the pencil sketch than I do about the scanned image on the computer. I haven't been able to bridge the gap and I keep forgetting to put some arabic comment on the caricature, as was advised by another instructor.
This image here is a loose adaptation of one of our great facilitators here at school. He is always encouraging perfection when we speak and uses his own connectors to help us learn more vocab. I thank him along with all of our teachers for the support they provide as they facilitate our education.

I'm a pirate!

I guess the flight mascot for the training squadron I am in is the pirate, so here is a little sketch I did as a prep for a flag I would like to paint, then I decided to create my own personal pirate flag just for fun! I invite you over to the flag blog and check it out: http://myownpirateflag.blogspot.com

Having Fun

I realize that I am not going to finish this so here is 30 minutes of rest time during the day between other classes. I did receive and interesting critic on this picture, that made it all the more worth doing!

Is that his hair or a hat!

I got a suggestion from a very wise teacher and I should try and draw some arabic on the pictures as I post them. I am not sure when this will start but I will make it happen. Soon... Or later...

Oh man that's not ARabic!

I don't know if the picture really reflects any arabic either, I was getting some inspiration off some other stuff and I liked the teeth so I tried it. The arabic is coming along with the more work I put into it!

Picnic today

We had a wonderful picnic today to celebrate the completion of our testing Unit 2 and the first of the Proficiency tests. It was fun to have my wife and the two youngest children there. I am glad everyone else came and got to enjoy a little bit of a relaxed atmosphere, I just hope we can be professional on monday. All of the teachers were there and it was interesting to see some of their personality outside the class room.

Mr. Imam

This is our teacher that really works with us in a loud way that we talk with great fluency. He is fun to speak with, as his thick, deep accent keeps us on our toes and pushes our ability to listen and understand. I really enjoy the way he connects each word together with their derivatives and encourages us study the dictionary as much as is applicable.

As for the picture he made the mistake of telling us he use to have a big afro as a kid.

Early in the morning!

When I get to class and I don't try to warm up my own arabic ears for the listening of the day this is how I feel as the teachers come in and start to use the target language or have us listen to a new passage, it almost hurts! I love arabic, shukran al-arabi!

The ugly Man!

I just threw some lines down on the page as I am trying desperately trying cram as much new vocabulary into my head as fast as I can. Not only is the not happening as fast as it should but the class just keeps going faster and faster it seems.

My house in the Desert!

I am going to do a little picture of each member of my teaching team. I have decided to do a little post for each teacher on the team. I feel that we have the best teaching team that could have been assembled and that we will see some wonderful success because of the individual efforts of each member of the team. There is not a teacher that I feel like is less efficient then the rest, each one brings to the team something different and unique. I look forward to each different hour with each one. I want to thank you all.

Got to practice Listening!

I need to practice listening, I cannot stress enough the importance of listening. I don't think I was able to understand anything we went over today until it was explained to me word for word. I am going to really try and spend some time tonight and work on my listening. I think I am going to have to go into the school a couple of times a week in the evening for some extra help. I need to go over the things that we have gone over in class sooner and more often to make sure I ingrain into my wee little brain those things I was suppose to learn the first time! If there are any suggestions out there, let me know, I am open to anything that will help.

Oh, by the way this mustache belongs to another great teacher who requires perfect pronunciation or at least near perfect. I really appreciate it and look forward to his classes knowing he will require it of me.

Listening

We have a great teacher on the team with a mustache just like this one a little, and I wanted to pay tribute to him and all the hard work he does for us. I know he has done a lot of work as he has his own web page that is a great resource for learning more arabic and also to see a little about the area, cause he has some pictures on there that he took. He is an awesome teacher. Thank you. He always tries to help us in listening for what we know and not for what we don't getting caught up on one word. Great words of wisdom!

THE IDAAFA!

Today's trauma was all about the Idaafa, which has been this ambiguous idea and term that has had no foot hold up until today. Now I am not saying that it is clear as crystal yet but I am making some headway. What the idaafa is to begin with is the noun phrase in which there is only one noun that is really being talked about and all the other nouns just refer to this one and help describe it. The example in the book is "the office directors car..." In this example both office and director just modify the car. There are several rules that determine how the idaafa is properly said. Here are the rules:

The idaafa consists of two or more nouns. If the last term of the idaafa is definite, the entire idaafa is definate. The first noun will never have an alif lam in front. The first term of the idaafa can be in any case required by the use of that word in the sentance. All terms other than the first term Must be in the genitive case. The only term in an idaafa that can have nunation is the last term of the idaafa, and it will only have nunation it it is indefinite. Once you come to a term with an alif lam or a pronoun suffix, you have reached the end of the idaafa.

Now what really gets tricky is when there are adjectives that modify any of the terms of the idaafa cause they are not part of the idaafa but must agree in gender and in other ways to the noun in the idaafa.

It is not the theme!

The leg idea will not be seen a lot but I did this one early on and wanted to add it in today.

I think I need to start of by apologizing to those in the class that I miss led with the term "equitorial", I don't think this is even a word. The word I was trying to say was "equational." It is the sentence where the subject and the predicate are the same thing just being described differently, so the verb or more specifically the "to be" verb is omitted in the present tense. I do like these although it is a little strange to not have a verb. I guess I'll get use to it.

Not too exciting.

A great day, not that I felt like I learned a lot, but I finally got the clearance to ride my motorcycle to class and that is a great felling. I took the required course, passed with flying colors. Now I am across the brick wall. So I think that it is appropriate to illustrate the felling I have had with regard to my transportation with this illustration. Now in relation to the Arabic, it is moving slow. I am not sure I get the whole Idaffa thing and I know I am not spelling that right. I will try to put more about what I am learning in the future to help myself more than anything.

I must Draw!

I thought I would start to post a few of my doodles and then let you know that learning arabic is just as much fun as learning chinese was when I was here the first time around. I am getting the work done but along with it comes a few nights of little sleep and a few headaches. I hope to do some more drawing to relax.