Is it summer?

Before I started my classes, my goal was to make it through the first week. I knew that the first week would be the most strenuous, stressful and rewarding. My expectations were exceeded. But now that I'm into the second week, I feel so much more confident concerning speaking and writing Arabic. One of the major changes that occurred between week one and week two was that we switched teachers. Our original teacher had to attend a family function in Geneva, Switzerland and so we got Mohga as our new teacher. Mohga is a really great teacher from Egypt. She's probably about 40-45 years old and she's a typical Egyptian woman (dark, wears the hijab and pronounces all her g's as hard g's as opposed to every other Arab who pronounces g's as soft g's). Besides pronunciation, the transition could not have been smoother. I hate to say that she is better than our original Iraqi instructor, Soduk, but she's very, very good. Of course, I still go to my tutor, Lama. The MIIS campus is compiled of various buildings within a four block area in downtown Monterey. The picture in this blog is of the building that the Arabic classes are --the Morse building. Now that my class has completed the fundamentals we are moving on to our grammar book tomorrow...I'm very nervous because the case endings in Arabic are very difficult but I'm taking one day (and concept!) at a time! I do have to say, the weather here in Monterey does not agree with me...today was cloudy, grey and 58 degrees. I don't think people here realize that it is summer.

Pacific Grove

I survived the first week of classes. It has been very difficult, but when I take time to look back at what I have accomplished so far, I am proud of myself. Today I went with a friend to Pacific Grove. Pacific Grove is known as the Butterfly Town of America because the monarch butterflies hang out there for a while every season as they migrate. However, this is not the right time of the year to see them. Nonetheless, there is another highlight in Pacific Grove...Lover's Point. Basically Lover's Point is layers of high rocks that overlook the Pacific Ocean. It is truly a beautiful spot. That is the amazing thing about this area. By "this area", I mean Monterey Bay. One moment you can be driving along and see only mountains and thick trees and the next minute you turn a corner and you have a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean. The contrast of nature makes the area so stunningly beautiful.

Arabs like to talk...is that being racist?

In my earlier post, I mentioned my Syrian tutor, Lama. I like her a lot. She explains concepts very well and she is fun to talk with. My class from 8:30-1 is mostly, at least for now, learning the written Modern Standard Arabic. But when I go to Lama, I practice spoken Arabic. At the moment, she is teaching me greetings. It is not enough to just say "Hello, how are you?" A conversation of greetings that would last perhaps a minute in America can take five times as long in an Arab country. Arabs like to talk. The questions and conversations go on and on. So how are Westerners going to converse with Arabs in Arabic? It would seem that learning Modern Standard Arabic would solve this dilemma. The problem is that while you can speak Modern Standard Arabic, the average Arab will laugh in your face if you speak it. You see, every Arab region has a different colloquial dialect. For example, there's the Levant (Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria), Eastern/Gulf (Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia), North African (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) and Egyptian. Egyptian dialect is the most commonly known because Egypt is the entertainment capital of the Middle East. After Egyptian dialect, the most common is the Levant, particularly Syrian. From what I have been told by Lama, Syrians take great pride in the Arabic language. Lama told me that Syrians study Arabic from elementary all the way through college and it is compulsory. Syrians take so much pride in their language, that to become an Arabic calligrapher in Syria is a very respected occupation. On this post, I've put some pictures of Syrian calligraphy. These are not just beautiful pictures, but are actual words. Because of the intricate details, this makes calligraphy one of the highest art forms not only in Syria, but the Arab world.

A Day in the Life of Molly

Now that school has commenced, I have been very busy. How busy? Well, take a journey with me through my day. I have class from 8:30-1 p.m. After class, I take a one hour lunch break. At 2, I review what I learned in class. At 2:30, I take my questions to Lama, my Syrian tutor. I stay with Lama until all my questions have been answered. This can be as early as 3 or as late as 5. I come home and have dinner with Anne. I study for another hour. Then I take a quick walk/jog/run, depending on my mood. I return home by 8 and study until 10. Then I go to bed! My days have been long, but I am really enjoying my time here in Monterey. I've made some friends that I like a lot and I feel like I have learned so much, even though I have only had class for three days! I've been really impressed by the program so far, and only anticipate that it will get better. One thing I haven't mentioned in this blog is Yuri the Cat. Yuri is Anne's outdoor cat. He only comes in to eat. The rest of the time he stays outside. I like him, though. He meows when he wants to go in and out. On my street that I live on, there are a lot of outdoor cats. While I'm out jogging, I usually see 5 or 6 cats. I guess the weather here in Monterey is more suitable for an outdoor cat than the weather in Dallas. Tonight my friend and I went to Del Monte Center. Del Monte Center is an outdoor shopping mall. There is a free standing Macy's and Mervyn's and a movie theatre and then other stores like The Limited, American Eagle, Express and a Borders. It was really nice to get out and walk around. As we were leaving, the fog was beginning to roll in, so I had to hurry home! Fog is scary.

Orientation Day

Today was my orientation day at MIIS. I got to the orientation early, got my orientation packet and got my ID card. I really felt like a real student there when I got my ID card. I had a general orientation and then a specific Arabic language orientation. Most of the people in the program are older than me, most are closer to graduate school age or a little older. I did make some friends today and that's good. I also had the computer orientation where we received our MIIS email and network information. I'm having a really hard time adjusting to the time change so the days feel really long! Like I mentioned in an earlier post, I got access to the internet tonight at the house I'm staying at. The weather here in Monterey is really nice. Sometimes it is a little cool but the sun is always shining so that makes it more bearable.Tomorrow is the first day of classes.

Move-in Day

On Monday, Mom had to return back to Dallas! :( I was sad, but I was also excited to move into my new place and get ready for orientation. For those that don't know, I am living in Monterey, California and attending Monterey Institute of International Studies. I am participating in the Summer Language Intensive Program for Arabic language study. I'm doing a homestay program. I am staying with a lady who is very nice. She provides my room and breakfast and a dinner. I also have my own bathroom, which was a nice surprise. In my bedroom I have a bed (obviously), desk, chair, closet, television, dresser and bookcase. For the first two days I was here, I didn't think I was able to get the internet from my bedroom. While I was disappointed, I knew that I would have access to the internet at MIIS, so I wasn't too concerned. Tonight at dinner, I mentioned that I wish I had the internet, and the lady I'm staying with said she didn't know I wanted it and gave me the password to get connected to her network! I should learn to be more aggressive about things like this. If I had been more assertive and had said from the beginning that I wanted the internet, then I would have had it from day one. To get to MIIS, I take the bus. The bus stop is about a 5 minute walk from my house and it takes me to the downtown transit center. From there, it is about a 10 minute walk to MIIS. I really like the city of Monterey. It is easy to get around and the people are very friendly. After Mom left, I took the bus for a test ride. I explored downtown Monterey a bit and then returned. I think this would be a really nice place to go to graduate school. The first night I was here, I was lonely and sad but also excited because I knew the next day was orientation!

Big Sur and Hearst Castle

On my mom's final full day on the Monterey Peninsula, we decided to venture south to visit the Hearst Castle which is very close to San Simeon, California. San Simeon is more or less the halfway point between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Mom had been to the Hearst Castle when she was younger and wanted to re-visit the place. At first, I wasn't too excited about going. However, I'm really glad I did. We took Highway-1 down along the coastline. I was scared on parts of it! It seemed like there would be a really sharp curve with a guardrail and then a 500 foot drop to the Pacific Ocean! However, it had to be one of the most beautiful areas of the United States I have seen. The picture to the right is a shot I took real quick. It was taken near Big Sur. Even though Mom and I both enjoyed the scenery of Highway 1, we took Highway 101 back...more inland and less chance of ending our lives by plunging over a cliff. Right before we got to the Hearst Castle, we were driving along the shore and what do we see? Elephant Seals!!! Of course, we had to pull over because we love sea lions, seals, elephant seals, sea otters...really any sea animal that we can't find in Texas. These elephant seals were HUGE. They would lay around and yelp out at people looking at them. They're my new favorite animal. Finally, after almost three hours, we arrived at the Hearst Castle. The Hearst Castle was originally built by William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper publisher. The Hearst Corporation, according to the tour guide, is now the largest privately owned communication company. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but that's what they said on our tour. Apparently, William Hearst was a sociopath because even though he invited guests to his castle, he would enforce strict rules upon them and force them to participate in social events. The castle was truly outstanding. Mom and I took the "Experience Tour" and it was well worth the money. A bus took us up the 5 miles to the bluff that Hearst Castle sits on. Hearst Castle, at one time, sat on a land of over 350 acres. The cattle on the land is still owned by the Hearst Corporation. The view from the Castle includes beautiful mountains and a breathtaking view of the Pacific Ocean. We only saw 25% of the Castle, but our tour included an outdoor and indoor pool, a movie theatre, grand entrance hall, dining hall, and a guest house. The most impressive parts of the house were the swimming pools, in my opinion. However, it was depressing to hear that the pool pictured to the right has enough gallons of water in it to supply a family of four for a year. After touring the castle, Mom and I took Highway 101 back to Monterey. Overall, it was a fun and relaxing day.

Pebble Beach

On my second day in Monterey, my mom and I decided to explore Carmel and Pebble Beach. Honestly, neither of us were excited by Carmel. The town itself is similar to other very wealthy communities, much like Kennebunkport, Maine or Greenwich, Connecticut. We had lunch in Carmel and quickly left. At first, we were tempted to return to Monterey, but we hesitantly decided to do the 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach. We were so glad we did! We were dying to see some seals and sea lions. Well, we did better than that! Along the 17 Mile Drive, we came across a seal rescue relief group that was releasing a group of twelve seals and sea lions! It was so cool! We continued on the drive and saw breathtaking views. My dad has always said how beautiful Pebble Beach was, but I don't think my mom and I understood until we actually saw the area. Every corner we would take there would be another beautiful view. Of course, the best part of the 17 Mile Drive is the last point on the drive...The Lodge at Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach Golf Resort is made up of a few different golf courses, but of course the one everyone is familiar with is the Pebble Beach Course, which is home to the famous golf championship. My mom and I walked right through the Lodge and got a beautiful view of the 18th hole of the golf course. The entire Monterey Peninsula is a beautiful area!

Do you know the way to San Jose?

I left Dallas on June 8 to embark on my Monterey Adventure. The plane trip to San Jose was uneventful, except for seeing the Grand Canyon. Upon arriving in San Jose, the weather was sunny and pleasant. However, by the time my mom and I arrived in the Monterey Bay Peninsula, it was cold. It was about 55 degrees. Even today, the warmest it has gotten has been about 60 degrees! It's going to take time to get used to the weather out here. Yesterday, we went and met Anne, the lady who I am staying with in Monterey. I'm using a homestay program and so she is my homestay host. She's very nice and her home is lovely. She's only three miles from MIIS (Monterey Institute of International Studies, which from now on will be known as MIIS in this blog). My mom and I also had dinner with Hope and her family and they are great! The time change out here is wonky.