Dear DCVI

This week I thought I would share with you some of the Arabic words that I have learned since I got here.  Learning a little bit of the language is inevitable, and also very necessary to life in a new country.  Many people here speak English, and almost everybody's English is better than my Arabic!  I am not forming sentences, but there are some things I can make understood!

Many words or phrases mean more than one thing, I will include the various meanings as I understand them.  I am warning all readers that I am spelling these words and phrases phonetically, based on the pronounciations taught to me by my students!

"Yella" - Let's go, faster

"Shwaya" - slower

"Mooshkeela" - big problem

"Afia" - please

"shukran" -thank you

"Afwan" - You're welcome

"bacallah" - corner store

"hallas" - stop, done, it's finished

"Ajeeb" - awesome

"walla" - I swear

"harram" - sinful, forbidden

So that's the list I have written so far.  The next challenge is "left", "right" and "straight" so that I can direct cab drivers!

Have a good week DCVI

Miss Jewson