Saifi Village.

This week has been pretty quite, pretty much all I have been doing is going to school. With today being my 4^th day, I can actually say I think I had a little click today. I finally am starting to understand how to read in Arabic letter .YAY, not completely but it is getting there.  And I have actually realized this week I am not as nervous in class, with my other foreign language classes, my heart would always be racing and my body would be freaking out, always worried, if the teacher would call on me. This time its different, I kinda, a little bit, want him to, but don’t get me wrong, I am not 100% right all the time when I get called on, but learning is just easier.  I still need to of course put all the effort I can into it.  

            So as I mentioned earlier, I have been walking to school and with that I have been met with some culture questions. One question was on my walk I see at least 10+ army men on the streets; like all decked out with guns and tanks.  I have always seen them on previous visits, but I was never alone and was never in such close frequent contact.  Not to sound naive, but I just did not know how to handle the situation, do you make eye contact do I not, do I smile and say hi or nothing at all.  What would that be appropriate and inappropriate?  It was killing me, I am a person that just likes to know things. Ha.  So I was talking to one of the girls in my class, who also is an American and walks to school and had the same dilemma. So we decided to end the questioning, and ask our teacher after class. He responded by saying “just do what you would do in your own country, when you see the army” and we responded “umm.. in the US we do not see the army on the streets.” He then follows up with “ just act as if you would to anyone else on the streets, back home.” Then I responded with “ umm yeah in the US, I usually just smile and say to everyone on the streets.” (Especially to the elderly, thanks SAS ) Hahaha. So it pretty much came down to, there is no need to make eye contact or say hi, just keep on walking to the army. So today, was a very interesting day of understanding a different culture.

            Tonight, I am going to a movie with my Uncle Jamil, we are going to see The Experiment, yeah it already on DVD in the US, it was released in 2010.  But it looks interesting, just weird that that this movie is a new released here but the last Harry Potter was released here before the US, ooh what money can do.