Something else that I have been regularly asked about is how I found living in Jordan and what were the major cultural differences. Maybe you already have some idea based on my previous posts but I'd love to share some of the reflections on what stood out to me as particularly iconic of my last … Continue reading Part 2: A day in the life →

I've been back in the UK for three months now and even though I've had a lot of practice summarising my time in Jordan since being home, I still hesitate and struggle to know where to start. A lot of people have asked me how I have found the reverse culture-shock, but it didn't really … Continue reading Part 1: So, are you fluent, now? →

*NOTE: I wrote this back in November 2019 and I have excuses for why I didn't publish until now, but none of them are particularly good. Today, I am writing to you with fingers recently defrosted in the public library near my house. As warned, the cold here arrived with sudden force and, while the … Continue reading Shifting seasons →

I haven't written for a while, partly due to the busyness of the start of the autumn term and lovely people coming to visit me, but also because of how much I've struggled to articulate my thoughts and feelings on this topic over the past couple of months. Having realised that the thoughts I've been … Continue reading No place like home →

It's been a busy couple of weeks here in Amman, so even though I should be reviewing my vocabulary or, more realistically, surrendering to sleep, I thought I'd jot down a few updates before I get absorbed in the next working week. September started off pretty wonderfully with my mum around to explore as many … Continue reading Onwards and Upwards →

Funny how upside-down b is p Except for when b is actually B And then back-to-front b is really d Apart from when using B and D - Then upside-down d is truly q But then Q is rather like O, too In fact, there are actually quite a few Letters similar to o, in … Continue reading The Logic of Letters – A poem →

This post comes a little late, as I actually finished the summer intensive course at Qasid around 3 weeks ago! I'll talk a little more about what I've been up to for most of August in my next post, but for now I'd like to say a few bits about how the course went. End … Continue reading The end of the beginning →

Over the last couple of weeks, I've been tackling numbers in both Fusha and Ammiya. (Not very impressive considering I'm over half way through the equivalent of one academic years worth of material). I have learned the numbers previously but at the time I was very much focused on learning the alphabet and I semi-consciously … Continue reading Fiendish familiarity →

Somehow, we are already halfway through the summer term here and with my mid-term assessment looming but a few days away, I thought writing a new post would be the ideal semi-productive procrastination I was looking for! Last time I wrote, I had just completed the first full week of classes and gave some idea … Continue reading Arab-easy or Ara-bit confusing? →

I have officially survived my first week of Arabic classes and very glad it's the weekend! The intensity of the course, combined with cultural/culinary/routine adjustments and the Friday-Saturday weekend means that I currently have a very weak grasp on the passing of time. My classes run from 8am to midday and then I spend at … Continue reading Thank God it’s Thursday →