If you know me, you know I'm a brutally obsessive perfectionist. I kill myself to make everything I do flawless all the time. It's an impossibility, and to varying extents something usually goes wrong--a missed case vowel here, a forgotten formula there, an unclear explanation, or a legitimate oversight. But when I do achieve perfection, I feel ultimately, euphorically, fantastically fulfilled.
The last Ancient Near East exam I took came back without a single error. My last Middle Eastern History exam--the first exam for which I've ever had to write on-the-spot essays--earned me not only a perfect score but exclamation points from my professor and an extra credit bonus. And this evening I walked out of the Testing Center from my first final of finals week proper (for the only class I seriously despise) to songs of highest praise from the score screen. Here's hoping the streak holds strong!
Now: Complete 241 study guide, work on essay
Sunday: Speak in church, memorize 241 study guide, perfect essay
Monday: 2:30-5:30 241 final
Tuesday: Cram languages
Wednesday: 11-2 Arabic grammar final; 2:30-4 Biblical Hebrew final; move out of apartment
Thursday: Mini-vacation with family before spring semester begins
Also, yesterday I helped put on an Arabic Language Fair for local high school students. I worked the customs booth, meaning that I got to interview the kids as they came through to earn passport stamps. Some of them spoke almost no Arabic; "اسمك ايه؟" (rephrased, slowly and clearly, as both شو اسمك؟ and ما اسمك؟) provoked a deer-in-the-headlights response or a confused "نعم؟". But we had a few Iraqi kids who knew what was up, and I was psyched to see them understand me. Plus, I got to play with Shami, as that seemed to be the dialect most of the kids were learning. Altogether, it was a confidence boost.
Dear World:
Re: teenage Iraqi kids, I can understand and be understood in Arabic. Sometimes.
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