Language is Neccessary

      To read a newspaper, to speak with a friend, or to buy fruit at a souk [market], language is neccessary.  It has become eminent to me that--yes--learning languages can be fun, but at the sametime language is essential for everyday tasks and pursuits.  As a to be journalist, language is also a factor is interviewing and understanding other parts of the world and their stories. 
      For my first time today in Arabic class, I felt the necessity of language as our teacher handed us each a newspaper and told us to find the title of the paper, the edition, the date, and summarize an article.  Up to this point in my Arabic studies I would not have been comfortable performing this task, but as I am quickly learning, the brain works best to speak languages when under pressure.  I like to think of this as the fight or flight idea used for athletes.  With proper training and confidence one can fight or use their language knowledge quickly and efficiently; however, with improper training, nor enough confidence, or lack of study, one will simply give up and begin speaking the language they fell most comfortable in. With the training I am receiving in Arabic through this program I feel that my brain has been complying with the first idea. 
     In addition to reading the newspaper in class, I also began thinking about how an American journalist with knowledge of Arabic and English could give a non-bias and good interpretation of stories in the Middle East, unlike some of the newspapers in the Middle East that avoid controversial information.  At the Newseum in Washington, DC there is a map of the world with rankings of Freedom of Press in country.  Within the Middle East it is very hard to find a newspaper that reports things without fear of government oversight.  Having knowledge of langauge could help a journalist
understand the real stories from the Middle East.
     Another observation of the necessity of language that I observed this week was practicing Darija [Moroccan Colloquial] in the souk [outdoor farmers market]. This opportunity was definitely hands-on-learning which allowed me to  use Darija to buy fruit at the local market through conversation with the workers.  The souk is for locals who want to buy everything from farming tools to a goat; everything at the souk is low to the ground and people, cars, and animals squeaking through narrow passages between the stands.  I felt very proud of myself for being able to buy apricots, plums, figs, and popcorn--all of which became my lunch that day.  I found myself in the moment trying to use knowledge of Darija [Moroccan Colloquial] and Fosha [Modern Standard Arabic]. 
       This same in the moment feeling came this weekend in Fez as we visited my mother's friend mother.  Speaking with her on the phone a few days earlier and learning that she only spoke Arabic and French seemed like it was going to be difficult, but with some patiences and a dual effort from my friend Bokum and I, we were able to communicate naturally and with no problem.  Today in Fez they invited us to their home for lunch and then they showed us around the old Medina [city] of Fez.  They treated us like family and by the end of the day we were laughing and drinking tea and coffee at a cafe in the new Medina.  They were so hospitable and I wished we could have stayed longer, but ofcourse this being my final week in Morocco with Arabic classes, I have to concentrate and prepare a paper, a presentation, and for my final written and oral exam.  I definitely feel more confident then ever in being able to speak and read the language.  I feel the program I am in has met and passed my expectations for myself.