Learning a new language is quite daunting especially when we all know that learning ability decreases proportionately with age. We are dogged by apprehensions like ‘will I be able to make it?” or “will I be able to hang on there if I cannot do it quickly?” or “what will the instructor be thinking of me if I make too many mistakes?” and so on. These apprehensions are quite normal I guess for anyone who starts to learn anything new. But the excitement of learning something new counters a major part of those fears of unknown.
When we moved to Dubai two years back, we were told that Arabic was compulsory for children in the curriculum of the local schools and my ‘panic button’ was switched on automatically. My children would have to learn the language from scratch. I presumed it would be more difficult for them as they missed Year 1 and Year 2 and I nagged my husband relentlessly as to how they would cope with it without knowing the foundation / basics. To add to my misery, the father and the children were unfazed about the severity of the challenge!
I was feeling more helpless as the language was unknown to me and there would not be any assistance from my side in case they encountered any difficulty while learning Arabic but I probably underestimated the steepness of the ‘learning curve’ of children.
The children started their school and to my complete surprise, they were not complaining on how difficult it was to read and write Arabic. The ‘mother ‘in me started panicking again. “Are they learning something at all or not?” and I decided to seek an appointment with the Arabic Teacher which she obligingly gave.
Just before the appointed date of meeting, I discovered a circular in my daughter’s school folder regarding an “Arabic Workshop for Non-Arab Parents” and the circular carried an underlined statement at the end ‘Seats are limited and will be allotted on First Come, First Serve basis”.
Driven by the fear that all the offered seats might be taken by proactive parents, I immediately logged on to my laptop, and completed the On-line Registration Form. No delays at all in order to be one amongst the few fortunate ones! This was quite unlikely of me as I am infamous in my family for deferring things till the last date but when you are a worried mother, you don’t mind to walk the extra mile for the well-being of the children!
I wanted to surprise my children and husband with my new found skill in speaking & writing Arabic and hence, kept quiet about the workshop. On the first day, I got ready right after seeing off my children to school and tried my level best to not to look like a harried student but a ‘fashionable smart mom’! The dilemma of whether to carry a notebook and pen was decided in favor of not taking one for few reasons:
Firstly, that might look too student –ish and could blow a dent in my “smart & fashionable mom” status. Secondly, getting dressed for the occasion took too long and left little time to dig around the house for a pen and note book. Thirdly, I was too lazy to dig out a pen from somewhere in the house. Lastly, I was a very smart and confident mom, very trusting in my memorizing capability.
The teacher was really sweet and helpful. On the first day, she only wanted us to have a visual familiarity with the alphabets and taught us few very common Arabic words. A one and half hour session of learning Arabic was reason enough to settle down for a cup of coffee at the school cafeteria. I came home very happy and satisfied that now I would be able to help my children in their Arabic lessons , if needed.
When the children came home in the afternoon, it was time to throw a grand surprise at them that ‘Mama can also speak Arabic’. Out of excitement, I forgot how to greet in Arabic (I was too smart not to carry a notebook and pen) and my ‘memorizing ability’ let me down badly. I learnt my primary lesson of learning something new:
With age, brain also ages and storage capacity reduces drastically. Must carry a pen and notebook everywhere henceforth.
Anticipating that my son would be eating rice with a fried egg, I called out to him from the kitchen, ”Chhutu, shall I fry one Haleeb for you?”. Both the children sprang up on the sofa and exclaimed in unison, “What? How can you have one Haleeb and how can you fry it?” “Oh, God, failure of memory for the second time! What was word for egg in Arabic?”, I I tried in vain to recollect !
I was nervous to the hilt and red-faced with embarrassment. I did not have the notebook to refer…….
I took my second lesson of learning something new:
Never be over-confident. There is no harm in cross-checking from people who know better.
When I showed them the egg, they immediately screamed, “its Bythe and not Haleeb, Mama. Where from did you get these words?”
I had no other option but to tell them the truth and the brother-sister duo giggled and laughed and rolled on the carpet with amusement,” Oh, Mama, even we can teach you Arabic. You don’t need to go to school….and then you are saying everything wrong”.
The next moment, they started rattling out the alphabets, the common words for daily use, the action verbs, and few sentences to my utter surprise!! I took my third lesson on learning something new:
A teacher does not have any age, so what, if they are your children.
The whole incident was narrated to their dad with lots of animation and he also chipped in with his suggestion of how to learn the language quickly and correctly.
So he handed out few CDs and a book on Arabic, gave me a pen and notebook to practice and whole thing seemed no less than ‘a student learning for examination’.
After coming back from school and office, the three ‘proficient in Arabic’ teachers of mine started testing my day’s learning verbally and in writing and the pressure to prove myself started building up within me unknowingly.
I decided to quit … I took my fourth lesson in learning something new:
You might have been a good student in many subjects in younger days but the status of ‘good student’ is not permanent. Must learn to accept that different persons have different ability.
I must say that my children and husband are certainly more able than me in picking up a new language.
As I am now confident that kids are learning the language with proficiency under the sincere care of their teacher, I can allow my mental faculties to rest safely. I am very happy that I know how to greet and say ‘good bye’ in Arabic and occasionally take lessons from children without the precondition that I have to apply them at appropriate time.
I took my last lesson in learning something new:
You will never learn something until and unless, the learning is mandatory for your survival
The day the Government of UAE makes Arabic compulsory everywhere in the country, I will start learning and certainly carry a pen and notebook for class. Till then, I can concentrate on many things in which I feel myself more capable.
A last note before I close today…..
During Eid-Al-Adha Holidays, we had been to Al Ain for vacation and me and my children went to the Zoo. While watching the bird show, the host, a young Emirati with a wonderful sense of humor was explaining that ‘owl’ can fly silently during nights. He was first explaining in English and then in Arabic and followed the sequence throughout except once.
While one of the ‘bird trainers’ made an owl fly over the seated audience, the host broke this sequence and first asked something in Arabic. I yelled, “Yes, Yes” without understanding what he said.
My daughter sitting in front of me gave me a grave look and said coldly, “Mama, stop screaming ‘yes, yes. Did you understand what he asked?”
She was visibly embarrassed. I nervously asked,” Well, no, what did he ask by the way?”
“He is asking whether you could hear anything when the owl flew over you. So you should say “La La” as he mentioned owl is the silent flier”, she explained, distraught fully.
Now when the host asked the same question in English, I understood this time and screamed, ”La La”. My daughter looked at me with a puzzled face,” Now why are you saying 'La La'. You can say ‘No’ as he is asking in English. “
“Oh, so ‘La La’ is the Arabic word for ‘no’, Babu”, I nagged her.
“Thank God, finally you learnt some Arabic, Mama. Don’t forget, ok”’, she warned.
Remembering ‘La la’ is not so difficult for the sake of making my daughter proud that she taught her mom ‘some Arabic’. With lot of practice, even at this age, I can remember that for sure!!
....and hence I have been saying ‘la la’ too many times a day these days!
So, to each of you , young and old - Happy Learning!!
