ArabicInDamascu.com | mahad / ma'had

arabicindamascus.com > The Arabic Teaching Institute for Non Arabic Speakers, "the Mahad", offers classes of secular Arabic from basic to advanced for students from all over the world.

the Mahad

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	An American woman studying Arabic at "the Ma'had." A graduate student, she speaks of her studies in Damascus, her career, and her experiences in Syria. Many other Americans study Arabic in Damascus. The "Ma'had" offers classes at all levels of secular Arabic. To study Islam, private schools offer classes presented in Arabic, English, French, and other foreign languages.
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	Foreigners of many professional backgrounds and futures study Arabic in Damascus. In this video, a Spanish student tells of her studies in Syria. She will return to Spain and work with immigrants. A note for foreign women with bad experiences in Morocco, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Syrians respect women. Women will not be touched or harassed. Hejab and abayah are not required. Though many Syrian women wear very conservative clothing, other Syrian women wear fashions from Paris, London, and New York.

	A Slovak student speaks in Arabic. And he tells, in English, of the need to learn Arabic in the modern world. In the classes and the streets, new students will find English to be the most common foreign language. Another valuable language will be French.
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	An American professor studying Arabic. The video shows the professor in the classroom and in his apartment. The TV crew also interviews his roommate, an Islamic student from Chad. An agency provides apartments, tutors, and visa services for foreigners in Damascus. Go to arabeskstudiesindamascus.com for information.

	Two women from China talk of study and classes. They accompanied their husbands from China to Syria. Thousands of Chinese entrepreneurs work in Damascus. And like these women, all the Chinese study Arabic. The Chinese commercial attache speaks pure Modern Standard Arabic.
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	A Venezuelan woman introduces herself. In the video, she speaks Spanish. However, she also understood English. English is a second language of instruction at the Ma'had -- and the University of Damascus.
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	A Swiss woman followed her husband to Damascus. She spends the morning in "the Ma'had" class. She already spoke French, English, German, and Farsi. Americans traveling to Damascus must prepare to encounter linguistic and intellectual challenges -- schools in the USA do not prepare Americans for the world.
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	A Pakistani fellow speaks basic Arabic. As a Muslim, he may have already memorized the Holy Qu'ran, however, Pakistan speaks multiple non-Arabic languages. To learn actually think and speak in Arabic, he attends "the Ma'had."
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	Groups of young women travel from northern Turkey in groups to study Arabic at "the Ma'had." As Turkish nationals, they receive discounted tuition. And as daughters of devout, traditional communities, they live and study in supervised groups. An American student attempted to make conversation -- but they ignored him. Later, when he took a photo of the group in traditional clothing and bright silk scarves, a girl in traditional clothing, Converse tennis shoes, and a backback bearing the English-script scrawl, "Free Chechneya," demanded to know, "Why do you take pictures of us?" The American answered, "Bisubbami inta jamilya."
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	A Russian tells of his studies. He wants to study the Holy Qu'ran and understand Islamic youth. In the future, he will teach.
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	A German woman tells of studying Arabic in the Ma'had, Damascus, Syria.
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	A Romanian woman tells us she want to speak Arabic -- very well.
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	A Russian woman speaks of teaching Arabic in the future.
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	Lada, a Russian woman, speaks of learning Arabic in Damascus.
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	Another Pakistani fellow speaks of learning Arabic and studying Islam in Damascus.
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	A Swiss professor interviewed at the Ma'had. This fellow taught in Switzerland. In the past years, he alternated between teaching and studying in Damascus. He presents a challenge to Americans. He speaks English better than Americans. And he speaks French, German, and now Arabic. Some evenings, he enjoys conversations in all the languages, shifting from language to language as he discusses literature, history, recent events, and economic developments. When discussing the future policies of nations in the Arabic and Muslim worlds, an American must be prepared to cite sources and interpretations for every statement. This professor welcomes the intelligent and informed and does not tolerate the ignorant.
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	An Indian diplomat discusses his experiences in Syria. He speaks at Krak des Chevaliers, a crusader castle overlooking the Mediterranean coast. The "Ma'had" took buses of Arabic students there for a day tour. Though his praise of the Syrian people may seem effusive, such praise is true. Syrians welcome foreigners and especially foreigners who come to learn Arabic. However, Americans beware! When Syrians learn the identity of an American, the American must cut short the English conversation and return to Arabic. Syrians want to learn idiomatic American. They want to lose their British accents. Don't teach American! Learn Arabic!
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	This video combines all the videos above, 10 minutes in total. Note the students from all the nations of the world. Americans entering classes in Syria will encounter the excellent language skills of other cultures. English will be a common language -- but Americans must realize they come from a society and education system unprepared for world communication. Many foreigners learning Arabic in Syria already speak four to eight languages. In one class, a French woman spoke her home language, English, Spanish, and Chinese. A woman from Mongolia spoke her language and Chinese, Russian, English, and had learned Spanish from from other students while studying Arabic. An advanced student, a Ukrainian linguist, spoke his language and Russian, German, Hebrew, university-level English -- and excellent Arabic. Americans will face daunting challenges.