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crashartist1
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 164
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 Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 2:21 pm Post subject: |
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Well I am glad to hear that I will not blow up in flames  , but I have never been to a place where the humidity is worse then the Midwest in America. Only those people who have spent time in places like Houston Texas or Lincoln Nebraska during the summer months can authenticate this claim that the level of humidity is just simply ridiculous! 99% with a heat index of  120F (ask anyone from these area and they can verify it). There are always a few dozen people every year that die in the heat and humidity of Texas.
I figure if I am going to spontaneously combust I would much rather do it in Dubai.
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Oct 20, 2005 9:54 pm Post subject: |
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Think 120 actual degrees - no wimpy heat index stuff - with that humidity... summer in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jiddah, etc... You will remember Houston as being refreshingly cool and brisk...  (rather like Phoenix temps with Houston/New Orleans humidity)
The only good news is that the worst of this is during summer break...
VS |
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crashartist1
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 164
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| Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 12:46 pm Post subject: |
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VS I would ask you not to rain on my parade, but since it doesn't rain in Jeddah (does it?) I will kindly ask you not to p.iss on my parade.
Phoenix plus Woodlands humidity?
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 2:51 pm Post subject: |
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Gee crash... you forgot to tell me from the start that I was supposed to LIE to you.  I think I can safely assure that it will seldom rain. But everything is air-conditioned to frigidity.
I have often wondered how they coped with no AC in the past (same question I ask about how my ancestors managed in the prairies of North America during the -30 degree temps in the winters..)
I guess we are now just wimps...
VS |
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Hector_Lector
Joined: 20 Apr 2004
Posts: 548
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| Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 4:15 pm Post subject: |
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| In Arabia, they built sensible things like building with wind towers. They worked in the early mornings and late afternoons. They slept in the middle of the day. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2005 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Bring lots of warm clothes. Some of the rooms I teach in require at least one fur coat. Wow these guys LOVE air conditioning ! |
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crashartist1
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 164
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| Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2005 11:48 am Post subject: winter clothes in Jeddah |
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Sorry, I don't have any fur jackets, but will a suit jacket suffice? Or should I wear a scarf and gloves to go with my ear mittens.
Prairies of North America.... Anything like Nebraska? Big, flat, barren a straight run of icy wind coming from the Canadian plains traveling thousands of miles over ice and snow to blanket the Dakota's before going onto Nebraska. Man I don't miss that.
Where is Aqua Flame? I want to ask her a question.
Since you, Miss Flame, are the resident pro on the sea conditions, can I swim without any problems in the winter? Also, what do you do as a female in Jeddah? Do you need a male escort outside of the compound you live on (presuming you do live on a compound)? I have heard conflicting stories of what women are able to do and not do. I just want to know if my wife can go shopping by herself or does she need a male supervisor.
(I am not trying to start a thread on women�s rights here, but I would like to hear from any of the lovely ladies how they go about in the Kingdom.)
poorESLteacher
(often mistaken for crashartist, yes eventually I will get my own log in, but I just can't be bothered with it right now) |
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jmsauer
Joined: 30 Apr 2004
Posts: 31
Location: Riyadh, Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2005 10:59 pm Post subject: Re: Learn Arabic for noon arabs |
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| Aqua-Flame wrote: |
Hi friends
I am a female instructor in Jeddah. I can help who is coming to live in Jeddah, In learning Arabic, In giving any kinf of information about anything related to Water sports SPECIALLY Scuba Diving.
I speak Arabic and English ... for whom needs any kind of help or have any questions can email me to [email protected]
If anyone needs any kind of information about Scuba diving can email to [email protected] |
Obviously you're not teaching English. Why don't you let me help you with it. Are you single and even remotely attractive? |
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ootii
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 124
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 12:06 pm Post subject: |
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| scot47 wrote: |
| Much of the teaching of Arabic to foreigners is geared to the religious needs of Muslims who wish to read the Koran. If you are a non-Muslim this approach is of limited value. In fact some schools of Fikh say that teaching Arabic to non-Muslims is not permitted ! |
I've never known any non-Muslims who've done these courses, and while they may not be ideally targeted to your needs - whatever those might be - they're certainly better than nothing.
As a language teacher, you should know how to get the best out of just about any languge course, and treat it as a resource.
King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah may have an Arabic Language Institute, there is one at King Saud University in Riyadh. I know people who have done the course in Riyadh and benefited from it.
One of the problems with learning Arabic - anywhere in the world - is the lack of qualified teachers who are not stuck into the traditional memorize and repeat methodology of language learning. Once you are here, you will find that this is also one of the major obstacles you will encounter in teaching young Saudis English.
The other problem has to do with dialects. No one speaks MSA, however, in some Saudi cities they do speak a kind of standardized Arabic that is fairly close to it. Unfortunately, Arabs - not just Saudis - have a tendency to make it "easier" for foreigners to understand them by speaking an idiotic pidgin that is virtually incomprehensible to anyone over the age of two.
There was a brief effloresence of Arabic language courses following the announcement last winter that the Saudi government was accepting applications for naturalization and one of the requirements was that applicants should speak Arabic.
Most of these courses vanished when people learned of the other requirement for naturalization, a PhD in medicine or engineering - I kid you not! |
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crashartist1
Joined: 06 Jun 2004
Posts: 164
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 3:41 pm Post subject: |
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Hey thanks for the info Ootii. I plan on checking out the Universities when I get there. I know a lot of people who can live in a country and learn the language on the fly, but unfortunately I cannot. I need a basic structure to begin with for a few months (well with Arabic maybe a few years) along with the emersion to help me learn the language. I am a bottom to top learner no matter how hard I have tried to do it the other way (I always have a million questions) My wife and I both wish to learn the language and hopefully we will be in Jeddah long enough to learn to a proficient level. Who knows, who knows...
But back to the beach� Anyone go regularly to the beach or anything like that? I am interested in the life outside the schools and the compounds.
poorESLteacher |
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ootii
Joined: 27 Oct 2005
Posts: 124
Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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| Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2005 4:12 pm Post subject: |
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| crashartist1 wrote: |
| I need a basic structure to begin with for a few months (well with Arabic maybe a few years) along with the emersion to help me learn the language. I am a bottom to top learner no matter how hard I have tried to do it the other way (I always have a million questions) |
Once you master the morphology you've more or less got it wrapped up. Have a look at "Arabic Verbs and Essential of Grammar", Wightwick and Gaafar (Chicago, 1998). It follows a traditional analysis of Arabic grammar. Ignore the "dual" forms and focus on section two - Essentials of Grammar. For reading practice you could try "A Reader of Modern Arabic Short Stories" Hafez and Cobham, (Saqi, 1988), or the excellent "A Reader in Modern Literary Arabic", Ziadeh (Washington, 1964). Ziadeh's book is hard to find, but worth the effort. Neither are "dual text" editions though, so they should be regarded as upper intermediate at the very least.
To begin with you could get yourself one of those dual language Qurans. Pickthall is fairly literal and easy to follow, Yusuf Ali is more popular among Muslims for some reason. I think Pickthall is better. Focus on the longer narrative sections with lots of dialogue in them.
If reading the Quran is too radical for you, get yourself an Arabic Bible and a good reference grammar and it read along with whatever translation you like, but don't bring an Arabic Bible with you to Saudi Arabia. |
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