Sunday, 09th April 2006
Some things that are new and fantastic.
I’m going to learn Persian next year. I have been umming and ahhing about what language to do all year, and have flitted, at various points, between Arabic, Urdu, Hindi, Hebrew and Turkish. However someone I discussed it with recently said something that really struck me: there’s no point learning a language if I am not going to stick with it after my degree. So I got to thinking about what would make me long-term commit to a language and came up with just the one answer - poetry. At this point I was really only contemplating Urdu and Persian, so I went up to the Urdu section in the library at school and to my surprise, found some pretty good poetry. One book in particular struck me (and not just because of the awesome title) and I would recommend having a read if you ever come across We Sinful Women. Also, Faiz Ahmed Faiz is pretty damn good.
But poetry, Persian…
Can you say Rumi? Can you say Hafiz? Can you say ‘Attar? Can you say Omar Khayyam? I know I can and I am pretty certain I can commit a disproportionate amount of the rest of my life to learning Persian so as I might read these writers as they are meant to be read.
So I went to see the lecturer for Persian who was absolutely fantastic. I bombarded her with a barrage of questions and fears and she was entirely patient, kind, funny and enthusiastic. I walked out of her office brimming with joy and I find the idea of spending four hours a week being taught by her positively enthralling, so “Elementary Written Persian” it is. She wrote this book and so I am going to buy it and practise the script over the summer. She said she will burn me the accompanying CDs so as I can save my studentious (ha?!) pennies. I love her, really I do.
Something else that is fantastic and new is that I am going to Israel / Palestine in September. Weeee for me! One of our TAs from school is taking about 9 of us for a religious tourist trip. She’s fluent in Hebrew and Arabic and has been there lots before so she knows her way around. Our agenda isn’t set yet, but we shall be staying in Jerusalem and definitely be going to a Coptic church, a mosque and a synagogue. I also really want to go to the Baha’i gardens in Haifa, visit the old port of Jaffa, and go to Hebron, Acre, and Bethlehem. We have a religiously mixed, but all female, group of Muslims, Jews and one likkle ol’ nothingist called Tank. We are going to be staying in a nunnery (hahahaaa, woooa, me in a nunnery!!!) because it’s ridiculously cheap. I hope Mossad don’t put a hit out on us for proving that we can all get along if we really want to. Hahaha. I’m waaaaay more than excited for this trip.
Other random things that are fantastic, but not necessarily new, are this pose by Nimbus, custard creams, Tremble, Kate Bush’s Never for Ever, this hand cream, my mother, this book, and the art of Arthur Rackham.
