Sham City Center

Hooray! Moderate success!

And what an entry have I got for you on my cooking/microbus web-log that not so artfully avoids any content relating to any truly substantial occurrences that have befallen me here in the Ocean-Habitat of Damascus! (The area of Damascus is sometimes called "Moheeteh Dimashq" which seemingly means the area around Damascus, but actually means the Ocean/Environment of Damascus.) I cooked Tajine tonight! Tajine is a traditional dish….. from North Africa!! In spite of having bought recently a little cookbook, as I related to you previously, I took this recipe, or rather happened upon it, on the New York Times website where it was written out in more comprehensible form (i.e. English), with greater specificity by far, even referring to the ingredient spices by their full names, rather than collectively calling them "spice" (Yes, my happy little cookbook does this with great frequency - an obstacle I feel helpless to overcome. Can you help me?) Tajine is a soupy dish. I used chicken, it's usually made with lamb. I used bulgur, it's usually made with couscous. I used fresh apricots, its recipe called for dried ones. I broke the rules, as I am wont to do so as to prevent my cookery from tasting too much as it is intended to, or tasting too much like anything an honest partaker could call delicious. But I am sometimes very dishonest when I partake, and I thought it was.. at least.. good. I'll make it for you all, and you will have a chance to humor me with your already much depleted humors, expended here.

Now that I have a web-log, I can post links to other web-logs! Here's one I read on "Wordpress" (which has never been blocked in Syria). It's about animals. Take a look: http://animalreview.wordpress.com/

Tomorrow I go to my certain doom (and I will have a chance to report on its certainty, probably, before I get to post this) in a partner oral test!! It's ok. I have confidence in my classmates and in myself. It could be difficult if I end up with either my Belarussian or Korean colleague. They can be very difficult to understand, and sometimes it seems like my accent makes it equally difficult for them. We'll see. Roughly everyone else is readily understood. The Greek students have trouble with their alveolar fricatives ("th" and "dh"). The Italian students always end all their words in vowels. The other American student pronounces every word like it's a hotdog topping*! But none of them are as difficult to understand.

Ok, so I was with Maxim (from Belarus) but it went well. We actually talked for a long time while we were waiting to be called in and even talked about accents a little bit. He mentioned that when he first heard the other American in our class talk, he didn't understand a word. Apparently he can understand me pretty well. It's interesting though, each nationality that learns a language sort of develops their own version of it and sometimes, with people that have particular trouble in pronunciation (like Phillip.. the other American), these versions aren't particularly mutually intelligible. But Maxim and I speak the same language, thank goodness.

I have a test tomorrow too..

Next time I'll tell you about what happens to the Prophet's cousin in Habesha with King Al-Najashi! Because I haven't found out yet..

So I know now: so basically, Jaafar (Muhammad's cousin) reads the king a bunch of Suras and he cries.. especially when he is read the Sura "Maryam". Neat!

Thighs and Legs,

David

*Pickle relish means "a breach of the charter" in Arabic