I have worn many hats throughout my professional career. My very first job as a teenager was working as طاه – taahi (cook) at a famous fast food restaurant. Later, I was a مشغل الراديو - mushghil arraadyu (radio operator), حارس أمن - haaris ‘amn ( security guard), علامة الرسام – ‘alaamat arrassaam (sign painter), and even worked for a while in بناء الطرق -...
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Welcome back! That last article on Arab street foods made me so hungry that I had to go out and get something to eat. (I had a falaafil sandwich.) While I was out, however, I realized that there are so many more delicious Arab foods that you can eat, and too many to mention in just one article. So, without further ado, here’s a list of...
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I love to travel and, to me, the best part of traveling is all the different foods to try. The Arab world does not disappoint when it comes to edible delights, and although home cooked meals are always the best way to go, sometimes the hunger hits you before you have a chance to get home. So what do you do? You grab something on...
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No matter where you travel in the world, you’ll find people that love playing riyaaDa (sports), and this is also especially true of Arabs. Whether it’s individual sports like ملاكمة mulaakamah (boxing) or team sports like كرة القدم الامريكية kurat alqadam al’amreekiyah (rugby), you’re sure to find an Arab audience for it. Without a doubt, however, the most popular sport in the Arab world is كرة القدم kurat alqadam In fact, it is the closest thing every country...
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One of the great advantages of living in the city is the variety of وسائل النقل العامة wasaa’il annaql al’aamah (public transportation) that can shuttle you around that city. In most Arabic speaking countries, the cheapest form of transportation is usually the حافلة haafilah (bus). If you’re taking the Haafila from city to city, one of the benefits besides saving money is that you get to take in all the beautiful...
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If you ever have the chance to visit one of the Arabic speaking countries, chances are you’re going to have to ask for directions to all the beautiful sights to see, or at the very least, know how to get to your hotel. Or perhaps you’ll be standing on a street in Amman, Jordan waiting for a taxi, when all of sudden, a car pulls...
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So far you’ve learned so many Arabic vocabulary words that you don’t know what to do with them. Well, in this article, Kaleela is going to show you exactly what to do with them by teaching you how to organize and structure your vocabulary into basic sentences in Arabic. Let’s get started! There are primarily three types of sentence structures in Arabic: the basic, the compound, and the clausal. The basic has two...
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No matter the language, one of the first things every student learns is how to say hello and the Arabic language is no different. Not only is this a great way to introduce yourself to others you meet, but it is also an excellent way to start an Arabic conversation. However, because of the wide range of both the area and diversity of the Arab...
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Have you ever awoke from a deep sleep and totally forgotten what month it was? It can happen to anybody, but not being exactly sure what month it is can happen in both your sleeping and waking life in the Arabic speaking countries of the Middle East. You see, depending on where you are exactly in the Middle East, you may be met with a variety of different calendars –...
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One interesting aspect related to saying “goodbye” in the Arab world is that saying goodbye can take a very long time! For example, I was on a phone call with an Iraqi student of mine one day and the end of the conversation went something like this:Me: “Okay, taalibee (my student), I will talk to you later.” Student: “Okay, ustaazee (my teacher). Hello. Hello. Goodbye....
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