sipping on coffee

This past week has been very interesting. Our class finally finished our Sound and Script portion of our curriculum with the culmination of our test this past Friday. So it is official: I can read and write Arabic. I don't know what the words are, but I can read it and write it. One of the many hurdles I must cross while here has finally been completed.

I had an interesting encounter at the Del Monte Shopping Center a couple of days ago. I was there with my friend Randy and for some reason I turned around in the middle of the store and started to stare at these three men. I wasn't even sure why I was staring. One of them came up and asked me why I was staring at them and I told him I wasn't sure. I then asked them where they were from, to which they replied, "Saudi Arabia". So that was it! I was staring at them because they were speaking Arabic to each other. My mind must have subconsiously picked it up. We quickly became friends once they found out Randy and I were students of Arabic. Each of them are Colonels in the Saudi Army, one of which is an F-16 pilot. All of them are studying at the Naval Post-Graduate School, located just down the street from the DLI. Before we departed, they gave us an open invitation to visit them at the NPS for some Arabic speaking practice. They told us their room number and building and we parted ways.

The next morning (Saturday) Randy and I were driving around doing errands when he suggested we visit our Arabic friends at NPS. I agreed, although neither of us remembered the building or room number. All we could remember was that it was on the third floor. We went to the front gate and asked where they put the foreign students and the guard told us the building. However, when we got to the building, we realized that it would be impossible to find them because there were too many rooms on the third floor. We searched, but no one was around to ask for help. As we were about to give up, we noticed the door to one room propped open. So we knocked and peaked inside. And wouldn't you guess? It was our friends we met the night before! We had a great time talking Arabic with them while sipping on coffee and munching on snacks. It almost reminded me of when my team would meet with the Mayor of Tikrit in Iraq. Well, except for the part where we had to wear body armor, things would explode, or people would shoot at you.

Wow, that was a long story for what it was worth. I just thought it was an interesting encounter.

Some of us went out to an Afghanistan Restaurant tonight in Pacific Grove (picture above). The food was great, but it was much more enjoyable getting to know my fellow servicemen. They are all professionals and motivated to accomplishing the mission of learning Arabic.

I don't really have a lot of energy right now. I can see that my writing is getting worse by the minute, so I'm going to have to write more at another time!

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or it he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?
~Luke 11:11-13