Hamamatan

In Arabic, there's singular, there's plural, and there's "two of something."

Hamami = one dove

Hamamatan = two doves

The word appears in Eid Al-Mara, the new song they are learning in Andalusian choir. I have been going for the last two months--the music conservatory is just a few minutes away--but always to listen. Today, though, my friend Iman came over and helped me learn some lines of this new song. Then we walked to choir practice together. At her encouragement, I opened my mouth. Mr. Hisham was surprised. "Bravo."

The music is all in Arabic. I have the lyrics in front of me, and I can read along when the group sings, but I don't trust myself to read fast enough and accurately enough to sing with the Arabic script alone. Having Iman sing slowly, and writing English transliteration, solves the problem. "Avec le temps," as she says, I will get better and more independent. And as I continue learning Arabic, I will understand more words. For now, it's hamamatan and maybe eight others.

Club Athletica

Hatha rajul mezyaaaaaan.

This man is goooooood.

Said the drunk man, clutching Peter. I concurred. From across the bar, a Spanish man bought us two more gin and tonics. Mohammed resumed his rant on the importance of his wife being intelligent, if only for the sake of his 10-month old son. Karim, the owner and manager of Club Athletica, which I now understand to be a private drinking establishment and not a gym, introduced himself and said that I was welcome any time. The pleasure of the Tetouani bar experience, however, came largely from the novelty.

Wiki days

When you live abroad, you might find it easier to experiment with living, because you have already broken your routine. For example, you might designate a day to looking up on Wikipedia all the things that made you go, "I wish I knew more about..."

This week:

World War I and II

Arabic -- syllabic or time-based?

New Zealand

vestigial organs

Now I know what the appendix was for. It digested cellulose for our herbivorous ancestors. And look at that sweet picture of a baleen whale again. Picture c indicates its undeveloped hind legs. What!