Pre-Departure Language and Logistics

What have I been doing since I've been accepted? A few things...

-Going to my doctor to get all my required shots and prescriptions
-Signing forms and mailing them back to iEARN-USA, my implementing organization
-Emailing my program directors and reading the weekly newsletters they send out
-Learning Arabic!!!!

Yep, thankfully they don't send us out into Morocco completely clueless of the language. For the 5 weeks leading up to our departure, we have had weekly Arabic assignments. We have been studying the alphabet and numbers 1-10, as well as basic greetings and vocabulary. Thankfully, my Level 1 class at B-CC covered all of those things, so the assignments have mostly been review.

We also participate in at least two office-hour sessions before departure. Office hours are essentially a group video chat in which we go over the week's lesson and the pronunciation of all of the letters and words with our Resident Director, Nabeela. I have done one so far, and I will do my second one on Sunday, right before we leave.

The scariest part so far was the language placement test with i-EARN. I scheduled a phone interview appointment which would allow the program to place me in a language class that matched my abilitiy. My interviewer would ask me questions in Arabic and I had to answer entirely in Arabic. Even though she spoke beautiful, perfect Modern Standard Arabic, I could barely understand her. The worst part was that I didn't even know how to say "I don't understand!" So when she asked me something and I had no idea what she said, I just wouldn't respond. It was very awkward. About halfway through, I googled it, and now I know that "la afham" will be one of my most useful phrases during the first couple of weeks!

I survived the placement test, however, and I think I managed to squeeze in some decent sentences about my favorite foods and activities to do in the summer and winter time. Thank you Sayida Habash!

Now, all I have left to do is brush up on my vocabulary, finish a couple loads of laundry, make photocopies of my passport, and I should be set to leave on Wednesday! I didn't know it was possible to be so nervous and so excited at the same time...