Thursday, February 15, 2007
All About Iran
First I have to say: I think I can still speak Spanish! Tonight I went to a Berlitz Spanish class (I'm allowed to attend any group lesson for free when I work there) and I did very well! I could understand like 97% of what was said or read, and the teacher told me I had native-like pronunciation! Ha ha! Actually, they are Level 3/4 students, and I guessed it would be too easy for me, but I wasn't sure how much and how quickly Spanish would come back to me. Apparently a lot, and faster than I thought!
Second, I found a very cheap Japanese class to take at a Women's University here in Boston. Unfortunately, the higher level classes are on Wednesday nights when I have to work for the family, but I can take an upper intermediate lesson on Tuesday nights. Since I have good conversational skills, but poor grammar and vocabulary this may actually be just about right for me. It starts next week.
Okay, the title of this post is All About Iran because I'm learning so much about the country this week! I didn't realize how incredibly ignorant I was about this middle eastern country, but I'm very thankful to be learning now. Iran was initially put on my radar when I learned my boss at Berlitz is Iranian. Then another Iranian woman enrolled in my English class. Of course, in class we all share information about our home countries and international experiences so I've just been learning some basic facts about Iran--and becoming much more interested.
It's amazing how last month everything about the country seemed so ...foreign, and just because I met a couple people from there it doesn't seem to far-away or exotic anymore. I remember the first time I went to Japan in college I was overwhelmed with the foreignness of the country and was terrified of getting separated from the other Americans on the subway because I would be so helpless. Even a country as alien as Japan can become familiar, so I'm hoping to absorb as much as possible about Iran with these new contacts. I even thought for the first time today, "Maybe I'd like to go to Iran some day." I have never had an interest in going to Iran. Before my sophomore year in college I never had an interest in Japan, either.
...
Last week I went to a Culture IQ Party with a new friend I met at Lesley University's Open House. (Yeah, I'm a geek to sit down with strangers to quiz each other on culture--but hey it's like the Trivial Pursuit of culture and I'm a champion!) The new group of Lesley grad students were awesome, but I was surprised that even in a group of cultural-know-it-alls I got the highest IQ score! I won the title of Ambassador with honors. =)
The Lesley students seem to be book smart, but lack a general knowledge of foreign languages and geography. Granted the questions we happened to pick were Scandinavia-heavy, and I just happen to know a lot about Norway and Sweden because of my college boyfriend and best-friend from freshmen year, but there were also plenty of Latin and Asian questions that stumped everyone else, yet seemed effortless to me.
I know I'm starting to gloat. Please remember I'm also capable of admiting, "I suck," when it's true.
I'm having a hard time staying on the topic of Iran.... Anyway, my Berlitz student's name is Narges. She invited me over to her "penthouse in Chestnut Hill Tower" this weekend. She sounds exorbitantly rich (like so many people I've met in Boston), but more importantly she is incredibly down-to-earth and kind. And she loves me. I think she almost invited me on her spring vacation to Mexico. I was giving the English class recommendations of places to go in Mexico and I jokingly said, "And I'm an excellent tour guide if you need a Spanish speaker to go along with you!" She gave me this look like, "What dates are you available?"
After class we exchanged email addresses and phone numbers and she asked if she could make me some Persian food this Saturday. If I have the weekend off I'll definitely be taking her up on that offer!! Perhaps I'll even get an offer to go to Mexico?!?
Second, I found a very cheap Japanese class to take at a Women's University here in Boston. Unfortunately, the higher level classes are on Wednesday nights when I have to work for the family, but I can take an upper intermediate lesson on Tuesday nights. Since I have good conversational skills, but poor grammar and vocabulary this may actually be just about right for me. It starts next week.
Okay, the title of this post is All About Iran because I'm learning so much about the country this week! I didn't realize how incredibly ignorant I was about this middle eastern country, but I'm very thankful to be learning now. Iran was initially put on my radar when I learned my boss at Berlitz is Iranian. Then another Iranian woman enrolled in my English class. Of course, in class we all share information about our home countries and international experiences so I've just been learning some basic facts about Iran--and becoming much more interested.
It's amazing how last month everything about the country seemed so ...foreign, and just because I met a couple people from there it doesn't seem to far-away or exotic anymore. I remember the first time I went to Japan in college I was overwhelmed with the foreignness of the country and was terrified of getting separated from the other Americans on the subway because I would be so helpless. Even a country as alien as Japan can become familiar, so I'm hoping to absorb as much as possible about Iran with these new contacts. I even thought for the first time today, "Maybe I'd like to go to Iran some day." I have never had an interest in going to Iran. Before my sophomore year in college I never had an interest in Japan, either.
...
Last week I went to a Culture IQ Party with a new friend I met at Lesley University's Open House. (Yeah, I'm a geek to sit down with strangers to quiz each other on culture--but hey it's like the Trivial Pursuit of culture and I'm a champion!) The new group of Lesley grad students were awesome, but I was surprised that even in a group of cultural-know-it-alls I got the highest IQ score! I won the title of Ambassador with honors. =)
The Lesley students seem to be book smart, but lack a general knowledge of foreign languages and geography. Granted the questions we happened to pick were Scandinavia-heavy, and I just happen to know a lot about Norway and Sweden because of my college boyfriend and best-friend from freshmen year, but there were also plenty of Latin and Asian questions that stumped everyone else, yet seemed effortless to me.
I know I'm starting to gloat. Please remember I'm also capable of admiting, "I suck," when it's true.
I'm having a hard time staying on the topic of Iran.... Anyway, my Berlitz student's name is Narges. She invited me over to her "penthouse in Chestnut Hill Tower" this weekend. She sounds exorbitantly rich (like so many people I've met in Boston), but more importantly she is incredibly down-to-earth and kind. And she loves me. I think she almost invited me on her spring vacation to Mexico. I was giving the English class recommendations of places to go in Mexico and I jokingly said, "And I'm an excellent tour guide if you need a Spanish speaker to go along with you!" She gave me this look like, "What dates are you available?"
After class we exchanged email addresses and phone numbers and she asked if she could make me some Persian food this Saturday. If I have the weekend off I'll definitely be taking her up on that offer!! Perhaps I'll even get an offer to go to Mexico?!?
