Recently I’ve decided to start learning Arabic. It’s a language that I find really beautiful, but it’s also pretty hard. I’m about four days in and I’ve already learned a lot. My coworkers and my family are probably already tired of me practicing it on them(none of them know Arabic), but doing this helps me practice. A few nights ago I went to a Syrian restaurant by where I live with my parents. My dad and I liked the food, my mom not so much. As we were eating I heard the cooks talking (it was an open kitchen) and it sounded like they were speaking Arabic. After we ate our meal I built up some courage to go up to them and ask “were you speaking Arabic,” they said yes. I expressed that I wanted to learn and the one of the cooks said to me that he teaches at the restaurant sometimes. I told them I was just starting, but I managed to clumsily tell them “hello, my name is[redacted],” in Arabic, and one of the the guys got super excited. Pretty sure my accent was really bad, but nonetheless he reacted in such a friendly manner. He spoke some back to me, but like I said I was barely starting out. I told them I really wanted to learn, and then as I was about to leave I said “Mashalla,” and the guy again got super excited again. They were super nice, the food was good, and I had a good time. The part that stuck with me though was, again, his reaction to this random dude that spoke a few words in his language.

This got me thinking how great it is when someone takes an interest in your culture and actually tries to learn either history, language, music, etc. Culture is intrinsically a part of who we are so in a sense when we share culture or learn about other cultures we gain a deeper understanding in the other person and they of us. My dad hates it when people speak Spanish to him when he clearly just spoke English, which I understand to a degree. I don’t think they do it in a malicious way, I genuinely think it’s a way for them to either practice, or if they themselves also speak Spanish, or be comfortable. Spanish is my second language and I’m not very fluent, but I can get by and have conversations with people native and non-native speakers. Sharing of culture is what enriches us it helps us to get a glimpse into the lives and traditions of other peoples. The more we share it I believe will make the world a kinder and more understanding place for everyone.