Afkaar fiy muntu9if al-layl

It is no secret that I am jealous of those who can use a second language (or more!) to adequately express their most complicated technical and philosophical thoughts. I strive to achieve that same competency in Arabic, and I get closer every day. I do have 'adventures,' in San Francisco, they just seem to always involve Arabic somehow. I have finally determined, through a combination of events today, that I get the most enjoyment out of a rare real conversation in Arabic when it involves highly intellectual subject matter. No more of this piddly 'hello-how-are-you-where-are-you-from' baloney. that's not a real conversation on its own, just a conversation starter. I have tried to engage people in a real conversation on serious topics before, but they just comment on "Oh, how cute, the blonde girl knows a few words," and try to use English exclusively.

And for God's sake, would everyone please stop telling me how beautiful my Arabic handwriting is? Yes, I know how to spell. It's called phonetics. And my writing only looks just like the printed font because I don't know any different. No one taught me a 'natural' way of handwriting.

Oh, to be in a university setting, surrounded by seekers of knowledge avidly engaged in academic debates...