What shall I talk about?

So, originally I was intending to post on the really long shoes that seem to be in fashion among young men in Jordan who are attempting to be fashionable. I really don't understand it. Okay, admittedly, I am no arbiter of fashion. My style is more play-on-the-ground-with-3-kids than photographed for inclusion in the best dressed lists. Even so, I don't understand the benefit of ewearing shoes that are so long that they appear to be 3 sizes too big. They are so big that they curl up at the end. It puts me in mind of pashas reclining on pillows in days of old. And yet, at least the pasha's shoes were fabric and looked comfortable. Current shoes are leather and look terribly uncomfortable. Even more odd, to me, are the men who are not of a certain age (young) and are wearing the shoes. I presume it's a crisis of encroaching middle age and the longing to be younger.

But then, I thought, maybe I should post about starting school. That's right, yesterday was my first day of Arabic School. I'm honestly trying to learn to speak Arabic. Although I have to admit that my pathetic American ear has as significant trouble HEARING the difference as my pathetic American mouth has making the sounds. Perhaps the most striking examples are kha, ha, and gha. Hunh? You've got 3 ways to say ha? I don't get it. It puts me in mind of Spanish class all those years ago. We were discussing the difference between being hungry (tiene hambre) and man (hombre). Perhaps predictably, the first student caught eating in class after this lesson said, "but Mrs. Teacher, tiene hombre." Yes, he said I have a man... I tend to expect that I will make a similarly embarassing mistake by switching the 5000 ways to say ha. To date, I already make fun of the previous king naming his son 5. C'mon folks, even you have to hear it. Hamze, Hampse. It's the same word... You know it, let's just admit it and move on with our lives! Teehee. So, if you see some poor harried American Mom walking down the street muttering Arabic with an awful accent, just say Hi MommaBean and smile to yourself. I promise, I'm trying...

Sanity (and good pronounciation).