An Online Arabic keyboard

Check this site guys and see whether you like it:

http://www.islamweb.net/php/php_arabic/keyboard/keyboard.htm

You can use it to write Arabic in a word document, in your emails, and while chating on Elive! Cool, eh?

Zeina

Religion / Clothing

Lebanon is a country with three different religions: Christianity, Islam and Druze. It is a religious society and one can see the effect and role of religion in many aspects of life. Even though there are Christian schools, Islamic schools and Druze schools, in general the students are mixed, and one can find people from different religions in these schools.

I attended a catholic school, where all the students were of a female gender and we were supposed to dress very conservative. Some Islamic female students wear veils (hijab) on their heads. About the druze students, only if they are sheikhs and sheikhas, female students are dressed in white veils (al mandil) that cover all of their faces except their eyes and black shirts and long skirts covering their legs to their ankles. Male druze students grow moustache, shave their heads, and wear dark clothing with white turban.

Enjoy great pictures of Lebanon, the Middle East and all countries in the world by going to this website: http://www.galenfrysinger.com/lebanon.htm

A picutre of a druze woman making bread on the “Sage”:

Zeina

Coffee Comparison

Hi, Audrey again… When we were learning about the coffee houses a few weeks ago I had noticed that Turkish coffee and Arabic coffee came up quite often as different varieties.  So, I decided I would try to see what the difference is. Turkish and Arabic coffee are prepared with the same tools and methods.  From what I was given to understand, the Turkish coffee is a particular variety of Arabic coffee. Turkish coffee has several other names including, Serbian coffee, Armenian coffee, Greek coffee, or Byzantine coffee.  It is popular in the Middle East (of course), North Africa, and the Balkans.  It is consumed slowly and served with cool water so as to keep and clean palate and enjoy the flavor.  The grounds will be at the bottom of the cup.  In some cultures the cup is turned upside down on the saucer to dump out the grounds which are then read for fortunetelling. Arabic coffee comes in two varieties, Turkish, and Bedouin.  In Saudia Arabia its amber in color, but in Jordan its darker.  It is often spiced with cardamon and is served in small portions.

Some thoughts on class…

Hi, this is Audrey.

I think I had already told you guys that I’m majoring in linguistics.  Because of that I’ve been trying to take all of the foreign language classes that I can get my hands on, that and I just enjoy learning other languages.  But this class has definitely set itself apart.  Its the language itself for one.  All of the other languages I’m learning are Greek or Latin based and because Arabic is neither, its been more difficult for me.  I’ve been struggling with this class more than any of the other foreign languages I’m taking this semester.

That said, this class has certainly been a challenge but that’s made it all the more enjoyable.  There have been times where I really didn’t “get it” and there has been much frustration.  Regardless, learning Arabic is important to me, especially with as I may be heading over to the Middle East soon.

So those are my thoughts right now.

Thanks,

Audrey

Cards

I was watching the video on Arab culture and noted the card game. I embarked on a search to find what types of card games are popular in the Middle East. I like to play a little pinochle now and then, so it was with great interest that I read of a card game called Tarneeb.

Like Pinochle, Tarneeb is a card game requiring skills in bidding, playing and defending. During bidding, partners try to support one another. A player needs to consider his/her partners’ cards to identify the best trump suit and the right level for the call of the team. Since players cannot make many bids before they run the risk of being too high, each bid needs to convey as much information as possible, both about distribution and high-card count. In responding to a partner’s bid, a player usually passes, jumps in partner’s suit with support and a stronger hand or bids a new suit. 

Tarneeb is played throughout the Middle East, including Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq. It is also played by Arab Immigrants to the
U.S. I found several Tarneeb clubs in the U.S.that appear to be active and thriving. There is even a computer based version of the game available. When I do my pre-deployment training, I will be training in a mock Iraqi city full of Arabic speaking persons playing the role of Iraqis. I hope I have a chance to learn Tarneeb while there.

Other card games played in the Mideast include Whist, and Poker. Another game, similar to Casino is known as Basra. There is also a game called 41 that sounds similar to Hearts.

Virtual Presence

Hello guys, this is really cool, check it out! if you go to this website: http://developer.lluna.de/ and download an Avatar ( a graphical image that represents you), then when you can check who is online while working on the Blog and we can chat together.. I created one, that looks a lot like me (kind of scary!), and the name is zazou ( my nickname)

This is not mandatory but it will be fun to try! If you would like!

Zeina

writing in arabic

The writing of arabic is a lot different than english; it seems more fluid than even curseive. I find it effects my writing in english. my favorite letter to write is called shiiin. It looks kind of like a fence with a tale.

Arabian Peninusla coffee

On page 120 of the text I became curious about the colorless coffee of the Arabian Peninsula. http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198802/the.flavors.of.arabia.htm:

In the Arabian Peninsula, coffee is usually a straw-colored brew, made from lightly roasted beans, lavishly perfumed and flavored with crushed, large green cardamom pods, and served unsweetened in miniature handleless cups in a stream of generosity that ends only when the guest’s thirst is unquestionably satisfied. As it is one of the world’s most expensive spices, cardamom’s generous use is intended as an honor.

Cardamon is a spice in the ginger family. It is usually included in Arabic coffee. It must be prepared immediately before use.

Lebanese Recipe Site

http://www.foodbycountry.com/Kazakhstan-to-South-Africa/Lebanon.html

 

I was researching coffee and found this site on Lebanese food I wanted to share with every body.

Hooka or water pipe

The hooka or water pipe is known by many names in the Arab world. Names like nargeela/nargile/narghile/nargileh, argeela/arghileh, shisha/sheesha, okka, kalyan, or ghelyoon or ghalyan. It consists of four parts, a base, a bowl, a stem, and a hose. The base is filled with some water acting as a filter. Then on the top is a bowl which holds the tobacco and the heat source. The heat Source is usually a red coal is covered with a piece of foil. Then placed on top of the tobacco. From the base a hose is connected. Then the hose connects to a stem or pipe. The tobacco (tobamel or maasselt) hat it used is very different form the American or western style. It is kept wet instead of dried, and is often flavored.

        The hooka is a common site in the Arab world, but is being replaced by western cigarettes. Often they are present in cafes or in shops that specialize in the smoking of hookas. Before the introduction of tobacco from North America the hookas were used for smoking hashish or opium. A true Arab hooka only has a single hose which is shared by a the group of people.