Reflection

My career goal is to either work for the state department or the CIA and work
in the North Africa/Middle East region. This requires a knowledge of the
language of the region: Arabic. At the beginning of the semester, I knew one
word of Arabic the word for No and I didnt even know how to write it
using the Arabic script. Needless to say, I was the most basic of beginners.
I began this class with a firm determination to learn how to write and say
some basic phrases. Within a couple months, I had mastered the writing
system and had grasped a very basic vocabulary. By the end of the
semester, I could form basic sentences and talk about my family, a daily
schedule, school, occupations, travel and details about myself.
This took many hours of work to accomplish, but it has payed off. Below is a
paragraph in Arabic talking about a few of the before mentioned topics. As
well, there is a recording of my talking about similar topics. As a language
takes time to master, I look forward to continuing to work on my Arabic skills
throughout the next few years in preparation for government work in the
Middle East.