That towel story...
Ok - so let me give you a little backgrounder to this story.
There is a significant gap between spoken Arabic (3aamiyya) and Classical Arabic (Fus7a). In some countries e.g. Algeria, Morocco etc the gap is so significant that by most standards it's another language. The countries whose language most resemble Classical Arabic is that of the Gulf states. What this means is that, although most Arabs understand Classical Arabic often words unique to the area are used instead. For example:
- the Classical Arabic for Towel (as in drying yourself after a shower towel) is Fouta.
- in Syria they have two words for towel. Beshkiir and Menshef el-Hamaam. Fouta, when used, still means towel - but a particular type of towel, as we shall see...
- whereas in Iraq they use the word Khaawli.
(NB - I know my posts are being scanned by arabic nerds - pick at my mistakes all you want you bastarfs cos I'm in Syria and you're not! haha!)
Since I left my packing (for a year!) 'til the 5 hours before I was supposed to be at the airport it comes as no surprise that I ended up taking a load of random things which have no use anywhere - hence I forgot such a useful basic like TOWELS :-S
Great - 2 days into my new life i'm getting very sticky and very desperate. So I begin a frantic search for towel. Not knowing the differences (above) I start asking randoms: where can I buy a 'Fouta'? In return I get looks ranging from bemused to minor shock. So I start wondering: what exactly do these people dry themselves with?! I mean, it is damn HOT here but you can't leave yourself hung out to dry (crown jewels flapping with the wind).
Finally I get myself my towels (from the wonderful el-Souk el-Hamdiyya, I might add) after explanation from my friend that Syrians don't use the word Fouta... it has a particular meaning here.
And then it hit me, the bemused looks, evil eyes, shuffles of consternation; what on earth had I done to deserve them?! I knew now...
All along I'd been trekking round Damascus centre asking for sanitary towels
:-S
There is a significant gap between spoken Arabic (3aamiyya) and Classical Arabic (Fus7a). In some countries e.g. Algeria, Morocco etc the gap is so significant that by most standards it's another language. The countries whose language most resemble Classical Arabic is that of the Gulf states. What this means is that, although most Arabs understand Classical Arabic often words unique to the area are used instead. For example:
- the Classical Arabic for Towel (as in drying yourself after a shower towel) is Fouta.
- in Syria they have two words for towel. Beshkiir and Menshef el-Hamaam. Fouta, when used, still means towel - but a particular type of towel, as we shall see...
- whereas in Iraq they use the word Khaawli.
(NB - I know my posts are being scanned by arabic nerds - pick at my mistakes all you want you bastarfs cos I'm in Syria and you're not! haha!)
Since I left my packing (for a year!) 'til the 5 hours before I was supposed to be at the airport it comes as no surprise that I ended up taking a load of random things which have no use anywhere - hence I forgot such a useful basic like TOWELS :-S
Great - 2 days into my new life i'm getting very sticky and very desperate. So I begin a frantic search for towel. Not knowing the differences (above) I start asking randoms: where can I buy a 'Fouta'? In return I get looks ranging from bemused to minor shock. So I start wondering: what exactly do these people dry themselves with?! I mean, it is damn HOT here but you can't leave yourself hung out to dry (crown jewels flapping with the wind).
Finally I get myself my towels (from the wonderful el-Souk el-Hamdiyya, I might add) after explanation from my friend that Syrians don't use the word Fouta... it has a particular meaning here.
And then it hit me, the bemused looks, evil eyes, shuffles of consternation; what on earth had I done to deserve them?! I knew now...
All along I'd been trekking round Damascus centre asking for sanitary towels
:-S
posted by NS at 9:50 am
4 Comments:
ROFL...oh namoora...only u would have such a story!!!! Wallah I miss u dearest cousin... inshallah I will b able 2 live these crazy stories in real life with u...while ur at it...buy me some fouta...I am a woman after all!!
Love Foo
Oh foo,
I miss you too my dear... there are such amazing things here that'd i'd love you to see...
Inshallah you shall join me very soon!
Dude,
Friggin hilarious, u muppet!
Will email u back when I get time dude, net access here is so shitty.
Take care and spk soon mate, glad to hear u arrived safe and are having fun :)
ROOO!!!
Wahey ur alive! Checked your blog a few times and saw no life signs..
Bet you're having a cracker. Life is so different here.
Keep in touch my man...
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