Engineers, businessmen, and university professors are going back to school, even those who are PhD holders. They are back in class, starting from square 1, from the basics: Alef, Ba, Ta. Expatriates from Europe, North, America, and Asia are living in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom and want to be able to mingle with the local people and gain friends and solid business relationships with them. They feel that the only way to be invited into Saudi culture is to learn the language. Several obstacles stand between expats and their ability to speak Arabic, and Monique, an American expat mentioned, “Most of us live in residential compounds designated for foreigners from different countries, mostly non-Arabs. When we are out with friends or at work all day we speak English with our colleagues.” Expats in the Eastern Province work at King Faisal University, Prince Mohammad bin Fahad University, Aramco, and other companies where they spend most of their time with fellow expats or Arabs who speak English fluently. Therefore, they rarely get the chance to pick up a lot of Arabic words. In addition, since most expats are here for work, they have full working schedules and cannot commit to long hours of studying Arabic. There are extremely few institutes that teach Arabic, and those that do cost a large sum of money. That is why Moodhy Al-Ajab's Arabic school was so enthusiastically received by the expat community in Al-Khobar. She opened the school in 2007, and her slogan attracted many people who had been searching for such a place for a long time: “Learn a new language, and discover a new world.” Although Moodhy's students surpass her in age, they still have a lot to learn from this adept Arabic teacher. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Applied Linguistics and took an extra course in teaching Arabic to non-Arabic speakers. In a short period of time, her students are making huge leaps of improvement in Arabic reading, writing, listening, speaking, and grammar. They can confidently communicate with the people who they are living in the midst of, and they also learn a lot of the Arabic customs and traditions. Moodhy's vision is broader than simply teaching the linguistics of Arabic. Through her teaching, she plays an important role in educating various peoples of the world about the truth of the religion of Islam. She aims to correct the false idea that Islam is equated with terrorism, when in fact it is a religion that calls for peace and tolerance. She is changing the negative stereotypes that the Western world holds about Arabs and Muslims. The Arabic Cultural Center is located in Hizam Alzahbi area in Al-Khobar. It is easy, fun, and relatively cheap to study Arabic at the center, which offers a variety of programs. The most popular program is called “Takallam”, which means: talk. Moodhy told Saudi Gazette, “This is an open conversation course. It is ideal for those who do not have flexible working schedules and who travel a lot. This class meets twice a week in the evenings. During each week we discuss a certain topic, such as: the hospital, the airport, in the airplane, office, or shopping. If you miss a week, you will never feel left behind because each week brings completely new lessons and activities. And the best part of our school is that you do not pay money for any class you did not attend. So if you were absent for a class, you do not pay for that hour. And on average, we charge SR30 per hour, which is pretty reasonable.” Everyone is welcome at the Arabic Cultural Center. Classes are available for adults, both men and women, and for kids between the ages of 6 and 11 years. For those who wish to be seriously devoted to learning Arabic, they can take the 26 level program until they obtain a certificate in General Arabic, officially accredited by the Ministry of Education. If you have creative talents, you can take a course in the art of Arabic calligraphy. Dr. Phillin, an assistant instructor at Prince Mohammad bin Fahad University enrolled in Arabic courses at the center. She is married to a Saudi and she said, “ I wanted to be able to understand and relate to my husband's family better, and I also want to be able to communicate with my own children in Arabic as well as my mother tongue. Everyone around me has noticed a big difference in my Arabic language, and I am very pleased.” And who said that managers of top companies and university professors do not deserve to have a good old time once in a while? The Arabic Cultural Center organizes field trips to the beautiful Corniche, historical sites, and local restaurants to get a taste of Saudi cuisine. Now, fewer barriers lie between you and learning Arabic, enjoying the awesome tourist spots, and becoming friends with your Saudi, Syrian, and Egyptian neighbors and co-workers. If you are ready to learn a new language and discover Saudi Arabia, contact the Arabic Cultural Center in Al-Khobar for more information. They are open from 4pm until 9pm and can be reached at 03-882-8992, or you can check out their web-site at www.sa
