My students and viewers often ask me about my history, where I’m from, and where I live now. So I thought I’d add a short bio to this page to answer some of these questions.
I’m originally from Syria. I grew up in the Damascus area, and lived there until 2015. As a child I was always interested in languages, and began to teach myself English at an early age. I also studied formal Arabic, both at school and with my father, who is a scholar of classical Arabic. Later, I attended university and majored in psychology, until my studies were cut off by the coming of the civil war. As many of you probably know, the war broadened to include most of the country, and when the fighting began to encroach on our neighborhood, we left Syria, as daily life had become too unsafe, especially for a family with children.
My family and I spent a year in Turkey, then joined many thousands of others who emigrated further west to find a better, more productive life. I now live in Greece and, yes, I miss my homeland. But not a day goes by that I don’t appreciate my new life, as well!
Of course, since I now live in Greece, I’ve had the opportunity to learn Greek as well. It’s a fascinating language, with some surprising historical connections to Arabic. I now speak Greek on a daily basis, except with my children, who still like to talk to me in the Arabic of their childhoods.
In addition to the dozens of free lessons on my Youtube channel, don’t forget that I have prepared hundreds of study aids for you on my shop. Lesson Reviews, Flashcard Decks, Audio Podcasts, and more – it’s all available to help you improve your mastery of Levantine Arabic!
And if you are intesested in studying Levantine Arabic, shoot me a message with the forms you can find here!