Language barriers and friendship during study abroad in Iraq

¶ … Country Experience

Being in a foreign country is not easy. This is because it is a relatively new experience which one is not used to and thus it might feel awkward and strange.it is even worse when you are in a non-English speaking country. Not all countries in the world speak English there are others where they speak other languages apart from English. I really had a rough time when I went to study in Iraq. At first I had thought of it as an opportunity to go outside my country of origin and get to know how people out there lived. However, when I got there it was the least of my expectations. First of all in Iraq the official languages are Arabic and Kurdish.as we all know communication is a very important thing. Without communication there can be a lot of misunderstanding and even possible conflicts. Therefore being in a non-English speaking country was very difficult for me. Personally I do not understand Arabic or the Kurdish. The only languages I can speak and understand are English and French.it was therefore very difficult for me to communicate to people around me. For a foreigner like me who did not know the whereabouts in that country it was quite hectic. I used to spend a lot of time trying to figure my way out around the country. Unfortunately I could not ask for any assistance since no one seemed to understand or speak English.

Fortunately the school I was going to was an international school. I was luck enough to get other foreign students like me who were in the same situation I was in .once we realized we had the same problem we immediately came together and became friends.one of these students had take some Arabic classes before the came to Iraq. For him he was able to pick up a few things though not all. When I realized this I convinced him we share rooms so that he could help me as I learnt some of the Arabic. I can say that meeting with this guy was the best thing that happened to me when I was in Iraq. This is because we used to go everywhere together and he does all the talking.at least for him he could understand and converse with people in stores, restaurants and so on. This is what made my life easier there. He helped me a lot and I can say that by staying with him I got to learn a lot of Arabic. Having such a person came as a relief to me since I was really struggling to understand people there.