“I have been reading Modern Standard Arabic at an intermediate level for many years, but it was mostly an internal process—my lips moving silently, producing little to no sound. If you are familiar with the stories of Juha, I often felt like him, mumbling and rambling through the printed words, hoping that somehow, some coherent Arabic would come out. Most of the time, it didn’t.
Then, one day, while browsing online, I came across the Modern Standard Arabic courses at GoAbroad. Deciding I could do no worse than I had been doing for the past ten years, I enrolled in the course—and that decision changed everything.
From the very first session with my outstanding teacher, Duha Amro, my once “crippled” lips began to form real words under her careful guidance. With each lesson, my confidence grew, the tension melted away, and I could fumble through sentences more gracefully. Duha’s patience, compassion, and understanding are remarkable. She never winced as I butchered the most melodious Arabic words; instead, she encouraged me to try again and again.
Thanks to her continual positive reinforcement, I have shed the Juha-like uncertainty and feel more vocal, confident, and connected to the language. In the years ahead, under her guidance, I hope to capture the passion of Nizar Qabbani and the eloquence of Sahar Khalifeh. I strongly recommend this course to anyone wishing to immerse themselves in Modern Standard Arabic and emerge transformed, confident, and newly vocal.”— Mark Methven, United States
