Hello! Or should I say “السلام عليكم! I’ve been anxious to learn how to read and write in the Arabic language for about three years. It’s been a struggle not being able to text my family overseas because I hadn’t learned. When I reached my freshman year in high school, I came to the realization that this drought of intellect could end. I applied to take the Arabic 1 course and at first, it was extremely difficult. As expected, I had trouble understanding each letter, such as what sounds they make, how they connect to each other, etc. After some determination and extra effort, I noticed marginable progress. I had been able to memorize each letter and its variety of sounds. After a little over a year of continuous practice, I am now able to text my aunts and uncles, as well as read aloud unfamiliar words. One thing I am still working towards improving is physically writing in this new language. I’m sure I will master it. All I need to do is apply myself and really focus. That is “my why”, what’s yours?