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Kate in Arabia

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About Kate in Arabia

  • Birthday 08/31/1969

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  1. Hello all, I don't visit here very often anymore (my youngest/last is set to graduate high school in a few weeks), but I thought I would mention this resource in the event anyone has intermediate Arabic learners. We quite enjoyed watching Wheel of Fortune in Arabic -- perhaps more approachable than other shows as it's a format that most people would recognize (if they've watched any of the US series), repetitive in nature so you can start to pick up repeated words in context, and offers an opportunity for older learners that isn't cartoons or programs geared toward younger students. There's a newer version, Falak Tayyeb, with Yasir alSaggaf as host who speaks in Khaleeji dialect. This is closer to Modern Standard. He is quite animated and speaks rather fast, but I kinda enjoyed this clip as he got more and more exasperated. πŸ™ƒ There is also an older version from about a decade ago, Dayret alHayat, with Karim Kojak as host speaking in Egyptian dialect. He is more "Sajak-like" and I personally find the dialect endearing πŸ₯° Hope someone finds this helpful!
  2. My younger ds is registered for a normal load of classes, started off with 1 online and 4 hybrid.. I think it's now switched to 4 online and 1 hybrid. He's a commuter student; as far as I can tell from the univ parents FB page, they had a normal move in weekend for all the on-campus folks.. I'm just wondering what this is going to look like for students who are on campus but virtually all their classes are online. It seems like a big experiment, to see whether there will be issues. They have daily screenings they have to complete online, which I'm dubious of, and testing was strongly recommended but not required before going to campus. My older ds just registered for his fall semester, all his classes are in-person. One had the option of online or in person, but the meeting times are the same days as all his other classes, so it seemed logical that if he was already there for a good part of the day he could go ahead and attend this one as well. It's more of a commuter school, they are requiring COVID tests for everyone, and are providing those on campus. I'm kind of happy that, with this schedule, he only needs to go in for two days a week; he's also applying for a paid internship, which also states that a bulk of it is distance. My boys live with my parents, who are (obviously) older and my dad specifically has medical issues.. so they are being quite careful. The big question for us is whether they should continue taking public transportation or pay for a car... I'm leaning towards the car option; I know there are measures being implemented for the city's public transport system, but it seems less risky to me for them to drive over taking a city bus. I'm still a little unsure on that.
  3. One thing I would just mention in general, is that you should carefully evaluate the local requirements for paperwork. The government where I am does not officially recognize homeschooling -- they don't forbid it, but they don't acknowledge it either. For universities that fall under the Ministry of Education purview, international students are required to obtain an equivalency certificate for their high school work, which generally is not awarded for homeschool/online school programs (because they don't recognize them). There was a US homeschool student who contacted one of the local co-ops; she had already done a couple of years of univ but wanted to do a year abroad here at one of the big universities -- and we had to recommend to her that she reconsider, as it was unlikely her high school credentials would be accepted. This may not be an issue in most countries, I am just mentioning it in an abundance of caution.
  4. We did watch a couple of those, like Spartacus and Cleopatra, which I told dd just could not be missed. There are surprisingly a lot to choose from, I didn't want to overload, but good to add to a running list.. was it a craze/economic success that led to so many being produced in a relatively short period of time? This is making me want to look into other genres to see if there are similar patterns..
  5. My dd is finishing up grade 9, we were back with the ancients (for the last time). She is reading SWB's HOAW and doing assignments from the study guide. As a supplement her older brothers watched a lot of documentaries but those really aren't her thing, instead she wanted to watch movies. So we've been watching a lot of movies this year. I tried to pull together titles from a range of production dates, that were either set in or somehow referencing the period under study. I basically broke down HOAW into three-chapter, per week segments, and looked for movies that would fit at least one of the topics of the week. It has actually been really interesting from a film-study point of view, to see how different historical periods were portrayed in different periods, what was emphasized in the film and why.. she also made a catalog of film posters for all the films we watched, which is again another interesting study (especially as she's interested in art and media). I thought I would share our list below, in the event it could help someone looking for films. My caveat, of course, is that all these films may not be deemed suitable by everyone, everybody has their own preferences/guidelines, so proceed with caution. Also, it'd be great if anyone would like to add to this list.. and we will be getting into the medieval period next year, so suggestions for that would also be welcome. Quest for Fire (1981) The Scorpion King (2002) Gods of Egypt (2016) Prisoners of the Sun (2013) Land of the Pharaohs (1955) Murder in Mesopotamia (2001) The Pharaoh’s Woman (1960) Immortals (2011) Mythopolis (2014) Titans of Newark (2012) Mohenjo-Daro (2016) Valley of the Kings (1954) Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014) Troy (2004) Jason and the Argonauts (1963) A Little Princess (1995) Sacrifice (2012) King Solomon’s Mines (1985) The Queen of Sheba (1952) Clash of the Titans (1981) The Queen of Babylon (1954) Oracle of Delphi (1903) Chariots of Fire (1981) Intolerance (1916) Confucius (2010) Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) 300 (2006) Little Big Soldier (2010) Hercules (2014) Ashoka the Great (2001) 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) Cabiria (1914) Cleopatra (1963) Spartacus (1960) Gladiator (2000) Ben Hur (1959) The Last Days of Pompeii (1975) Masada (1981) Agora (2009)
  6. My oldest (22) moved back to the US for univ, where I live the cut-off for dependent male children (like for visas, health insurance, etc.) is 18.. plus most (affordable) plans do not cover treatment in the US. Like yours he has been working part-time jobs that don't give him quite enough hours to offer health insurance, but making enough to not qualify for Medicaid. He went through the exchange and is paying abt $200/month. In the beginning he had chosen a more expensive plan, but after a year of pretty much no use he felt the catastrophic plan was a better option. I would not feel comfortable having him without and hoping for the best.. just before he left for the US, he was off of our insurance and he had appendicitis and had to have emergency surgery here.. so.. you just never know. I am thankful he was here where costs and payment are more navigable than in the US.
  7. My Ds2 is in the same situation as your girl. We actually had him declare as independent as soon as he went to the States last year and turned 18, mainly so that he would be eligible for Medicaid as we have no ability to provide medical coverage for him (cut off for dependent male children here is 18); but it meant that he filed his own taxes earlier this year and was therefore eligible to receive a stimulus payment.
  8. Yes, ds1 (at a large, public school) and I looked at the financial aid website for his univ, they had a statement there about the funding and what you needed to do if you wanted to apply for help. Ds2 (at a small, private school) knew nothing about it, he just received a check in the mail and an email on the same day from the financial aid office informing him they were sending it. They both receive need-based funding as part of their financial aid packages.
  9. Ds2 just got a check from his univ. As you mention, they distributed it based on need, which was determined by looking at the FAFSA and financial aid received. We are thankful for that as things are a bit tight at the moment, so it's nice to have this help. We were kind of counting on him having a summer job to help with expenses, which is looking iffy, so it's a welcome boost. The univ also has an emergency fund for needy students, they've been collecting donations from alumni and other supporters. We thankfully haven't needed to ask, but they've posted about other students who, for example, were stranded on campus and needed help getting a plane ticket to go home, that kind of thing. I'm waiting to see what his financial aid package will look like for the fall. They offered discounted summer courses, but ds2 is not interested in taking any more online classes (unless he has to in the fall), and so is looking at other possible activities. Ds1 is taking summer classes (online) at his univ. His part time job is on hold. I need to ask him about any financial help from his school (he's not one to share much πŸ˜‰ ). Edited to add: I spoke with ds 1 last night, he goes to a large, public univ. They are making their CARES funding available to students but you have to apply, and it's supposed to only be in order to offset additional costs incurred because of Covid, and not to offset wages lost or pay for tuition, for example. They mention that this is their interpretation of the policy wording. First come, first served.
  10. Here the grocery stores have a whole entrance routine.. they do a temp scan at the main entrance, then before you get into the store there's a second station where they give you hand sanitizer, a disposable mask (not medical grade, if you don't have your own) and gloves, and a cart that's been wiped down. I'm ok with all that, but I find the gloves uncomfortable and sometimes awkward (they are those loose, plastic food service gloves). However in discussions with my mom, she felt that the disposable gloves were perhaps more effective than simply having sanitizer at the entrance to use as entering/leaving (as long as you don't touch your face with the gloves). I'm not sure what the most effective and practical method really is, but that's how it's being done here. Some folks don't actually keep it all on as they're in the store, but a good percentage does. My mom did mention she was at the farmer's market (in the US) and someone told her the "rule" now is, you touch it you buy it, is that only at some places? I was in the produce section here the other day when a man came up next to me, picked up a bunch of mint, pulled down his mask and put it up on his nose to smell it, then put it back. A woman passing by stopped and fussed at him until he took it and kept it. I'm confrontation-phobic, so I doubt I would have said anything, but I felt like there was a low degree of general tension in the store, people are a bit on edge.
  11. I do think about that. My mom had polio as a teen, and although she has led most of her life normally after recovery, when she hit her 50s-60s she started having "episodes" where her throat would seize up, similar feeling to when she had polio. She's been to the hospital a few times for that. The drs suspect PPS (post polio syndrome), but it's not something that showed up until much later... and there's not a whole lot you can do about it. I assume some of the changes our bodies go through as we age trigger unexpected things.
  12. They've switched to online classes at both of my boys' universities in the US, at least until April. I'm very thankful they are living with my parents, I don't know how manageable it would be if they needed to come home and all that entails. Over here they have mandatory 2-week home quarantine for travelers, and all schools, universities, etc. have switched to e-learning (which is kind of ironic, because the ministry here doesn't officially recognize homeschooling πŸ˜‰ ) Ds1 is also working in retail part-time, I hope they don't get hit too hard as, frankly, he needs that income to pay for his tuition and costs. They had literally just cut back on ds2's work-study hours as he was earning too much, but looks like he may go back to a regular schedule if and when the campus opens again.. I wonder how that'll work if they need to stay closed for the rest of the school year..
  13. I didn't vote because I'm mid-possible-shift. I started going noticeably gray in my late 20s so starting coloring then.. I've crossed 50 and have been toying with the idea of letting it grow out to its natural color (mostly white/gray now). Dh is... not sure. I think he was a little taken aback. He's younger than I am, and maybe is not at the point yet of embracing age? I feel like I'm there. I'm not sure if I'll just go cold turkey and deal or try some variety of treatment to blur the line a bit. At the moment I'm kind of enjoying the color coming with the roots...
  14. I have a copper-lines bracelet that I wear practically all the time. I occasionally get green marks from it on my wrist, however today I got a neon-yellow mark... nothing different, nothing on the bracelet, same wrist πŸ˜‰ I looked online and folks only want to talk about copper turning your skin green. Seriously, it looks like I made a streak around my wrist with a yellow highlighter β€” any ideas? And while I’m on the topic, what’s the prevailing opinion on wearing copper β€” natural benefit? No benefit? I had a random person lecture me at a party about how great it was that sometimes I get a green mark.. I nodded and passed the bean dip πŸ˜‰
  15. Thanks for the suggestions! It will be interesting to see what she ultimately focuses on. So far her ideas have been... unrealistic. Admirable, but not practical for here πŸ˜‰
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