Learning Arabic

A couple of days ago I had the interesting experience of being thrown out of my lingual comfort zone once again. Now, I have been quite used to having to practice my Greek, as a lot of people here do not speak English, but never did I expect that I would be trying to communicate in Arabic.

We were on the ferry ride back to Athens from Rhodes. I was sitting at a small table on the outside dining deck with Nicole and Mary, eating a sandwich, when suddenly I see a man from another table motioning for me to come over. I left my table hesitantly, unsure of why he needed me to come to his table. As I approached I noticed that he was sitting across from his friend, and he began talking to me in a language that I did not recognize. Being that I was in Greece, I assumed that he was seeking Greek, and responded with the typical "milate Anglika?" Asking if he spoke English... He didn't. But as I continued to try to communicate, I realized that he wasn't speaking Greek either. No, he was speaking Arabic, a language that I was COMPLETELY unfamiliar with; unfortunately just as unfamiliar as they were with English.

I don't know exactly why he called me over. Maybe they assumed that I was an Arab? I mean, I don't think I look like an Arab, but who knows? Maybe I just look someone who is a master at languages...

Anyways...

It was actually quite a funny experience, trying to communicate with someone without a common language, and next thing you know I was sitting with these men for two or three hours trying to learn Arabic and teach English all at once. Eventually another one of their friends joined them and through a good amount of pointing, hand motions, and country names, I was able to get a decent understanding of their story.

The man who had called me over, Barzan, was a Kurdish immigrant from Iraq who was trying to escape persecution. He made a lot of motions like he was whipped and beaten by the police in Iraq and Turkey. His friends who were with him, Zacharia and Muhamed Ahsmat, were Syrians who had also fled Syria, and seemed to have some negative feelings towards their president (can't blame them). Somehow they had all ended up together, travelling to Athens to seek better lives away from their home countries. This is what I gathered from them at least, it was difficult trying to understand everything that they were saying.

Other important things that I noticed:
-They really liked Barack Obama and the United States
-They thought that Hilary Clinton was beautiful
-They said that tattoos are illegal in their home countries
-They think that Greece is just "okay" but not good
-They offered me cigarettes very often, and seemed surprised when I motioned that I didn't smoke

I also learned a few words and phrases in Arabic, but I won't type up all of them. All I can say was that it was a very interesting experience, and both myself and my new Arab/Kurdish friends found it quite humorous and educational.

I actually feel like I was able to improvise and communicate fairly well for someone who spoke no Arabic at all. I'm starting to realize how much I really enjoy learning and practicing foreign languages.