Learn Arabic as it is really spoken. Listen to and read Levantine Colloquial Arabic.
Do you like going to concerts? Mariette tells us about her experience seeing a popular Lebanese band.
There are a number of famous local and international musical bands, and Mashrou’ Leila is one of the most important of these bands. The band played in Jbeil this summer and I was super excited that I was going to be able to watch the show. The beautiful thing about Mashrou’ Leila that sets it apart from all other Lebanese bands is their songs that depict the story of people who are too afraid to tell it to the world themselves. When we got to Jbeil, it was already very crowded. We stood there waiting in line for around an hour but that didn’t bother us much especially since there was a beautifully cool breeze coming from the ocean. Before we went in, we decided to buy some food and drinks so as to not get hungry or thirsty when the band starts playing. After eating, we went in to get to our seats. It took the band around an hour to finally get on stage but when it did, it was one of the most beautiful feelings of my life. The music was wonderful and the atmosphere was amazing. Everyone around us was cheering happily. My friend, who was seated beside me, started feeling nauseous because of how crowded and tight the place was so we had to move back to the last rows to refresh ourselves with the cool summer sea breeze. After the concert was over and the band had bid farewell to its audience, we left the venue to reunite with our friends and go grab a bite at a nearby restaurant before we went back home. It was a very beautiful night and the songs were amazing, but because of the amount of people and how crowded the place was, I don’t think I will ever attend a concert like Mashrou’ Leila’s again unless the event is better organized.
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I was waiting desperately for an update, and then this. Great choice! The topics are getting much better than the Arabic Voices, for example. Love it, thanks!
Sorry to keep you waiting for another Levantine blog post. I’ve been so busy finishing up a book project lately… almost done! 🙂 I’ll try to put up the Levantine posts more regularly. I’m glad you find them useful!
Your posts are my only resource at the moment! That’s why I’m so keen on a book with Syrian & Lebanese voices, there just isn’t much out there for those who have gone through all the beginners books. Real life material is often too difficult. I always try to find 1-3 minute snippets of conversation on youtube, but sometimes there’s too much unknown vocabulary. Thanks again for the great work!