Arabic Word for the Day: Shoo Hadtha
Meaning: "What's this" or "What's going on here"?
Used to express surprise or to lightly call attention to a displeasing situation.
C'mon. After I decided I should let it go, of course it wouldn't just go away. I fail: at letting it go. He fails: at being reasonable in a diverse group of people (ironically).
The culture guru strikes again. Today in class, while discussing, in Arabic, places we'd traveled, our class listed most of Western Europe, some Eastern, several African States, Antarctica, America (North/Central) and the Middle East. The instructor inquired after one of the missing continents: Australia.
"Moob Australia?" (Not Australia?)
"Naam, arreed zart Australia," I said (yes, I want to visit Australia), while a couple of other voices stated the same.
Then the culture guru himself, "La. Ma arreed zart Australia." (No, I don't want to visit Australia).
"Laish?" asked our teacher.
"Oh, come on. It's just the same as America. Same as South Africa," he responded.
"What?" I said. "Really?" (thinking he must be joking).
"Oh of course it is, the cultures are very similar."
Whatever. I exchanged looks with a couple classmates and let it go (until I got home, of course).
Did I mention that his job is to educate people about cultural sensitivity here?
Shoo Hadtha?
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