ouch, my bleeding eyes!

[angischy]

Okay, so I can't read all of the newspaper, nor would I want to, but here is an example of the level of reading we are being exposed to. I know basic vocab and grammar and can talk my way around the things I need to say. It's a vocab-loading game from here on out and the more time I spent listening, reading, hearing it as background noise, and speaking it...it will only help.

i.e. this story about the shoeicide bomber yesterday in Iraq (http://www.iran-newspaper.com/1387/870926/pdf/i1.pdf)

The photo caption alone (see below) can take almost an hour for us to translate because there's so much new vocabulary in it, but, it's a start.

http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/Aeon/News/2008/12/16/Images/20081215135912news.jpg

جهان انتفاضه کفش را ستود خبرنگار عراقي در مراسم خداحافظي بوش و نخس توزير عراق با پرتاب هر دو لنگه كفش خود
به سمت بوش، بوسه بدرقه و خداحافظي را بر صورت او كاشت! بوس هاي كه البته در برابر دموكراسي
و آرامشي كه دولت امريكا به ملت عراق هديه كر د)!( ناچيز است.
«لنگ ههاي كفش » خبرنگار عراقي كه به سمت بوش پرتاب شد، پار هاي از حرف دل همه «پابرهنگان »
و مردم ستمديده عراق بود كه با لشكركشي «چكم هپوشان » و نظاميان امريكا از هستي و زندگي ساقط
شده اند. ديروز مردم جهان پرتاب لنگ ههاي كفش را انتفاض های جدید خوانده و ستودند.

[hencoop]

omg. I can't even imagine!

[the duke]

wow...and that's just a photo caption...goood luck with that! :) I remember learning chinese characters...but at least they kind look like pictures, all those bits and pieces look the same!!

[Miss Shark]

I just showed it t Mark Ang-A-Lee and he said ew.....

[angischy]

Sometimes, I come home from class and just stare at the page and think "What the heck is this mess? All I see is squiggle dot"
You should see their handwriting. We haven't really been given any explanation for how they make their cursive (like) letters. Just, ok, let's read this now. It's brutal, and I sound more retarded than ever! sigh... very humbling, to say the least.