Aufa Zufari
Student, Indonesia
To learn a new way to communicate comes with privileges, as well as responsibilities. Arabic has long been part of culture, society and religion – and this is not just about Islam. Through learning and teaching others, I think preserving Arabic by carrying the line over the generations is a privilege; not simply a responsibility.
As well as currently studying Arabic and French, I also understand Indonesian. There is a sense of warmth and joy when someone greets me in Indonesian (despite them intending to do it in Malay). Nelson Mandela once said:
"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart"
I think it can't be corrected!
When it comes to learning any new languages, be it Arabic or not, it is not just about gaining new skills. It helps me understand and see things I would have never realised.
In the future, I hope to teach a new generation, preferably the young, youthful of kids, eager to continue the string of one of the oldest of the modern languages.