This is it, the final episode! I came a long way from when Mohammed and Qusai picked me up from the airport 110 days earlier. Sixteen weeks wasn’t nearly enough time for me to learn Arabic to the level that I would call myself “fluent.” That said, there are many moments in this video where I was as confident as I’ll ever be in communicating in Arabic. It feels amazing to be able to watch this now in comparison to Episode 1. I see a person who is still dissatisfied with his Arabic ability, but who has obviously established a certain comfort level with both the language and the people I came to know. Fluency is a state that is assembled piece by piece, experienced only while it is happening, and I don’t believe there is ever a point in the language learning journey where a person reaches the end. I’m going to continue learning Arabic for the rest of my life, and I hope you’ve enjoyed coming along for the beginning of that journey.

Thank you so much to Qusai and Mohammed for picking me up at the airport, and for chatting with me again the night before I left.

Like with other later episodes, I’m going to post this without detailed analysis for now, with the intention of coming back later. I just want it out in the world once and for all!