Ahlan wa Sahlan 2013!! (أهلاً وسهلآً سنة 2013) We bid you farewell 2012 and we dearly welcome 2013!! At this point every year, nearly everyone around the world rushes to make sense of the important highlights that took place in their lives in the last 365 days. Some of these moments bring happy memories, while others bring painful ones. Some highlights include lengthy vacations with family or friends at the beach or in a nice beautiful cottage in the snow, and other highlights might include getting engaged or married. Some couples might have brought life to this world, while others might have mourned the loss of someone dear in the family.

The prospects for change and improvement with the beginning of a new year is a theme that many individuals think about and act upon. Many people, including myself, grab a paper and write down some goals for the new year. Some revolve around a better food diet, due to all the food that has been consumed during the holiday season, and others might focus on changing one’s spending habits, social relations, or better yet learning and practicing a new language. The most important characteristic of a resolution is that one strives to achieve these goals through action and not only through words. We should move beyond the spilled ink on a piece of paper and more towards taking action. The idea is to push for what we are looking to change and improve, and the best way to hold ourselves accountable is by sharing a copy of our resolution with our partner, a parent, brother/sister, relative or a dear friend. In such an instance, we know that someone is monitoring our actions and is keeping sure that we do our best to meet almost all of the goals on our resolution.

 

One of the important goals on my new year’s resolution, which I will be sharing with my wife, is reaching out to more people around the world about my passion for Arabic. This blog is my main portal to achieving this goal. I have four steps in mind and all these steps require your support and assistance.

1) Write more interesting posts that can include lessons or  recipes, important newspaper articles and introducing important Arab individuals and their respective work.

2) Invite all our readers and friends to interact more and more with these posts via Facebook, Twitter and the website here.The best way to learn Arabic is to practice, practice and practice.

3) Encourage all you Arabic lovers to invite your friends to learn Arabic and experience a new cultural and linguistic turn in their lives.

4) Encourage and invite everyone to spend at least 15 minutes a day practicing their Arabic language skills with a friend, colleague, relative or even in front of a mirror.

I have added the lyrics and a song in Arabic about new year in the form of a YouTube video by one of my favorite Arab artists Fairouz, the ‘Ambassador to the Stars.’ Listen to the song and read the lyrics as you reflect on 2012 and think about 2013!

عيد الدني

عيد الدني رأس السنة بيتي هدايا و زينة

It’s New Year’s Eve and my house is full of gifts and decorations

في شموع و جراس تدق بعيد

There’s candles and bells ringing in the distance

و زهور لونها أحمر و نبيد

And red-colored flowers and wine

عيد الدني رأس السنة وسهرة أنا و حبيبي

New Year’s Eve, staying up late with my beloved

رأس السنة أنت و أنا و شجرة زغيرة مضواية

It’s New Year’s Eve, Just you, me and a little tree covered in lights

قنديل أصفر على بابي   و تلج

There’s a yellow lantern and snow on my doorstep

و نجوم عم تلمع متل التلج

And the stars are shining like the snow

و تحت الشتي جايي سنة ما منعرف شو مخباية

And under the rain/winter a new year is coming, who knows what it has in store

راحت سنة طلّت سنة لونها أبيض و جديدة

A year has gone and another has arrived, it’s white and new

الاولاد ترسم ع وجوهن عيد

May it draw smiles on the faces of the children

و الناس تعطيهن عمر جديد

And may it give the people a new life

و تغفى سنة و توعى سنة و أنت تبقى حبيبي

And as a year falls asleep and another awakens, may you remain my beloved

I wish you all a Happy New Year (عام سعيد)! May 2013 be marked with more good memories than sad ones, excellent health, success and prosperity. I wholeheartedly hope people in different Arab nations will haٍve a better year marked by peace, stability, and prosperity.

Stay tuned and posted for more interesting posts that reflect my passion for Arabic and connect me to all you Arabic lovers and curious learners!!!

 See you all in 2013!