FROM VENEZUELA TO NORWAY

I migrated from Venezuela to the USA when I was a kid.  My mother had been having a long distance seven-year romance with a Cuban American and we moved to Miami, Florida in 1984 when the couple finally decided to wed.   Back then there were few Venezuelans living outside of Venezuela and I found myself explaining to most people that it was a country in South America next door to Colombia J The political scene, placing Venezuela in the media, in recent years has however changed all of that.   Today, besides Venezuela’s petroleum and politics being shipped out for export so is the country’s most precious resource, its engineers, many with over 20+ yrs of experience in the Petroleum industry.  They are leaving in search of political and financial stability and Norway with a stable economy and booming petroleum industry provides just the haven.  The only caveat is well the cold winters and the language barrier. 

Even as a young kid the cultural and language transition, I know from personal experience, can be painful so I sympathize with my cousins who recently moved to Norway.  Hender Alejandro Nava, 16 and Paola Nava, 18 have been attending to their studies in Norwegian and the English language (both languages being foreign to them). Their older sister Patricia Nava, who is due to graduate this November with a Chemical Engineering degree from Zulia University in Venezuela has a head start being fluent in English, but will ultimately face the same challenge as the rest of her family should she follow in her father’s footsteps and pursue a career in Norway. 

I interviewed Paola Nava in English and was impressed by how quickly she has captured the English Language.  When I asked her what has been the greatest challenge in trasitioning to Norway from Venezuela she said:  

"The people and the language.  In Venezuela, I did not have contact with other cultures but in Norway my classmates are from all over the world, France, China, Ethiopia, Germany etc.  The Norwegian language has been more difficult to understand than English because it's unlike anything I have ever heard."

When I asked Paola what she enjoyed the most about Norway she replied: 

"The security.  I can walk anywhere without the fear of being kidnapped or harmed."

During the 1960s large reserves of petroleum and natural gas were discovered in Norway.  Today, Norway ranks as the wealthiest country in the world, with the largest capital reserve per capita of any nation.  Norway is the world’s seventh largest oil exporter and the petroleum industry accounts for around a quarter of its GDP (Gross Domestic Product).  

Norwegian (norsk) is a North Germanic language and the official language of Norway.

Pictured above from Left to right is Hender Alejandro Nava, Paola Nava, Lourdes Nava and Hender Nava. 

Check out BBC interview (fall 2008) on the subject of Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's current president.

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My Arabic Teacher

Arabic is one of the six official languages of the United Nations.  Arabic is spoken with numerous colloquial variants across 22 countries spanning the middle East from North Africa to South-West Asia.  Over 280M people speak Arabic and it is estimated that another 250M are learning Arabic as  a 2nd language.  My main motivation for coming to  Sana'a, Yemen  was to further my Arabic studies.   I had previous lessons in the past such as an intensive introduction to Arabic at SOAS, University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies and private tutors while I lived in London and Dubai.   The best teacher I have ever had though was Jamila Hiba here in Sana'a, Yemen at Mali Institute.    She is extremely punctual and disciplined and our two daily sessions of two hours each  go by quickly.  I am impressed by her work ethic and natural teaching skills.  Jamila graduated from Sana'a University with  a Bachelors in Arabic Studies.  She ranked 8th among her class of 250 students.  What she enjoys the most about teaching is meeting people from around the world and learning about their countries and cultures.  She has taught students from Japan, France, Italy, Austria, Australia, United Kingdom, United States of America and Venezuela (I'm her 2nd student from Venezuela :)).  Jamila comes from a large family with six brothers and a younger sister.  I have had the honor of meeting some of her family as she has hosted me in her lovely home on several occasions for traditional Yemeni meals.   During her spare time, Jamila enjoys reading about Islam and Sharia Law.

Jamila has been teaching Arabic privately and at Mali Institute for 5 years and she hopes to complete a Masters in Linguistics in the near future.  She is  a JAM fan and can be contacted via facebook.  

Jam English Flash Cards Coming Soon!