Marhaba/Hello Meghan Vaillancourt Murphy

Marhaba! Biweekly at 6:15 pm sharp, Arabic class begins. We are a community with few similarities - I am the youngest by fifteen years, and the eldest is 65. Yet, we are united in pursuit of an ancient Semitic language. This is a downtown Washington, DC community of role models: people who don’t take class for credit, but for intellectual pleasure. They have taken me under their wings and explained their compelling day jobs running charities, helping refugees, and meeting foreign emissaries. I leave class with more focus on my career goals - but not without saying “الوَداع” (goodbye!).