Teach the American to Say Dirty Bedouin Words
A game for all ages, played at any time of the day, and sure to guarantee a laugh on the side of the Bedouins. This game is meant to promote cross-cultural understanding and the exchange of languages, sometimes resulting in embarrassing moments on behalf of the American and almost always resulting in hand gestures or full-body movements to demonstrate the meaning of the word. There are no winners or losers; this game is meant to benefit everyone involved.
Number of Players: At least 2. Side 1 is a naïve American who speaks Arabic, but only knows dictionary words. Side 2 can be any number of Bedouin women, but there must be at least one who can physically demonstrate through actions or gestures what certain words mean.
Materials Needed: That's the glory of the game – no materials are necessary (maybe a creative or dirty mind).
How to Play: Bedouin women ask the American to repeat a word, without explaining its meaning. These words can be dirty, embarrassing, anatomical, or vulgar. Preferably, the Bedouin women choose words that no other Jordanian understands – these are words that are specific to the Bedouin culture and dialect and therefore infinitely more hilarious to hear the American repeat them.
The American does her best to repeat the word, sometimes stumbling over the Arabic letters ء or ض. After several attempts to pronounce the word, she eventually gets close enough that the Bedouin women simultaneously erupt in laughter, slapping their thighs or throwing their heads back to reveal one or two teeth. In my version of the game, there is a 90-year-old Bedouin grandmother who is always present and laughs maniacally each time I correctly pronounce a new word.
The American sits there, smiling goofily and unaware of why the situation is so hilarious. After the Bedouin ladies are able to breathe once again, they spend two minutes amongst themselves, debating who is The Chosen One to explain the word that the American has just repeated. Once selected, The Chosen One turns to the American and either describes the words using other words, gestures with her hands, or stands up to simulate the movement of the word if it's a verb.
Depending on the patience level of the Bedouin women, the American usually gets five chances to guess the meaning of the word. After 18 months of living with these women, I've mastered this game so that I usually only need one or two attempts until correctly deriving the meaning of the word.
After the American correctly identifies the word, the Bedouin women always ask for its translation in English, rolling the foreign symbols over their tongues before giving up and moving on to a new Bedouin word.
To maintain the integrity of Peace Corps, I won't repeat the words that I've learned from my wonderful neighbors. I love this game because it's so entertaining and educational, and I'm learning new vocabulary in a language that is more spoken than written, that city folk in Amman don't understand, and that only my neighbors within a slim circumference around me speak.
This is only a single-sex game. If any males enter, the game must immediatly end, and all players resume a position of innocence and boredom.
Number of Players: At least 2. Side 1 is a naïve American who speaks Arabic, but only knows dictionary words. Side 2 can be any number of Bedouin women, but there must be at least one who can physically demonstrate through actions or gestures what certain words mean.
Materials Needed: That's the glory of the game – no materials are necessary (maybe a creative or dirty mind).
How to Play: Bedouin women ask the American to repeat a word, without explaining its meaning. These words can be dirty, embarrassing, anatomical, or vulgar. Preferably, the Bedouin women choose words that no other Jordanian understands – these are words that are specific to the Bedouin culture and dialect and therefore infinitely more hilarious to hear the American repeat them.
The American does her best to repeat the word, sometimes stumbling over the Arabic letters ء or ض. After several attempts to pronounce the word, she eventually gets close enough that the Bedouin women simultaneously erupt in laughter, slapping their thighs or throwing their heads back to reveal one or two teeth. In my version of the game, there is a 90-year-old Bedouin grandmother who is always present and laughs maniacally each time I correctly pronounce a new word.
The American sits there, smiling goofily and unaware of why the situation is so hilarious. After the Bedouin ladies are able to breathe once again, they spend two minutes amongst themselves, debating who is The Chosen One to explain the word that the American has just repeated. Once selected, The Chosen One turns to the American and either describes the words using other words, gestures with her hands, or stands up to simulate the movement of the word if it's a verb.
Depending on the patience level of the Bedouin women, the American usually gets five chances to guess the meaning of the word. After 18 months of living with these women, I've mastered this game so that I usually only need one or two attempts until correctly deriving the meaning of the word.
After the American correctly identifies the word, the Bedouin women always ask for its translation in English, rolling the foreign symbols over their tongues before giving up and moving on to a new Bedouin word.
To maintain the integrity of Peace Corps, I won't repeat the words that I've learned from my wonderful neighbors. I love this game because it's so entertaining and educational, and I'm learning new vocabulary in a language that is more spoken than written, that city folk in Amman don't understand, and that only my neighbors within a slim circumference around me speak.
This is only a single-sex game. If any males enter, the game must immediatly end, and all players resume a position of innocence and boredom.
