Know What I'm Saying?
So as I'm walking down Telegraph Ave. today, going from my one job to my other job I was eavesdropping on the phone conversation of the guy walking behind me. We'll call him Ali because, well, he said his name was Ali. Ali was having a VERY ANIMATED CONVERSATION about how he and his buddy were going to go clubbing. You know pick up on girls and get drunk the usual. Now I figure you're thinking, So What? Most UC Berkeley students walking around town or campus are blathering on about getting drunk or laid or something stupid. Or, How Could You Say That About Some Of The Cream Of The Crop Of This Country's Young People? I say, these kids are incredibly stupid, don't let the name of the school fool you. Don't believe me? Well it is true, I should know because I had the misfortune of attending UC a few years ago and listening to this sort of drivel first hand. During class! However, this is not what I wanted to write about. Midway through the conversation ALi switches from English to Arabic. I'm not sure if he was on to another call with a different person or what, but suddenly it got really interesting. Well at least to me. His conversation went something like this:
Ali: "Arabic arabic arabic arabic know what I'm saying? Arabic arabic know what I'm saying? Arabic know what I'm saying? Arabic arabic arabic arabic arabic know what I'm saying? Arabic know...Arabicarabicarabicarabicnowatimsain? Arabic ."
I found myself wondering if the person on the other line did know what he was saying, I was wondering what he was saying (since, unfortunately , I don't understand a word of Arabic). I was wondering, isn't there a way to say "know what I'm saying" in Arabic? Do these words not exist in the language? I know that this is not the most interesting thing to write about or talk about or even think about, but hey I was bored. Know what I'm saying?