Detroit

I love the neighborhood at Seven Mile Road and Woodward, where Chaldeans have settled. The Chaldeans are Iraqi Catholics; they speak Arabic, but also have their own language, Aramaic. Jesus spoke a dialect of Aramaic, and Chaldeans refer to this fact with pride. Unfortunately, it is a language in danger of becoming extinct.

Drive east down Seven Mile, and you'll see signs written in Arabic. I can't help but wonder how many of the people used to live in Baghdad. I wonder if some of them never lived in modern cities before, but lived in tiny villages instead.

If you drive down Warren east of the Southfield Expressway, you'll see signs in Arabic there too. But the merchants in that area are Muslims. I think some are Iraqis, but others are from Lebanon or Yemen. I'm not sure; I should ask someone. Anyway, I like to hear the old men greet each other and say "As-salaam alaikum." Peace be with you.

If a non-Muslim or non-Arab walks into a store and speaks Arabic, the merchant is likely to be surprised. I can say a couple of sentences: "Do you speak English/Arabic?" and "Please speak more slowly." A Lebanese clerk told me my Arabic was difficult to understand; he said I sounded like I was from Morocco. As I'm writing this, I remember that the guy who taught me the phrases studied Arabic in Morocco.

I like Greektown too, but it seems more "touristy." I don't think anybody's actually from Greece (their parents, sure ... but not them). And I never hear anybody speaking Greek. *sigh* I guess I can't have everything.