Kawkab's Mother.

So, Sophia gave me a bag of things to give to Kawkab before she left and yesterday evening as I was entering the internet diwan building, I saw a woman (in niqaab) standing in the doorway of her house. So I think to myself "OH! I can give it to her NOW!" I grab the bag and take it over there, the woman in niqaab is looking in the door, waiting and I'm standing behind her. She turns around, I scare the bajesus out of her. Turns out it IS KAWKAB! I hand her the bag and she is like "Are you busy now? Would you like to come with us Samia's house?" I know Samia, she speaks wonderful English and I'm really not all that busy, so I'm like "Sure"

So we go, and I stay for a while. Best moment of the evening: (arabic in italics)

Samia's mother : Dana, do you speak Arabic?
(simultaneously)
dana: a little.
Kawkab's Mother : NO!

(bold is incomprehensible dialect)
I'm pretty sure after that is an explanatory "every time I try to talk to her in the street, she never understands me! NEVER! I always have to find someone to translate for her! ALWAYS!"

That's just conjecture based on personal experience and how emphatic her "NO!" was because I never understand her talking, she always has to find a 'translator' for us.

But I really like Kawkab's mother (honestly, I have no idea what her name is) She's always very friendly, always tries to talk to me in the street. Once, when I was at her house, I was sitting in Kawkab's room, but she was out in the house, getting ready for noon prayers. Kawkab's mother sneaks into the room and starts digging through Kawkabs plethora of purses. She kept making the "shhh, quiet" noise and motion. Finally she found Kawkab's wallet where she took out all the pictures and showed them too me, giving me names and relationships in this hush-hush voice. It was ADORABLE. Seriously.