Farsi ? If I'm saying it correctly
Yup,
Farsi is a dialect of Arabic. My son studied MSA (Modern Standard Arabic). Arabic and dialects, Korean, Chinese and Japanese are considered the most difficult languages. They are tough.
A couple tips. The course of study is really hard. 8 hours a day of pure language training. IIRC the first week is a refresher on English language grammar because they often compare and contrast grammatical differences between languages.
Second, getting off base on weekends is really important. It's probably what kept my son going. The school is very stressful and challenging. The drop out rate is high.
They had a place on the local beach that they'd gather for a bonfire. And beers. Now DLI is rather strict about booze and drinking. But if you're of legal age they're a little more tolerant. And I believe the branch of the service you're in makes a difference. Yeah, different rules for drinking... go figure.
One of my son's buddy's got drunk 1 month before he turned 21. He was given several punishment and not allowed to graduate, even though he had finished the studies successfully. It crushed the kid. To this day he's not gotten his head straight.
The instructors are wonderful. By and large they are native speakers. And they care. Some have backgrounds that would make your skin crawl. Beatings, rapes, jail and more in their native countries. They have a strong allegiance to the US and most get citizenship by teaching at DLI. They hate the same enemies as we do.
Study groups are important. I don't think my son would have gotten through without a core group of like minded people. One was a former priest. A couple others young guys who wanted to make a difference. They are all still in contact 4 years later.
There's a cool pool hall in Monterey. When we went to visit we'd go shoot pool and have a few beers. And there's plenty of decent restaurants. Pro tip... if your son uses his military ID he can make hotel reservations at very good rates. He'll need to do the check-in but it saves you a lot.
If you go out to visit, try to go while the Barrett Jackson car auctions are going on. You'll see cars costing millions and more. Sitting on the street. Driving down the road. We saw a couple Bugatti's cruising around. A gull winged Mercedes. And some very top of the line cars.
Most important of all. Go to Compagno's Market & Deli. The best sub in all of Monterey. Run by a local guy named Bennett. He knows the soldiers. He remembers their names. He gives them hugs when they're being deployed. And hugs when they return. He's a great guy. And the sandwiches are amazing. For extra credit his desserts are to die for!
If your son has any interest in chatting with someone who's been through DLI let me know. I'd be glad to arrange a phone call. PM me if you'd like to do so.
Cheers
Rich