Is anyone else learning/proficient in any kind of Arabic?

Right now, I'm learning the Classical (all inflections up in that shit), because that's the only thing my school offers. What's the best way for a poor student to learn a dialect? Understanding Al-Qaeda missives and being able to debate theology with my imam is all well and good, but I'd really like to be able to speak and function on a daily basis in Arabic - preferably Misrene or Maghrebi, since those are the coolest.

I suggest learning Egyptian Arabic, or Syrian Arabic since they are the most widely understood. You'll be perfectly fine using standard. I'm a native speaker, and I use a lot of standard when I talk to people. (Some of my friends think I sound too formal.)

Maghrebi might be cool, but only Maghrebans would understand you, you'd have to speak very slowly to others and if you're lucky, they'll understand.

I suggested to a learner today to learn several dialects so they can code switch. I do that at times, but not always. I prefer sticking to formal standard with a bit of عامية.