Intensive Arabic in Amman, Jordan (Summer)

I didn't know what to expect from Amman, Jordan, but I had a great time there. It's a beautiful city with great food (the hummus and the falafel! I miss it). Shopping in the markets downtown, seeing art and culture, eating good food and smoking hookah just about everywhere. The only thing was that I was there during Ramadan, and a lot of shops and restaurants were closed during daylight hours... but that inconvenience was far outweighed by how cool it was to observe & experience Ramadan and the holiday at the end of it! (And the kunafa... delicious Ramadan dessert.) Plus, the tourist destinations in the rest of Jordan were amazing! Petra was incredible, Wadi Rum (the desert) was unreal, the Dead Sea was SO cool, and Aqaba (on the Red Sea) was gorgeous. Unforgettable experiences. This was my second AMIDEAST program, because I had such a great time on my first one (Area & Arabic Language Studies in Rabat, Morocco). This program was very different but equally amazing! The academics were seriously challenging; we spoke Arabic for five hours in class each day and then did Arabic homework for another 1-2 hours at night. My roommates and I occasionally declared "Arabic-only days" in our shared apartment, which were a lot of fun. Needless to say, my Arabic skills improved a LOT. I loved my Arabic professors, and made close friends from my classes that I'm still in close contact with. I had an amazing time on this program.

For 8-weeks, I lived and breathed Arabic. The intensive natural of the program was fabulous, and now I feel conversationally fluent on many topics in MSA and very comfortable using Jordanian Arabic. Even though there was a good bit of homework, I still had time to explore Jordan every weekend and hang out with Jordanian friends. Academics: Everything was very rigorous - 4 hours of Modern Standard Arabic per day and 1 hour of Colloquial per day. The professors from the Qasid Institute were extremely knowledgeable and helped me improve an additional level in Arabic. Living with a host family, I was encouraged to use my Arabic often. Living Situation: I lived in a Jordanian host family and I loved it. They were a constant support, made delicious food, introduced me to the whole extended family. I would do it again in a heartbeat.