Amideast Education Abroad in the MENA

As an Arabic and French speaker, I firmly believe the significance and indispensability of cultural exchange. Being a Chinese provides me a different lens in observing from an “outsider’s” view toward the Islamic world fused with heterogeneity and diversity, either in terms of languages or cultures of social domains. My main objective is to uproot Eurocentric and essentialist viewpoint toward the Third World, Morocco in particular. Both language courses and area studies courses have equipped me with manifold lenses of experiencing and contemplating. Even general history courses of Africa and Morocco taught in French could be intriguing in its wide scope and focused attitude toward the inter-cultural and intra-cultural reflections. Doubtlessly, a year in Morocco has offered me a unique and wonderful time frames in shaping myself in perceiving the Islamicate arena at large. Languages are merely tools for their insights but worthwhile upholding the multilingual perspectives in delving deeper into the Arabs!

The classes were well organized and comprehensive. I left the program feeling like I had a good understanding of the conflict situations that we had studied and how they had been or might be solved. The professors were very knowledgeable in the topics they were teaching, not only from doing research but also real life experiences that they drew upon. They mixed personal stories into their lectures to give us a more realistic picture of what they were describing. The organized outings were well planned and interesting, as well as relevant to our studies. I felt that I got the opportunity to see several very important locations in each country that we visited. I definitely came back to the US with a broader understanding of the Northern Ireland conflict and the situation in the Middle East, and as a result I have more nuanced views on current events.

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.

I loved this program, first and foremost because I absolutely loved my host family--they were so kind and welcoming, and they made this program for me. My host mother cooked delicious meals for us (my American roommate and me) and treated us like her own children. I loved hanging out with my little host brothers and meeting their friends. My host family brought us on outings to the beach and the medina (the old city) and the market, and we had movie nights together and ate dinner together every night. They included us in their holiday celebrations during Eid al-Fitr, which was an amazing experience. Living in Rabat turned out to be a wonderful experience, even if it's not the first typical destination you'd think of in Morocco--maybe that was why it was so great, it's not overrun by tourists. It's a fascinating mix of cultures--beautiful French architecture and restaurants leftover from the colonial era, and the medina and markets and Moroccan food--on the picturesque Atlantic coast. The city itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site! AMIDEAST is the reason I was able to have this amazing experience, and they do a fantastic job at running this program. Doha, the program manager, has been doing this forever, and she is like a kindly aunt that everyone just loves. AMIDEAST staff are very flexible and available to listen & help with the slightest problem you might have--like planning a trip or finding cold medicine. They bring the students on several excursions to different Moroccan cities like Fes, Meknes, Tangier, Chefchaouen, and Marrakech; those trips are a lot of fun. AMIDEAST also offers great courses--a good variety of political science, Middle Eastern culture, history, women's studies, etc.--and their Arabic classes are fantastic. I loved my Arabic professor and my language skills improved an incredible amount during my semester in Morocco. All in all, a fantastic experience!

While I didn't actually spend 1001 nights in Jordan, if given the option, I would have stayed in an instant. Jordan is a truly amazing place to study, and an amazing place to live. Jordanians value hospitality greatly, and it shows. The AMIDEAST program did an amazing job holding up these standards, with a week long orientation and as much help as we needed along the way. While AMIDEAST did a great job of preparing us for life in Amman, it seemed like the city has its own way of welcoming you. I had days where shopkeepers would offer us tea, our host families would stay up until they knew we were safe, and taxi drivers would offer to buy a coffee for the ride. The people are some of the nicest I've met, and they have no problems helping you out if you're lost. The program managers were especially helpful, whether we were having issue with our host families or just looking for a new cafe to try. Not to mention, AMIDEAST has been in the region for a long time, so they know how to deal with almost everything. So even if you do end up having some kind of issue, they've probably seen it before. When you study abroad, you bring something from the host culture back home with you. While I brought scarves and tiny camels home, I also brought the experience of 120 Jordanian nights. Although experience is untranslatable into an answer for the age old question, "How was Jordan?", I have tried to bring my little piece of Jordan to America through how I act. After all, I can't really return the favor to AMIDEAST, but I can do what I can to make the world a little more hospitable.

I spent the year with Amideast and couldn't be happier with my experience. The staff is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable with anything from helping you plan an awesome trip to the Sahara with your friends to finding you a doctor. I've studied abroad a few times and no one compares to Amideast when it comes to promoting cultural immersion and awareness. In addition to leading awesome cultural excursions and dialogues with Moroccan students, they also really encourage you to get out and explore Morocco on your own, something I didn't find to be true for many of Rabat's other programs. The courses were interesting, the professors were the top of their field in the region, and the class sizes were small. I improved a ton linguistically in both French and Arabic while there. Couldn't have had a better experience with Amideast and would highly recommend them!

One of my most memorable study abroad experiences was when we went on our last program-led excursion to southern Morocco and one of our stops was the small Berber village of Zawiyat Ahnsal. The simple, rural but humbling village, located in the High Atlas Mountains, was definitely an eye-opening and influencing location that allowed us to escape the wifi side of life. Our activity schedule was enough to keep us busy and gave us a tired but accomplished feeling at the end of the day. Some of our activities included hiking around the village but my favorite was being able to teach English to the village children. A night, we stargazed and took in the magnificence of the night sky without any noise or air pollution to diminish the stars. Free time was spent around a plastic table with familiar and new friends in the village Sheikh's house over mint tea and sweet treats. It all was such a unique experience in which I was able to see one of the many facets of Morocco, especially one of the many indigenous regions. I was able to be of service to the children but I felt like I got so much from them in return. Without electronic distractions, I was able to experience a simpler side of life and have some pretty neat conversations with our hosts as well as my friends in the program. I don't think I'll ever be able to fully articulate the impact it had on me but maybe that's why it is so memorable. I chose this program because I thought the organization gave potential programmers some interesting places to study abroad such as Morocco, Jordan, etc. Within each country they offered several different programs styles in various locations according to your needs. They offered challenging and unique courses, the option of living with a host family, and multiple opportunities to immerse ourselves in the culture like interaction with Moroccan university students and a few program-led excursions. The Amideast program in Morocco always had our best interests in mind and they were always willing to accommodate us whether we wanted to be directed to social events around the city or if we needed their service.

The language pairing system and excursions. All students were paired with 2 Egyptian local students interested in expanding their knowledge about American culture and increasing their English levels. They were instant friends and contacts and served as the perfect liaisons between our differing cultures and to ease in the transition of being in a new location. I continue to message and interact with them on a near daily basis and have been the perfect example of lifelong friends. They accompanied us on our excursions to historical sites and their input on culture, language, immersion, and daily life were invaluable. Word of mouth and personal references for the program carry a lot of weight - I listened to those who urged me to attend the program from both the American and Egyptian perspectives and was not disappointed in the least.

I chose Amideast Jordan because I wanted the challenge of immersing myself in an entirely new culture, language and identity. I didn't want to do something typical. Long interested in the Middle East, I thought Jordan was the perfect balance of Arab, Islam, Christianity, modernity and antiquity. I could not have been more correct. Although the challenges I faced were many. My most memorable study abroad experience was the immersion. Living in Jordan was challenging, but not for the reasons I anticipated. King Hussein once said, "Jordan has a strange, haunting beauty and a sense of timelessness. Dotted with the ruins of empires once great, it is the last resort of yesterday in the world of tomorrow. I love every inch of it." Having traveled from Irbid to Aqaba, I could not agree more.

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.

I fell in love with Jordan because of the opportunities this program presented. I made great American and Jordanian friends, explored the majority of the country, and improved 2 levels in Arabic. The countless cultural activities, endless staff support, and internship opportunities helped me to experience Jordan on a more personal level. Academics: I was constantly challenged and excited by my courses in this program. The Arabic was rigorous and the Colloquial class allowed me to communicate on every day topics. My Community-Based Learning course was my favorite because I got to intern with a Women's organization in Jordan, and experience the women's rights movement in Jordan first hand. My content courses were Middle East Studies oriented and fit perfectly into my major. Living Situation: I chose the Shared Apartment option and loved it. The rooms were clean, spacious, and very close to AMIDEAST facilities and large grocery stores. I stayed through the summer and switched to a host family and loved this option as well. Cultural Immersion: We had bi-weekly cultural activities, such as discussions with Jordanian students, dabkeh dancing lessons, or Jordanian cooking lessons. Additionally the many excursions we went on exposed us to Jordan outside of Amman. Program Administration: The staff was always attentive and helpful with any issue. They became close friends by the end of the program. Health and Safety: I felt very safe in Jordan. As in much of the world, harassment can be an issue at times, but I was able to ignore it and it never escalated beyond catcalls. However the program orientation prepared girls extremely well for living in Jordan and dealing with harassment when it occurs.