Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

Arabs are the friendliest people you will ever meet! Past Review

By (Brigham Young University) - abroad from 05/14/2012 to 08/02/2012 with

Brigham Young University: Amman - Jordan International Development Internship

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
I learned more about what I want to do with my life and the work I am interested in pursuing. I was happy to learn that living in Jordan is fairly easy and that the people are great. I am planning to return next summer with a different organization and am looking forward to it.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I found the project and paper requirements to be unhelpful in improving my international experience. The assignments were time-consuming but not actually difficult.

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

To be honest, we didn't really have any host-country administration. The woman who was supposed to facilitate our program never actually did. There was a lot of miscommunication and confusion.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

* Food:

Jordanian food is amazing! The people are so friendly and are always willing and excited to feed you.

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I would have loved a bit more contact and communication with locals, but I really loved the people I did work for.

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I had no health issues on the program.

* Safety:

I never felt unsafe in Amman. There are definitely some cultural differences in the way men treat women, but I adjusted to that quickly.

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

* Was housing included in your program cost? Yes
* Was food included in your program cost? No
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $50
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Eating out can be even cheaper than buying groceries!

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • Other students in the program
  • Emphasis on development work
* What could be improved?
  • Providing internships (nearly half of us were passed off to an NGO when our internships fell through)
  • Communication of expectations and issues
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I had looked further into other programs going to the Middle East and gone through a different route. I do not think the BYU Internship was handled well and I am grateful I "accidentally" got to work with other organizations.