Rewarding experience that changed myself Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Classes weren't too hard although the language pledge in Arabic made everything a challenge. The staff were supportive and always provided enough resources for your daily life in Amman. There were many programs and activities on the weekends that made my tie in Jordan enjoyable. Overall it was a good experience.

On-site administration of your program

They were great and kept everything running smoothly, most of the time.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had a host mom and a host aunt. While the host mom was the greatest host mom I could ever imagine, the host aunt was pretty difficult to live with. Otherwise, the amazing location of the house in the city center made up for the small inconveniences in the house.

Jordanian/Levantine food was delicious but I got bored of it pretty quickly coming from a food-obsessed culture where we eat spicy food every day. There was enough variety in Amman but they tend to be expensive. Healthy eating was definitely a challenge there as Jordanians eat a lot of carbs and sugar.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I wish I made more Jordanian friends. While the program had local volunteers from the university to be our 'mentors', I felt like I didn't make a genuine connection with them. Also, coming from a Muslim/Eastern culture I definitely felt that Jordanian culture was not that different from mine. Americans definitely had a tougher time adjusting than me.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I can't speak for this because I didn't experience any mishap but those who did were well taken care of by the administration

Amman is a pretty safe city, but that's coming from someone who identifies as male. Female students might not have felt the same; I heard some got catcalled a few times.

Middlebury's program is the most academically rigorous program among study abroad programs in Jordan. It's also the only program with complete immersion in Arabic.

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

It's pretty easy to live on a student budget if you don't eat out a lot. Food other than the standard shawarma and sandwiches can get pretty steep (except the SUPER CHEAP and DELICIOUS Yemeni restaurants outside the North gate). Gotta watch out for transportation costs though. Public transport is so unreliable in Amman (that might change with the new bus system) so taxis become your primary mode of transport. Although they're not that expensive, they might overcharge you because of rush hour or because you're a foreigner. Also, anything from the pharmacy can be expensive. Watch out for that too.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

The language pledge forces you to only speak Arabic with everyone in the program.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• Language pledge
• Refugee studies class
• Trips around Jordan

• Connection with Jordanians
• Participation of other students in the language pledge
• Host family

The Academic or Linguist