Eye-Opening Past Review
By A student (Diplomacy & World Affairs, Occidental College) - abroad from 01/25/2019 to 05/05/2019 with
SIT Study Abroad: Jordan - Geopolitics, International Relations, and the Future of the Middle East
Language, independence, confidence etc. All worth it!
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
This program is amazing! Enriching and experiential, the staff of SIT Jordan truly push you to engage in the subject matter of geopolitics in the MENA region. Bringing in guest lectures on topic such as Islamic studies to the current situation on the Question of Palestine, I loved my academic experience at SIT Jordan. Beyond the thematic seminars, the Arabic instruction is out of this world. My professor Mai's is like a second mother and we still keep in contact till this day. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Dr. Raed is a true gem. A very understanding and smart individual, he truly cares about the well being of his students - whether that be in the context of class, our homestay, or internship and/or research. I am most grateful to Dr.Raed for helping me find my internship at Generation for Peace, where I fell in love with not only the cause of the organization but also my specific work as a US Research Assistant. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Rania, our homestay coordinator is out of this world. She really took into account our individual personalities and comfort level when arranging our homestay families. While their might have been bumps along the way, I loved my homestay family. Lina and the entire family were amazing on including me in on the everyday parts of their lives - from birthdays to engagement parties I really felt like a part of the family rather than some sort of outsider looking in. |
| * Food: |
Okay, so rice and chicken. It's alot - nonetheless delicious. That being said, it was at moments navigating a diet which is so dairy-heavy. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Partly because of Arabic level, but I loved my cultural experience in Jordan. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
Whole orientation dedicated to health! |
| * Safety: |
Honestly felt safer in Amman than most U.S. cities. It's just a matter of being smart and knowing your surroundings. For girls, there is the issue of street-harassment, but my best advice is to simply ignore it or ask for help. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
There's almost no way to describe how much I fell in love with Jordan. The markets, the people, the culture - so open and warm - I would not have changed my abroad experience for anything else. |
Finances
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* 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) |
Stipends were really helpful every month. Although, if you like to work out, gym expenses can be a bit on the more expensive side. |
| 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? | Share taxis!!!! |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Everyday, all day - whenever possible our program wanted students to speak in Arabic. |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | Beginner |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Intermediate |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | Arabic 101 |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | |
| Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants? | Take advantage of your host family! |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| 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? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | I wish I would have known more about the weather before coming to Jordan and more Arabic background. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Academic or LinguistYou went abroad with specific academic goals in mind; the program credentials and rigor of your coursework abroad were very important to you. You had a great time abroad, but never lost sight of your studies and (if applicable) were diligent with your foreign language study. Good for you! |
Individual Course Reviews
| Course Name/Rating: |
Arabic 201 |
| Course Department: | Language |
| Instructor: | Mays al-kasabeh |
| Instruction Language: | Arabic |
| Comments: | I've never loved a language course more than my abroad class with Professor Al-Kasabeh in Jordan. Passionate and funny, Mays truly pushed what I even thought I could achieve in one semester abroad in an Arabic-speaking country. Shocking myself, I would absolutely support anyone doing this program for the Arabic instruction alone! |
| Credit Transfer Issues: |
