Learning Arabic in Jordan Past Review
By Alexander Z (International Relations, Economics, Tufts University) for
SIT Study Abroad: Jordan - Intensive Arabic Language Studies
I improved my Arabic and built some lasting relationships with Jordanians and Americans. It was worthwhile.
Personal Information
| The term and year this program took place: | Summer 2008 |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
This is a program intended for students with one year of Arabic. I had two. In many cases I was a fish out of water, struggling to challenge myself as everyone else was overwhelmed. This is not a true "immersion" program. There was tons of English, from the program, other students and homestay. This was necessary for some of the students to get by, but I found it annoying. This would be a great program for someone with 2-3 semesters of Arabic. The teachers are amazing and the trips are wonderful. However, it is not the best fit for an advanced student. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
This was the first time they ran the program, so there were some understandable hick-ups. The trips were amazing and very well planned. The Academic director is a great guy and very friendly. The teachers were great. My only complaints were excessive hand-holding and lack of academic challenge. These may not be issues for many other people. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
Christian Jordanian-Jordanian host family. All the guys were with Christians for cultural reasons. My family was fairly westernized, but I loved them and they were great. No food problems, although some of the vegetarians did have issues with their families. <br /><br /> |
| * Food: |
Breakfast was amazing. Lots of good places within walking distance of the office. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
It is what you make of it. There are plenty of opportunities to meet Jordanians in Amman. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
A student got stung by a scorpion in the desert and got to a doctor and treated in hours. I always felt safe. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
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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) |
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| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | They gave us an allowance for food and transportation, which I found weird. So the only money you need to bring is for gifts and extra trips/expensive food. |
Language
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| Language acquisition improvement? |
I didn't feel especially challenged, however if you had only 1-3 semesters you probably would have gotten a lot more out of it. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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A Look Back
| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | If you have taken 1-3 semesters of Arabic and haven't traveled abroad much before this is a great program for you. They make sure you get the most out of it, show you the best places to go and you'll learn lots of Arabic. If you are looking for a real immersion environment or prefer to figure things out on your own you'd be better directly enrolling in University of Jordan. |
