The best possible Middle Eastern study abroad experience. Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Each week we were taught by lecturers from local universities, government agencies, or NGO's, and we also undertook multiple field visits to contextualize our knowledge. The ISP at the end was a great way to tie together all of the knowledge we had gained about Jordan with all of the connections we had made.

On-site administration of your program

The SIT Jordan staff are absolutely amazing! Both the Arabic professors and Dr. Bayan, our academic director, were incredible, whether you have questions about the program or questions about life in general. Everyone at SIT Jordan obviously genuinely cares about the students both academically and personally. I'm still in awe of how amazing they were.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I had the best host family ever, comprised of two parents, two little brothers, and a little sister. Every night my mom prepared some amazing Jordanian dish, and she made sure that I ate all that I was served. I became so close to the entire family, especially my little sister, and I know that now I have two families in the world--one in the U.S. and one in Jordan. I will never forget my host family's generosity and hospitality during my stay.

Jordanian food is the best--from mansaf, the national dish, to hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, and other traditional staples of mezze, Jordan has amazing cuisine both distinctive and similar to the cuisine of its Middle Eastern neighbors.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

In this program, you live with a host family, commute in taxis to and from the center on a daily basis, go on regular field visits, and complete an ISP at the end on a locally-pressing issue. As a result, you can't help but be well-integrated into the culture.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Jordan has one of the best healthcare systems in the Middle East (as you'll learn), so healthcare experiences are generally positive. Personally, I was quite impressed with the quality and inexpensiveness of the healthcare that I received. At one point during the program, I developed a fever that last for a few days, so my Arabic professor took me to the best private hospital in Jordan to get checked out by a doctor. We visited the ER and were seen immediately. The visit was comparable to, if not better than, a visit to a doctor in the U.S., and it only cost about $15 (without insurance). The antibiotics that the doctor prescribed me were readily available at local pharmacies and all of the pharmacists that I met spoke English. As for the general health issues in the country, there is nothing that wouldn't be a health issue in the U.S.

I never felt unsafe in Jordan. Sometimes taxi rides can be sketchy, because the drivers can be sketchy, but you learn how to deal with them through advice and experience pretty early on in the program. If there are ever any U.S. embassy alerts, the academic advisor notified you and is available for questions.

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

This program's fee includes a 50 JD per week stipend. The stipend is given to you by the AD each week which makes it easier to manage the money. The only downfall is that the 50JD is only meant to cover expenses during the week, which means that on the weekend, if you didn't manage your money carefully, you might run out (this also depends on how far your host family lives from SIT and how much your taxi fare is each day). Amman has been rated one of the most expensive cities in the Middle East, so food can sometimes be expensive, especially if you're buying Wester brands, but if you're just buying local food like falafel or local produce, the stipend is enough to pay for lunch every day. On the weekends, your host family feeds you.

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

Sometimes you don't have a choice, like when you're in a taxi or trying to communicate with your host family.

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• People (host family, SIT staff)
• Food
• Academic Excursions

• I
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• no idea

The Academic or Linguist