The study abroad semester for AMIDEAST is rapidly coming to a close and thinking about all of my experiences is increasingly overwhelming. Finals week(s) just finished and some of my friends in my program have already started to head back to the United States. With my roommate leaving last night (the same one I had in Cairo), the craziness of this semester really began to hit home. I might have mentioned it before, but I am now going to be staying abroad until July or August. AMIDEAST Amman’s program offers two intensive Arabic sessions and I’ve received a job as a research assistant for my professor at the University of Jordan for this summer. Aside from a few minor details left to be figured out, this girl is staying in Jordan this entire summer. With all of my US friends slowly leaving, I’ve been debating to myself whether or not I made a good decision in staying here. I am slightly homesick for my bed, my family, my friends, and bacon, but hopefully I will be kept busy enough this summer that I will not have time to think about it.
With that little life update, I will write a little bit about some of the best aspects about Jordan throughout the past 3 months of my program. 1. Activities. No offense to you Jordan, but Amman is not exactly the first city the comes to mind when thinking about activities throughout the city. For being less than 100 years old, Amman is packed with fun, interesting places, some of which don’t even exist in the US. Some of my favorites in Rainbow St., Downtown (Wast al-balad), Darat al-funun and makan, Books @ Cafe, Weibdeh, etc. Truly, it is pretty difficult to be bored in Amman. Night life is pretty significant for a Middle Eastern city as well, with night clubs scattered throughout the city, happy hours, and random parties (St. Patty’s Day and Cinco de Mayo) at the US Embassy.
2. Historical significance. You know how in the US, Israel is “technically” considered the Holy Land? Well, before modern borders this ENTIRE area was considered that. Palestine, the Levant, whatever you want to call it is filled with archaeological sites, many of them biblical. In Jordan alone, you have Jesus’ baptism site along the Jordan River, Mt. Nebo where Moses climbed before he died, and even the Dead Sea is considered holy. Aside from this, you have amazing sites like Petra, Ajloun, and Jerash. Even though Amman is young, this area in general goes WAY back.
3. The people. Much like Egyptians, Jordanians are extremely hospitable and welcoming – hardly a day goes by when I don’t get an “Ahlan wa Sahlan” from some random person. My Jordanian friends are amazing as well. They go out of their way to show you around the city or make you feel comfortable.
4. The geography. The layout of Jordan continues to surprise me even after all this time. Traveling north of Amman you find lush, rolling hills that look to be pictures taken straight out of the Bible. If you drive south of Amman, you’re practically stuck in the desert. On occasion you might pass a town or two, but they’re not at large at Amman or its suburbs. As I’ve already mentioned, the Dead Sea is simply amazing, as well as the Red Sea beach city of Aqaba.
5. Amazing for studying current events. As a Middle East Studies major, I’ve landed myself in a pretty effective location for studying the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and its history. While I won’t preach my political views here, I will say that the tension is evident between the two countries. Gaining Jordanian (and Jordanian with Palestinian heritage) viewpoints has been infinitely enlightening. Also, Jordan has been having some of its own protests. These are nowhere near the level that Egypt experienced, but hey, I guess it has been interesting to live through (in sha Allah) and compare and contrast the conflicts in each country.
As far as extending my semester goes, the process was made extremely simple by the GW Office for Study Abroad. About 2 weeks after I got to Jordan in February, I began throwing the idea around in my head. I simply e-mailed my Elliott School advisor and my advisor at the Office for Study Abroad and nearly everything was set up for me. It’s been a crazier semester than I could have ever imagined, and I’m excited to continue my time in Jordan for the next 3 months.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at GWU chapter.