I knew that my biggest goal for this study abroad experience was to advance my Arabic skills on paper and conversationally, and I am confident in my saying that I have achieved much more than I could have hoped from a program. When I first arrived in Jordan I did not even know how to express to a taxi driver directions to my destination, and I would have minimal conversations with my host family because I knew very few words in the Jordanian dialect. After a short period of time however, thanks to my incredible professors who worked endlessly to ensure our progress in the Arabic language and of Jordanian culture, I began to develop a vocabulary list that made it possible for me to order food at a restaurant and ask locals about which bus to take if I wanted to go to downtown Amman. The social skills I have acquired as a result of me immersing myself into a dialect and country different from my own has been life changing, and it has taught me that we as humans are more similar to each other than we think, despite habitating different parts of the world, speaking different languages, and living under different cultural frameworks. I have always considered a career overseas, and this study abroad experience has allowed me to get a small taste of what it would be like living and navigating around this particular area of the Middle East. Now that I am much more proficient in the shami dialect and exposed to how bureaucracy and politics work in specific spheres of Jordan and the region in general, I am better equipped to tackle on an overseas job in the Middle East if I decide to do so in the future. The relationships I have fostered with my peers, the staff and professors of my program, and with Jordanians will forever follow me on my continued life journey, as they have taught me many things that I will use as guiding points on my path to what is to come
My biggest goal was to advance my Arabic skills, and I'm confident in saying that I have achieved much more than I could have hoped. After a short period of time, thanks to my incredible professors, I began to develop a vocabulary list that made it possible for me to order food in restaurants and speak with locals. The relationships I fostered with my peers, staff, and professors will forever follow me on my life journey.