Author: roybualuan

The past couple weeks have been awesome!

First of all, one of the best experiences I have been having so far has been helping out with the Collateral Repair Project, a local non profit organization that seeks to help refugees and victims of war. Thus far, I’ve helped out with kids ranging from ages 10 to 17. I will admit that I haven’t a huge help as of yet; the program is largely in Ammiyye, the local dialect, which is very different from the Modern Standard Arabic we’ve learned in class. Nonetheless, I’ve helped out with fun activities and even giving small presentations. Speaking and interacting with the kids has been an excellent opportunity to work on my Arabic. More importantly, though, giving back to the community and helping out children who have been displaced from their homes is a really crucial thing that more people ought to participate, especially considering that the organization is short on volunteers. I’ll be sure to update more in the coming weeks!

In a totally different vein, I’ve also had the chance to explore parts of Jordan outside Amman. I visited Mount Nebo, an extremely important historical site for all Abrahamic religions. The view up there was incredibly, and walking through the old church was a genuinely humbling sight. The following day I visited the dead sea, followed shortly thereafter by Wadi Mujib. Floating in the dead sea was awesome! I had always heard about the ease of floating in the super salty water, but actually experiencing it was a whole different experience. As for Wadi Mujib, it was a beautiful sight to behold. Marching in between canyon walls upstream had me genuinely captivated, a sight unable to be done justice with pictures alone.

As time goes on, the reality of how soon I’ll have to return is starting to dawn on me. I’ll be sure to make the most of my time while I still have it!

– روي

أهلا و سهلا
It’s been nearly a month since I came here, and I’ve found myself taken aback by how incredible of an experience this trip has already been. I’ve seen so many sites, met so many people, learned so much, and truly gathered a new appreication for the culture and the language here in Jordan.

Before classes started, I had around a week to get settled in to Amman, which I took full advantage of. I saw gorgeous skylines and enormous roman ruins, I visited tourist hotspots, like Rainbow Street, and various lesser known areas and restaurants, and I was able to meet and befriend various others in the program. The first week was a blast, and a nice settling in before the load of coursework began.

Interacting with locals is more difficult than I would have imagined. It’s one thing to practice Arabic in the comfort of a classroom, but wielding the language out on the streets is difficult, not to mention the plethora of differences between Modern Standard Arabic, which we study, and the dialectal Arabic. Not only are different words used, but entire letters are pronounced differently!

Four hours of Arabic classes each day plus an approximate four hours of homework on top of that have kept me quite busy, though I do think I have profited well from it thus far. We are going through our textbook at a rate far quicker than I had thought possible, and though I find myself quite challenged, I do think I am able to keep up. The other students in the Qasid program, especially in my class, have been a huge help. Working together when studying languages is very useful since you can pool your shared knowledge in case one person is lacking in a specific skill.

After classes and on the weekends, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to learn about and see more of Jordan as well. I’ve visited a number of different cafes and restaurants, and spent a good amount of time just wandering the city. I went down to a local market and made some local cuisine (which didn’t turn out great, but I’m still working on it!). We even took an excursion out to Ajloun, which hosted a historic castle and a stunning view! Plus, Qasid has hosted a number of cultural exhibitions, such as a musician playing the Oud and an informational session on Eid al Adha, a Muslim holiday.

I am extremely thankful to be here, and can’t wait to continue learning and exploring this country. I look forward to being able to visit Petra and the Dead Sea soon!

روي –