When I told people that I was studying abroad in Jordan, their first responses were “Why would you want to go there?” “ Isn't that dangerous?” “ You're traveling to the Middle East?!” “It was nice knowing you!”
At the time I didn't have a good response because it was impossible to give a complete explanation for my reasons in a brief encounter. In this post I want to expand on why I chose to study abroad, and how I selected this region of the world.
Since freshman year I knew that I wanted to study abroad. Everyone who I spoke to about their experiences abroad would fill my mind with adventures, and opportunities of a lifetime. They described these instances as the pinnacle of their college career. It was from this a seed grew; it was an ambition that pestered my mind. I knew that my undergraduate education would feel inadequate without taking advantage of this opportunity. It was with this catalyst that I began the extensive process to live and study abroad.
The Middle East has been dominating the headlines in the past century, and is an area of the world that most Americans are inexperienced and unfamiliar with. It was this uncertainty that encouraged me to take a class about the Middle East and Islam. From this class I became fascinated with the history, diversity, and complexity of this region and I wanted to learn more. What better way to learn than literally being right in the middle of everything happening.
When deciding where I wanted to study abroad, picking the Middle East was the obvious choice and choosing Jordan was more obvious. If you look at a map of Jordan it borders or is close to, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Egypt. It has one of the best universities in the Middle East, and it is centrally located between these countries of interest.
I have learned so much about Jordan and the Middle East in my one month here, but I know that this is just the beginning of a long progression to truly comprehend the language, culture, and politics of this region, and I look forward to traveling down this lengthy road.
I haven't even left here, and I am already anticipating coming back.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Mark Twain (Innocents abroad).
At the time I didn't have a good response because it was impossible to give a complete explanation for my reasons in a brief encounter. In this post I want to expand on why I chose to study abroad, and how I selected this region of the world.
Since freshman year I knew that I wanted to study abroad. Everyone who I spoke to about their experiences abroad would fill my mind with adventures, and opportunities of a lifetime. They described these instances as the pinnacle of their college career. It was from this a seed grew; it was an ambition that pestered my mind. I knew that my undergraduate education would feel inadequate without taking advantage of this opportunity. It was with this catalyst that I began the extensive process to live and study abroad.
The Middle East has been dominating the headlines in the past century, and is an area of the world that most Americans are inexperienced and unfamiliar with. It was this uncertainty that encouraged me to take a class about the Middle East and Islam. From this class I became fascinated with the history, diversity, and complexity of this region and I wanted to learn more. What better way to learn than literally being right in the middle of everything happening.
When deciding where I wanted to study abroad, picking the Middle East was the obvious choice and choosing Jordan was more obvious. If you look at a map of Jordan it borders or is close to, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, and Egypt. It has one of the best universities in the Middle East, and it is centrally located between these countries of interest.
I have learned so much about Jordan and the Middle East in my one month here, but I know that this is just the beginning of a long progression to truly comprehend the language, culture, and politics of this region, and I look forward to traveling down this lengthy road.
I haven't even left here, and I am already anticipating coming back.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” Mark Twain (Innocents abroad).
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