Across the Globe

Finding Language in Amman, Jordan

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Before arriving in Amman, Jordan to study Arabic, Omar had never met a Jordanian and wasn’t sure what to expect.

As founder of the Students of Color Club, co-president of the Model United Nations club, and team captain of an academic bowl team, it's not a stretch to say that Omar was an accomplished student by his senior year of high school. Omar's engagement in school was inspired in large part by his mother's example, a woman who immigrated from Puerto Rico to the US several decades ago and raised Omar as a single mother while still managing to earn her undergraduate degree in 2014; that dedication and hard work instilled in Omar the importance of education.

When Omar first learned about the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program, he never imagined that the following summer he would be immersing himself in Arabic in Amman, Jordan. Without the means to travel and experience other cultures on his own, Omar recognized NSLI-Y as a unique opportunity to study abroad. He carefully researched the critical languages he could study and chose Arabic based on the culture, history, and world events associated with the language.

Exploring Cultural Differences
Before arriving in Amman with NSLI-Y, Omar had never met a Jordanian and wasn't sure what to expect. After arriving in Jordan, he was overwhelmed by their warmth and hospitality: "Jordanians easily laugh with you and express love and encouragement. They love that you are studying Arabic and are so excited that an American is there to learn about them and their culture and language."

There were some cultural differences that were surprising for Omar, including gender roles. At home in the US, Omar was expected to contribute to his household by cooking and cleaning; whereas in Jordan, gender roles are more traditionally divided. He also learned that it was usually not appropriate to speak to a woman unless she speaks to you first. Omar reflected on these differences but committed to being respectful of Jordanian customs as a guest in the country.

Omar and his host family discussed the differences between family life in the US and Jordan. His host family was intrigued that Omar's father did most of the cooking back home and that Omar was expected to help with household chores and had many questions for him about life in the US

Omar was also able to experience Ramadan while in Jordan. During Ramadan, people cannot eat or drink in public during the day. While Omar did not fast, he was respectful of Jordanian customs and found private places to eat lunch or drink water between classes.

Throughout his time in the country, Omar became very fond of Jordanian culture: "You come to love the cultural differences and see the beauty in them, and you also learn to see beyond them to the fact that these are people with the same kinds of hopes and fears as you."

The Power of Language
Omar was courageous in speaking Arabic and tried to strike up conversations with as many people as possible. With such an outgoing personality, he realized that flashcards and other study methods were not as effective for him as making an effort to speak with locals. Omar's engagement with others allowed him to connect with more people and to further experience different facets of Jordanian culture. It was not always easy, though. At first, he found that Jordanians had a hard time understanding him; but Omar found that speaking slowly, enunciating, and building his vocabulary helped.

These frequent conversations with locals also influenced Omar's life in unexpected ways altering his future educational and career paths. One day while attempting to barter with a local woman, Omar tried his best to speak in the local dialect to better connect with the woman; however, a word of Modern Standard Arabic slipped out. The woman quickly pointed out his mistake, expressing disappointment. The interaction influenced him to deeply consider the connection between language and culture Omar is now interested in studying linguistics, neuroscience, and cognitive studies to further research how culture and language interact.

Omar says that his time spent in Jordan was the most significant experience of his life. Since returning home, he started college at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Omar continues to study Arabic online and plans to transfer to a school that offers Arabic and linguistics programs. He hopes to one day pursue a Ph.D. in linguistics, neuroscience, or cognitive studies.

About the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)
NSLI-Y, sponsored by the US Department of State, provides merit-based scholarships for eligible high school students and recent high school graduates to learn less commonly taught languages in summer and academic-year immersion programs. Scholarships are eligible to study Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish.

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