CIEE College Study Abroad in Amman, Jordan

Amman is one of my favorite cities and the CIEE program here is AMAZING. It is so well planned and thought out and there are so many opportunities - educational, social, athletic, travel, professional, and much more!! They have multiple speakers every week that are very interesting and optional to go to! They have multiple fun events a week - like soccer with Jordanians or dinner with the program. They have multiple day trips offered on weekends for no extra cost. They are very supportive and accessible. All the people who did homestays love their families and the apartments were nice. There are many internship opportunities. Classes are great! I have nothing bad to say.

Upon arrival in Amman, Jordan, I felt like I was facing many difficult challenges for my two month study abroad. Besides just the Arabic language, half of the program would occur during the month of Ramadan, and I opted to live with a home stay. However, I was lucky to have had the staff of CIEE to help myself and other students along the way the entire time, and to answer any questions about the program and Jordan in general. They are amazing ambassadors to their country! Although Jordan has many unique and interesting things to offer both for domestic travel and everyday life, I loved spending time at local cafes talking to Jordanians, sipping on Turkish coffee, and occasionally smoking hookah (it is called Argeelah in Jordan). My advice for any study abroad experience across the planet is to go to the country with the mindset of trying to become not an American studying and living in a foreign country, but to attempt to live like a local by finding out where and what locals do with their free time and talking to them.

I am so happy that I chose to participate in the CIEE Summer Arabic Language program in Amman. My goal going into the program was to make enough progress to skip Second-Year Standard Arabic and begin my third year in Fall 2017. Through a combination of our intensive Arabic classes and being immersed in an Arabic-speaking city and culture, I was able to reach this goal. My Arabic professor back at home was very impressed with my progress in just one summer, and so was my native Arabic speaking tutor.

At the beginning of my time in Amman, it was difficult to navigate the city and communicate effectively, but this really helped me grow, and by the end, it was much easier and I was able to confidently take public transportation to the places I needed to go. I learned a great deal in Jordan - not just about Arabic, but also about living in another culture, about adapting and being resourceful in unfamiliar circumstances, and about all the similarities and all the differences between us. I was also able to visit many beautiful, interesting and historic places. One of my favorite experiences was visiting Wadi Rum, where we rode camels, witnessed traditional Bedouin cooking practices, and stargazed under the beautiful desert night sky.

I’m so grateful for this opportunity and I believe it will end up being one of the most valuable experiences of my academic career. I hope to return to Jordan soon!

I had an awesome time in Amman and would highly recommend CIEE's Diplomacy and Policy Studies program to anyone with a strong motivation to learn Arabic, have meaningful personal and professional experiences abroad, and begin to understand a region so deeply misunderstood by many Americans.

My favorite aspect of the Diplomacy and Policy studies program was the ability to complete high-level coursework in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies while also working a part-time internship in Amman. Being able to supplement my coursework with work experience was a great way to make meaningful connections with Jordanians and lay the foundation for a professional network which may allow me to return to Jordan after I graduate from college.

I think CIEE struck a good balance between providing students with the support they need to adapt to life in Amman, which is wildly different from life in the US, while also giving us freedom to explore life on our own. The staff was highly competent and truly caring, addressing any issues I had quickly and professionally. Unlike some other programs, we were also given quite a lot of freedom to travel during the program: I was able to visit Lebanon, Israel/Palestine, and Morocco during my study abroad semester, in addition to travelling extensively within Jordan. Instead of forbidding students from travelling outside of Amman independently, as many other study abroad organizations do, CIEE gave us honest and realistic guidance in making our travel plans.

My study abroad semester has been a highlight of my undergraduate years, and I am so glad to have chosen to come to Jordan, a fascinating country that currently faces many economic, social, and political challenges, over a more common study abroad country. CIEE's Diplomacy and Policy Studies program really allowed me to thrive during my time there, and left me with a strong foundation of language skills, cultural competency, and a professional network which I can use to return to the Middle East in the near future.