My time in Jordan has been AMAZING! I have learned so much about the culture, language, politics, and people of Jordan – an experience I will forever be grateful for. I spent my program in Amman, Jordan the capital of the country. While here I studied refugees, health, and humanitarian action. Jordan hosts millions of refugees, with the largest population being Syrian. While here I worked at an NGO, went to the largest refugee camp in the world, and visited several other NGOs to learn about their work and ethics. I lived with a host family in Jordan, further immersing me in the culture and language and I made several Jordanian friends!
While learning about Jordanian culture I fell in love with the behaviors, attitudes, and values of the culture. But that also came with certain experiences where I was confused and had to adjust to situations I was not used too. For example, the culture of Jordan is also very based on their most practiced religion (about 98% of people) which is the practice of Islam. So, when having conversations with people the words inshallah (ان شاء الله)(god willing) or Alhamdulillah (ٱلْحَمْدُ لِلَّٰهِ)(thank god) were very commonly used. Even though I do not practice islam, these words are used everyday with a lot of commonly said things. For example, “have a good day” turned into “have a good day god willing” (spoken in arabic). So, I had to adjust my vocabulary to the culture of Jordan – not only speaking in arabic but using these common religious terms was not only seen as religious but the culturally correct and the polite thing to do.
To continue, my world view and perspective has gained so much knowledge and understanding about how the world functions and different cultures outside of my own. I can honestly say I have no harsh judgments of Jordanian culture – or Middle Eastern culture in general. I have grown to accept it and love it for what it is. I am grateful for having new perspective on culture and the world, as I feel as if it has made me grow as a person and have a better understanding of life.
I will say I am truly on a cross cultural exchange. My host family (they are wonderful) has taught me a lot about Jordanian culture and I have taught them a lot about American culture. I think my host family, from their perspective would say I learned a lot about Jordanian culture, especially the language because I am now able to speak with them in arabic. They no longer have to tell me about the commonly made meals or how to eat them – because I learned. They no longer need to tell me about the common practices of the home (such as house shoes, showering, water usage) because I learned all of these cultural things. With this being said, I am no expert on the culture and I do still learn things everyday.
This trip has prepared me for future cultural misunderstandings and conflicts in many ways. These things can happen at home or abroad, and I feel prepared to deal with them. I say this because I learned how to politely as questions about a different culture, how to have polite but productive and meaningful conversation about cultural differences, and I have learned that acceptance of differences is key.
Overall, I have absolutely loved my trip and I would recommend everyone visit Jordan (Amman, Petra, Wadi rum, and Aqaba). I have come to love the country and the people that live in it. It has changed my view of the world for the better.