It still hasn’t hit me. I keep saying and explaining to people that “I’m leaving for Jordan in a couple of weeks…yeah, I’ll be there for 3 1/2 months studying Arabic…” but I haven’t yet assimilated that I’m little over a week away from going thousands of miles away to learn a language I know only the basics of and live with a family I know absolutely nothing about. I’m not scared, and I’ve no apprehension; I’m excited for this challenge! The best way to learn a language is to jump into the lake without floaties and force yourself to swim.
An essential part of learning a language is learning the culture that bred it. I am an International Relations Major at Rollins with an emphasis in the Middle East and North Africa; as such, I want to come back with the ability to help cure the rampant ignorance, fear, and misconceptions that surround Arab culture and Islam. When people learn I am traveling to Jordan, I get “oh my god! Be safe! Aren’t you scared?!” I also got “but…they kill Christians there!” and “How will you communicate with everyone back home? Do they have internet there?” Even a halfhearted google search reveals these three concerns are absurd concerning Jordan. I want to be able to share from experience that one can travel to and learn about the Middle East without needing a bulletproof vest, abandoning or entrenching oneself in one’s faith, or carrying Western technology with you.
I originally intended to title my series of blog posts “An Atheist Abroad” because I want to learn about Islam on my trip and experience the interaction between Jordan’s Muslim majority and it’s Christian minority. I do not intend to adopt Islam or hide behind my Catholic /upbringing/ (not faith); I want to be a polite observer, learning, taking note, and–when possible and permissible–discussing. I decided to go with the title you see above because it will allow me to encompass more, and it will help me stay on top of my real objective as I travel and blog: learning the Arabic language and its Levantine dialect.
–A
Great point about having to learn the culture in order to really learn the language!