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! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 (\u0627\u0646 \u0634\u0627\u0621 \u0627\u0644\u0644\u0647)(god willing) or Alhamdulillah (\u0671\u0644\u0652\u062d\u064e\u0645\u0652\u062f\u064f \u0644\u0650\u0644\u064e\u0651\u0670\u0647\u0650)(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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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