My Final Thoughts: Study Abroad

Hello World,

The wonderful Amman, Jordan

Snowboarding in Lebanon

Swimming in Lebanon

Jerusalem, Israel

Before January of 2013 I had spent most of life in Missouri, USA.   I did not ever travel to many parts of the world or even America before I studied abroad.  When I was 16 I went to Cancun, Mexico with my family for a week vacation making my first and only time outside of the States.  As far as America goes, I have spent a little time in Iowa, Ohio, Tennessee and Florida for a week at a time at max. Bluntly, I have not seen much of the world, most of my life I have been confined to the small country state of Missouri, the place I call home.  This Spring 2013 Study Abroad Semester changed all of that.

I left the United States of America in January and arrived in Amman, Jordan.  While in Jordan I visited Wadi Rum and rode camels, Petra and walked in the footsteps of Indiana Jones, Um Qais to look at the meeting borders of Israel, Jordan and Syria, then to Jerash to look at Roman ruins, and Zarqa to teach Jordanian elementary kids how to play basketball.  I then traveled to Lebanon and stayed in Beirut on the Mediterranean Sea, the Faraya Mountains in the Beqaa Valley and snow boarded down the Lebanese mountains, Baalbek to see more ancient ruins, Sidon, Tyre(Sour) to see Hezbollah controlled territory and Mleeta.  I then went back to Amman, Jordan. Then took a bus into the West Bank taking me into Israel. I enjoyed the beach at Tel Aviv and the ancient city of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified and rose back to life, then headed to the Palestinian city of Nablus located in the West Bank.  And now I am back at home(well my second home) in Amman, Jordan. I am enjoying my last week here and then I will head to England to chill with my British side of the family.  And finally in 3 weeks I will be back in the United States of America again to my real home.  In these last 5 months I have seen more than I had in my previous 20 years. It has been amazing and I have learned so much about so many cultures. 

       When I was deciding where I wanted to study abroad, I did not choose a fun destination like France, Spain, the UK, Italy, or Germany, where the vast majority of the 1% of Students that do study abroad, choose to study abroad. I chose a destination where less than 1% of study abroad students study abroad.  That is like .001 of all students.  When studying abroad in those countries I listed there is not as much of a culture shock.  The people speak a different language but they are still in the Western World.    The Middle East is completely different, the countries here have not adopted to Western lifestyles.  There are some things that they clearly have adopted but they still have their authentic awesome culture that is centuries old. Jordan is officially a Muslim country.  

     When I first arrived in Jordan I realized whey no one chooses to study abroad here.  It is a desert.  Jordan is the 3rd poorest country in terms of water.  From living here, I have realized that water is a huge deal that is taken granted of in the rest of the world. Also the language spoken here is Arabic, the hardest language to learn for English speakers according to the US government.  People choose not to study abroad here because it is not a fun place to be and it is very challenging.  (Don't get the wrong impression though, I have enjoyed myself). 

     I often get asked why I chose Jordan. "It is the safest country to study abroad in". I then get weird looks. "Well, the safest one to learn Arabic."  I chose Amman, Jordan because my chosen foreign language is Arabic.  Jordan has the closest dialect to the formal Arabic. 

My Goals:

1. To improve my Arabic skills. Speaking and Listening
2. To learn many aspects of Arabic culture
3. Make Jordanian friends and acqaintances 
4. Grow as a person

All of those goals have been completed.  Therefore I consider this semester a success.  I have learned more this semester than any previous and probably any in the future.  When I got here taxi drivers would ask where I wanted to go and I could not understand them.  I also could not tell them in Arabic where I wanted to go. Now I get in, tell them where I want to go and have a conversation with them about their lives all in Arabic.  I sit at home with my Jordanian host mom and we have conversations about politics in Arabic ( not to deep in to politics though). I am very content with the Arabic skills I have learned but I am still far from fluent.  For fun, I go to the downtown area of Amman and other souks.  I go there to talk to the locals and learn about their way of life. By doing that I have learned vast amounts about this Jordanian culture. I have made a few Jordanian friends. We sit, talk and have coffee.  I have definitely grown as an individual.  I am now fine with going up to a stranger( one who speaks a different language) and just start talking to him.  I now know how to stop the Jordanian taxi drivers from cheating me.  I am a pro at using Jordanian transportation, whether it is public or private. I have traveled around Middle Eastern countries with just me and a couple friends. While here, I took on challenges and beat them. My confidence has grown extraordinarily.  I am no longer just a country boy who knows nothing about the rest of the world.  I am very happy with my achievements since I've been here. 

 My false stereotypes of Arab people have been broken.  They have actually been reversed. American media does a terrible job at portraying these wonderful people.  If you are hungry, they offer you food. Rather you are thirsty or not they make you drink tea or coffee. And you are always welcome in their homes. 

These 5 months have been long months.  I have enjoyed every hour of this trip but I am ready to be back home with my family and friends. I will honestly say, I miss my American way of life.  Although I was blessed with getting such a good host family here in Jordan.  They have been great to me and treat me like a real son or brother. I have not once felt out of place here in Jordan. The people are very welcoming.  Some people in our program have failed to feel at home here because they are not welcoming of the Jordanian culture.  To succeed, compromise is necessary and rewarding.

What an Amazing semester!

Until Next time (if there is one). 

--John Michael Middleton

PS. Now off to England for a bit.