Since it's the end of this experience, I thought that I would look back on a couple of things. I remember getting onto the bus to go to the hotel, after first arriving in Amman. A student at the front of the bus was chatting away, in Arabic, to one of the professors. I had taken Arabic before, but never conversational. Also, the person I was sitting next to had been to the Middle East before, and had spent a summer or two working in one of the Gulf countries. I just remember thinking “what have I gotten myself into?” Now, four months later, I am still not able to converse in a completely in Arabic, but I am able to understand so much more than when I got here. This was by far one of the best experiences of my life; I stepped completely outside of my comfort zone and learned to leave in a different region with cultural rules much different from those that I was used to. I met so many interesting people and gained a completely new insight into the rest of the world, even America.
Not only did the change in regions accomplish that, but the political and social changes that were taking place in the Middle East during the time that I was here. I was able to live this part of history and witness the effect of it firsthand. One quote that will forever survive this experience, everyone from Jordanian residents to the students, was taken from Muammer Gaddafi; “Dar dar! Beit beit! Zenga zenga!!” It translates to: “Home home! House house! Alley alley!” It does not make much sense, but it was part of his speech that was broadcast when the initial change in Libya was taking place, and it was something that everyone picked up on. I soon learned the word for crazy--since that was what everyone called him, and that word will forever, in my mind, be associated with Gaddafi.
There are certainly many aspects that I will miss from Jordan. Outside of the obvious regional and physical aspects, there are things on a much more personal level. I had a buddy at the Western Union, whom I would go to at least once a week to break a 50 (since it is difficult to even use a 20). It took more than half of the semester before he finally asked me how I was and what my name was. Prior to that, we communicated through smiles and hand motions---quite entertaining for anyone watching I am sure. My host dad and I also really enjoy spicy food. Every night at the dinner table he would use the hot sauce and then pass it over to me without saying anything. The café, Turtle Green, that I went to multiple times a week had an evening worker with whom I would always make awkward eye contact with. We never had a real conversation before, but we recognized each other from the multiple times that we were there. I also think I created the record of the longest time spent in a café. One day I went to Turtle Green straight after class and did not leave until after 9pm. I was there for over 10 hours! There are also little sayings that I will miss, such as “drink hooka or a cigarette” instead of smoke as well as “touch wood” instead of ‘knock on wood”. As annoying as the cabs could be at times, I had some of the best Arabic conversations in them. Not only was I able to practice my Arabic, but you are also able to change who you are a little bit. At one point, I was a Canadian wife with a little baby at home (the first time I said that I was married without a baby, and I was tisked at). So, I slowly started to evolve it to something both realistic and acceptable. It was interesting because we were talking to my Arabic professor about the cabs one time, and all of the girls pulled out rings that they kept in their bags to be used as wedding bands, and everyone had a different story as to where they were from and their relationship status.
Most importantly, the people that I met here were some of the most interesting people I think I will ever meet. We were all drawn to this region because of similar interests, though there were different underlying reasons beneath all of that. Though I have to say that almost all of the people had either Global Studies or International Relations majors; I was one of the minorities with Sociology! This has honestly been one of the scariest, happiest, frustrating and rewarding experiences of my life. Not only did I learn a significant amount about another region, as well as gain a different perspective on the world, but I also learned a lot about myself. While it is certainly difficult and sad to leave here, I am so excited to return home, see my family, and continue my experiences back in the States.
