I remember when I first considered studying abroad in Jordan. I was a prospective transfer student researching the Arabic program at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. I had taken two semesters of Arabic at the Dearborn campus, where the program was smaller, MSA-only, and didn’t offer study abroad. The possibility of learning colloquial Arabic while living in Jordan convinced me to transfer from the University of Michigan’s central campus in Ann Arbor.
After transferring to Ann Arbor, I spent my first three semesters on campus taking eighteen credit semesters. I wanted to complete my on-campus coursework as quickly as possible to free up my final year to study abroad. I was also applying to a dozen scholarships — my sophomore and junior years were spent making the year abroad a reality.
In the second semester of my junior year, I nervously awaited the results of my applications. As the weeks went by, I calculated the program costs over and over again. I was counting on getting the scholarships, as I had already committed by paying the program deposit. Then one day I received an email: I was awarded a grant for both the summer and academic year. I couldn’t believe it — I was going to Amman for a year.
Though I was initially relieved, I grew more worried as the departure date came closer. I had never lived in the Arab world, and I didn’t know Arabic that well, let alone the local Jordanian dialect. I also saw the opportunity cost of my decision when my friends and classmates were preparing to begin internships and full-time jobs.
In May 2019, I took my last economics final and left Ann Arbor, never to return as a student again. Shortly afterwards I departed to Amman, an unfamiliar city that would become my home for the next year.
Letters from Jordan 