The Best Time of My Life Past Review

By Shams Mohajerani (Middlebury College) - abroad from 01/24/2019 to 05/14/2019 with

Middlebury Schools Abroad: Middlebury In Amman

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

It was so so so worthwhile. I am really confident now in my Arabic ability and overall I simply had the most amazing time. Jordan is a beautiful country with beautiful people and I had the best time over those 5 months getting to know its people.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	6 months+

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes From the program staff, to the awesome courses, to my amazing host family who are my second family now, to speaking Arabic, exploring Amman, traveling to Lebanon and Turkey, getting to know Jordan so well... I can't wait to go back.

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)
Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week?	$50-100
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants?	Make sure you include taxi fares in your budget - THEY ADD UP BIG TIME

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	Yes
How much did the program encourage you to use the language? 0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language	We had a language pledge, and had to speak 100% Arabic for the entire semestrr
How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program?	Intermediate
How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program?	Advanced
What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure?	Arabic 301
How many hours per day did you use the language?	10+
Do you have any tips/advice on the best ways to practice the language for future study abroad participants?	FOLLOW A LANGUAGE PLEDGE - it's really hard, challenging both physically and emotionally, but your language skills improve exponentially if you don't speak english at all.

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Host Family
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Americans
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Country Courses Host Family
* What could be improved?	organization of Volunteering component more help with budgeting
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	I had trouble with budgeting because I had no idea how much I would be spending on taxis throughout the semester - knowing this ahead of time would have helped budgeting. honestly i liked that i came in not knowing too much of what i was getting myself into, besides it being a really high quality arabic abroad program.

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.	The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer Craving the most authentic experience possible, perhaps you lived with a host family or really got in good with the locals. You may have felt confined by your program requirements and group excursions. Instead, you'd have preferred to plan your own trips, even skipping class to conduct your own 'field work.'

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Civil Society in Jordan
Course Department:	Arabic
Instructor:	Omar Shoshan
Instruction Language:	Arabic
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Jordanian Film & Traditional Song
Course Department:	Arabic
Instructor:	Yousef Hamdan
Instruction Language:	Arabic
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Intermediate Jordanian Arabic
Course Department:	Arabic
Instructor:	Dalal al-Assaf
Instruction Language:	Arabic
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues:

Course Name/Rating:	Advanced Modern Standard Arabic High (1)
Course Department:	Arabic
Instructor:	Khetam al-Wazzan
Instruction Language:	Arabic
Comments:
Credit Transfer Issues: