Middle East cultural immersion--Jordan's wonderful people, food, & history Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

I learned more about the health system in Jordan than I even know about the one in the U.S. For me, this was an outstanding experience, and I even believe my experience in Jordan was the main factor in my getting an excellent job in the health field upon graduation.

On-site administration of your program

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

Some students had minor issues with host families, but most were positive. The only minor criticism is that some don't have internet, even though you need it for school work. In this case, students had to buy an internet stick, and SIT doesn't cover that cost, which is a bit unfair since your family is random. Nonetheless, mine was outstanding and I still keep in touch with my family!

I brought some back and I still miss it every day!

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Although the host families were a great way to connect to local culture, outside of that, the majority of time was spent at the SIT building. On the one hand, this was great because it created a "hub" for us to go at virtually anytime of the day or evening, and we became very close. On the other hand, since all of our classes and free time was there, we didn't get many opportunities to interact with people outside of SIT. It would have been nice to have more opportunities to do so, especially with Jordanian students our own age. However, again, this is something we told SIT, and they might be making this change in the future.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

Wonderful health system. Students were well cared for by SIT faculty, and taken directly to a health professional when problems arose.

Amman was VERY safe. I felt safer there than I do at home in the Midwest, USA. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that it is a slightly different experience if you are a woman. For the most part, everything was great, but sometimes there is a bit of harassment (no touching, but cat-calling, for instance) on the street. This is especially if you are alone and at dark…but really, you shouldn't be doing that anyway, so just avoid this situation and it should be great.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

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• Host Family

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• Host Family

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• Americans

• SIT staff and students--ALL incredible people!
• Health classes--the field-based learning, especially
• Jordanian food

• Arabic program
• More immersion/interactions with Jordanian students