(MENAFN- Jordan Times) AMMAN — Far away from home, studying in a foreign country, international students in exchange programmes to Jordan shared their experiences of the country, some even calling it their 'second home'.
Yun Xi, a Chinese student who now goes by the name Saif, told The Jordan Times on Sunday: 'I consider Jordan my second home. I came here on a one-year exchange programme in 2014, but after I finished my bachelors in China, I came back to Jordan for my masters.'
Saif came back with his wife, who goes by Mariam and wanted to study her bachelors and live with him in Jordan for what is now their sixth year in the country.
Saif and Mariams's attachment to Jordan stems from 'the comfort of being in a largely Muslim society', as Saif put it, given that they are both converts to Islam who want to know more about the religion by living amongst its practitioners.
Foreign students studying at various Jordanian universities, like Saif and Mariam, come to Jordan looking for different things: religion, culture, language or work experience to polish their resumes.
Through different exchange programmes, students all over the world can either spend an academic year of school or university at a Jordanian educational institution, or take a gap year for the sole purpose of exploring the culture.
Martha Martinez, a Spanish student who has been in Jordan for over six months said 'the desire to interact with different cultures, specifically Arab ones' is what brought her to Jordan.
'I wanted to experience Middle Eastern culture because it's always portrayed exotically in literature. I discovered during my stay that I had many misconceptions about the region, and I'm glad to be learning actual facts.'
Some students take advantage of their time in Jordan and find 'language partners', who teach them Arabic through conversational sessions during the week.
Liz, a German major in Arabic studies at the University of Berlin, chose to live with her language partner to 'maximise the benefit' of her stay.
'I've been living with my roommate for four months, and it has been a blast! I'm getting quite attached to the food and scenic places,' said Liz.
For those who are not students of Arabic, political science or Islamic studies, the options of an academic exchange year in Jordan are limited, given that most majors require Arabic. These students, then turn to internships offered by international NGOs rather than an academic year.
Rihanna Jose and Amanda Clarke, American students studying conflict resolution, chose to do a one-year internship with an international NGO and chose Jordan as their destination.
'One or two years' experience in the Middle East can really boost our CV. The Middle East has a very known reputation for being intense, which is why any experience here is the perfect opportunity to practice our majors,' said Clarke.
Jose reiterated this point by saying: 'After this internship, our job hunt after graduation is made a lot easier now that we have legitimate work experience'.
'It's been very pleasant, and I really wish we could stay longer,' she concluded.
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