From East London to Amman: My year abroad in Jordan

Marjan shares his transformative experience studying Arabic in Jordan for a year abroad, from settling in to exploring the rich culture and history of the country and making friends from around the world. 

If you ask most students studying a language at SOAS what motivated them to choose this university, you'll often hear the same answer: the year abroad. 

My Arabic cohort and I had the unique opportunity to travel to the breathtaking country of Jordan, a place rich in culture and history. I still vividly remember the emotions I felt leading up to it: a mix of overwhelming excitement at the thought of finally putting my two years of study to use and nervousness about the unknown I would soon face. 

When the day finally came, I touched down at Queen Alia International Airport, and I was immediately thrust into my first experience of Amman. My eyes were glued to the window, taking in the landscape. Amman itself has a unique charm—one moment, you're cruising through the upscale Abdali district, mesmerized by the towering minarets and domes lining the streets, and the next, after a wrong turn, you find yourself in a sketchy alleyway that could only belong in Zarqa.

Settling in 

The first few weeks were an intense blur. Settling in was harder than I expected as I tried to adjust to a new culture and country. Culture shock hit me in surprising ways—no more drinking water straight from the tap, the quirky jingle announcing the arrival of the gas truck, and even simple trips to the grocery store became an adventure. 

My rusty Fusha (formal Arabic), which made me sound like a scholar from 1,000 years ago, often drew amused looks from the quick-talking, grey-haired Ammus (local elders). However, the biggest change for me was the very reason I had come to Jordan in the first place: my academic journey at the Qasid Institute of Language.

My rusty Fusha (formal Arabic), which made me sound like a scholar from 1,000 years ago, often drew amused looks from the quick-talking, grey-haired Ammus (local elders).

I know I’m biased, but I loved everything about that school. The teaching was exceptional, the curriculum was spot on, and the extracurricular trips and opportunities they provided were unmatched. When they advertised the year abroad as “intensive,” they truly meant it.

Before long, I was buried in hours of work—translating articles for my Media and Issues classes, fine-tuning my Classical Arabic grammar in my pursuit to finally understand the Quran, and creating role plays for dialect practice (okay, that last one wasn’t too bad). Despite the heavy workload, I couldn’t have been happier. There’s a sweetness in studying something you're truly passionate about.

My highlights of the year

As for the highlights of my year abroad, without a doubt, the best part was the amazing friends I had the honour of making at Qasid. One of the unique things that made Qasid so special was its international environment. Coming from the streets of London, I was suddenly surrounded by individuals from all over the world—Norway, Germany, Australia, Singapore, and the States, to name a few. 

From camping under the stars in Wadi Rum to swimming in the waters of Aqaba, and even a spontaneous weekend flight to Cyprus, time flew by.

We managed to form a close-knit group, all of us experiencing this new chapter of our lives together. And what a chapter it was! From camping under the stars in Wadi Rum to swimming in the waters of Aqaba, and even a spontaneous weekend flight to Cyprus, time flew by. Before we knew it, nine months had passed. The only thing left on my bucket list was visiting the third holiest site in Islam Al-Quds (Jerusalem) in Palestine, just a couple of hours' drive from Amman…

Conflict and compassion for Gaza 

Initially, we had planned to travel to Palestine early in the year, but when the war broke out, that plan became impossible. The borders were indefinitely closed, and tensions were at an all-time high. What made it even harder was knowing how close we were to the conflict, safe in our beds while just a few hours away, our brothers and sisters in Gaza were suffering—going to sleep, not knowing if they would wake up again. 

The unrest spread to Amman as well. What many people don’t realise is that much of Jordan's population is of Palestinian origin. After being forced to flee their homes during the Nakba, Jordan became a ‘temporary’ refuge for them. Protests and riots were frequent during this time, and despite warnings to stay away, many of us felt an inexplicable pull to join, driven by the frustration of wanting to help in any way we could. 

We often heard stories of distraught Jordanians attempting to illegally cross the border into Palestine to offer aid, only to be faced by a barrage of tear gas, all of them dreaming of a one-day free Palestine.

All in all, the year was a monumental milestone in my life. I learned so much about myself and the world around me. I became someone I wouldn’t have recognised nine months earlier. For anyone considering a year abroad with SOAS, don’t hesitate. 

Header image: The views at Wadi Rum, the largest desert in Jordan.

The views and opinions expressed in SOAS Blogs are those of the individual authors.