An Arabic Language Bootcamp and Jordanian Hospitality in One Program

CET Jordan is not your normal study-abroad experience. Most would think of Instagram pictures next to the Eiffel Tower and eating Pasta in Italy when first imagining a typical American semester abroad; however, CET Jordan wipes that slate clean and flips it over on its head. Instead of capturing the sites of the country as a portal to access the culture, it gives you direct access to Jordan's culture through its language and its people.

Before even arriving at CET Jordan, the program's application will repeatedly ask you your intentions for going and challenging moments through which you persevered because it is not easy nor for the faint-of-hearted. Despite seeming intimidating at first, the entry form serves a purpose: ensuring the goals of the student coincide with CET's goal of teaching and building fluency in Arabic. With the goal to help you thrive and immerse yourself in the culture, the program has a language pledge to only speak Arabic, which painful and frustrating at first, will become the most enabling feature of your experience.

I remember the first days of feeling utterly paralyzed at even the most basic level of interaction with my classmates, yet within two weeks I found myself able to talk to a taxi driver about my family and about his. Near the end of my 4 months, I could even explain to my language partner and now friend about the importance of staying true to yourself. Of course, talking about these gains makes it easy to skip over the plentiful hours of self-doubt, frustration, and headaches, but that's why you have to remember your original goal of going in the first place. Whether it is learning Arabic, or using the language for some secondary means like connecting with family, the people who hold on to their intentions for going will be the most successful(I stole some of that from my teacher).

Connecting with Jordanian culture is another goal of the program. CET Jordan tries to offer a lot of Avenues for connecting with Jordanian society. It makes interviews and recording each conversation a core part of the class, especially in the first several weeks, meaning you need to talk to people to keep your grade. On top of that, you always have the availability of your Jordanian Neighbors who provide you the comfort of being at home as well as the patience needed for learning a language.

CET Jordan does really well with these two goals, reaching both linguistic and cultural fluency, as someone that really appreciates exploring and facing a country on my own, I felt tied down to the Program when I knew I could see more. Its intensive nature means it's difficult to travel on weekends because there are always assignments due. Also, without any choice in your housing, you are at the mercy of CET Jordan's location, located in a suburb 30 minutes away from downtown, making the CET program the center of your life in Jordan rather than the bustling streets of downtown Amman.

All in all, I'm grateful I went through the challenges of CET as I now speak Arabic and understand Arabic culture better than I ever thought I would.