Hey guys, I’m Leah, and in just a few days, I will be writing to you from Amman, Jordan!
I am going into my senior year here at Hope College and will be wrapping up my degree in Global Studies and Spanish. It has been a wild few years on campus, and I am so thrilled to get abroad and travel the globe. One of the main reasons I chose to come to Hope was because of their wide range of study abroad opportunities, and I am greatly looking forward to spending this entire upcoming year abroad!
In two days I will join the School of International Training (SIT) in Jabal Amman, Jordan, where I will study and complete field-based research over the course of four months. Jabal is a historic neighborhood in Amman, home to the famous Rainbow Road and other beautiful Jordanian destinations. Amman is also known for its almost nine hundred thousand refugees in and around the city, the majority of which are from Syria. My program, titled Refugee Health and Humanitarian Action, will dive deep into the lives, treatment, and health of refugees both in Jordan and the Middle East. I will also get to examine the many ways different NGOs and global organizations support refugees and displaced peoples.
With so many travel opportunities, it took a lot of time to decide which of Hope’s many programs was right for me, but I ended up choosing SIT’s Jordan Refugee program for two main reasons. The first, because while I have loved being bilingual, I am ready to tackle a third language! I’ll have the opportunity to take several credits in Arabic, as well as speak it with my homestay family. SIT is recognized for its field-based learning, which is the second factor that pulled me towards this program. I’ve spent a long time within the four walls of a classroom, and I am thrilled for that environment to grow into a place of curiosity, exploration, and adventure.
During my time in Jordan, I’ll also get to venture outside of Amman! If you want to hear about floating in the Dead Sea, see pictures of Petra, and hear about trek’s through Wadi Rum, go ahead and bookmark this page or hit “Subscribe” at the bottom of this post. I would love to have you come along with me!