انا طالبة I am a student

There is a green light glowing in through the window of my apartment overlooking the city of Amman; a city which I now call home, although I've only just arrived.

This green glow emits from a mosque that calls out a prayer to Allah five times during each day and the city lights of homes and shops scatter the hills like low-horizon stars.  Even though I may be alone, in this middle of the east, I experience peace.

I arrived in Jordan three weeks ago to sample a taste of a language I already knew I loved.  Teaching English as a second language for a year and a half to native Arabic speaking students left an alluring flavor on my pallet.  How on Earth were they forming all those tones in theirs?  Furthermore, what did the translations scribbled in the margins of homework stand for?

Aqaba and the Red Sea

As an artist who was already experimenting with writing and typing the English language backwards as a result of coping with the difficulties of learning technical English grammar, exposing myself to the Arabic alphabet instantly became somewhat of a perfect combination of art and linguistics and it was only a matter of time until I became fixated on everything Arabic.

But that isn't even the whole story.  When one of my co-workers returned from teaching English in the Middle East, I was convinced that I would do the same.

Almost one year ago I enrolled myself in a hands on TOEFL/TEFL/TESOL course in order to enhance my skills as an English language instructor and the only place in the entire world I wanted to teach and live was the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  After all, what western woman wouldn't want to live in a Kingdom??  It didn't take long before I had secured a job in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.  At that moment I became serious about wanting to begin decoding the language.

I remember sitting in my kitchen on a January snow day in Oklahoma watching online videos like this one over and over and over again.  I began asking my students at school common greetings and soon I was meeting weekly with one or two of the generous Saudi's at school who were kind enough to tolerate my awful pronunciation and correct my handwriting mistakes.  If I were going to teach in Saudi, I needed to know the very basics.

Wadi-Rum and the desert

However, sometimes things don't work out exactly the way you plan them.  After further researching my visa arrangements in Saudi and receiving mixed messages from family and friends I soon became disheartened by the idea of committing myself to a full year in near isolation and I ultimately declined the offer.

I felt so deflated for the period of time surrounding my decision.  Things usually worked out smoothly and I suddenly found myself at what felt like an intersection without any prominent road signs, but too many road blocks. I took the opportunity to spend time with friends, meet my new nephew and work towards resuming plans to experience the Middle East. 

I set out to find an Arabic language school where I could study for a short time and test out the living arrangements before committing myself to an extended period.  I felt optimistic and fortunate when I stumbled upon Ahlan-World and my questions were answered promptly and professionally.  I took the plunge and signed up for 7 weeks of classes and accommodation in Amman.  With a population of over 4 million people, many of whom are refugees from war torn surrounding countries such as Palestine, Syria and Iraq, Amman can offer a stable economy and slightly more westernized style of living in comparison to neighboring Islamic countries.

For these reasons, the city built on seven hills in 13th Century BC by the Ammonites, attracts tourists and expats (like myself) who seek to study or work in the Middle East as well as provides a "home" away from home for those who were forced out of their own countries, seeking safety and asylum (like some of my friends and teachers at the school).

Rubbed with dirt as red as Oklahoma's

When I was 24 years old, I moved to West Africa, where the culture was rich, yet the living conditions were stark opposite.  Exposure to Islam and the Arabic prayer calls every day for over two years, in addition to living in one of the poorest and least educated parts of the world gave me the compassion, empathy and patience to branch outside of the comfort zone in which many choose to stay.

Sometimes you feel most like an outsider when you are closest to your home.

My life here in Amman is simple, yet rich.  I have language classes Sunday-Thursday for three hours a day.  I spend the rest of the day studying or sight seeing and visiting with my roommates, students from the school or meeting friends of friends.  The weekends have been busy seeing ancient places like Petra, Wadi-Rum and Aqaba.  I am fortunate to live in a nice and artsy-district called Jabal Al-Weibdeh that is a five minute walk from school, cafes, shops and anything I could possibly need.

Arabic is hard.  It's beautiful and complicated and I have only skimmed the surface of something like the buoyant Dead Sea.  It will take years to master and I know my departure date of December 20th will come too soon.

Setting sun in the desert

In the mean time, I feel safe and happy and couldn't imagine being anywhere else in the whole wide world; a student once again, at Ahlan-World.