It was not until about week after leaving Amman that my older sister said this quote to me. Coming back from Jordan was a whirlwind. Instantly, I was off to see schools, family, and cram things in before school started, not to mention I was pretty overwhelmed with jet lag. I never truly got the chance to stop and appreciate the past six weeks. Or moreover, to really evaluate the type of person I have become. I do not think I have had a busier six weeks of my life... I was CONSTANTLY doing something. Five hours of instruction and five hours of homework a day, plus meeting with NGOs, watching films, seeing speakers, and traveling to ruins filled every hour of every day. We were so lucky. By the end of the six weeks, waking up at 7am was a norm or seeing women in hijab was a norm. Not going to lie, coming back and seeing women wearing shorts definitely was shocking to me at first. It is incredible how normal the culture in Amman seemed to me over time. I really owe my experience to not only the 10 other students who continuously pushed me to learn more, but really to my two teachers--Salam and Salma. These two women made learning arabic so incredibly enjoyable. They pushed me, they made it so difficult, but they also made it one of the most empowering experiences of my life. To put it another way: the opportunity to learn a language as a novice is sort of like relearning to walk again, yet in a completely different direction. I thank these two teaches for giving me the skill and ability to form a basis in this language. I also thank them for the constant laughs that we shared and the frequent conversations. So much of the learning experience was filled with casual conversation about Jordanian culture from religion, women's roles, the royal family, to even pop culture. Our teachers were open to everything and truly gave me the most incredible lasting impression of Jordan. The last days we celebrated with food and cakes they made for us. I will truly miss them! In sum, "experience is not what happens to you, it is what you do with what happens to you". I think the most shocking part of coming home is realizing that all of a sudden I can "walk again in a different direction" (as I stated earlier). I now have not only different talents, but different perspectives than I did two months ago. Now it is time to decide how I will use this experience, and to see where I will go with it. Whether that is continuing language study, or focusing on religion, or politics of the region... We shall see where the journey takes me!
Last day in class:
Last day in class: