Guest Blog!

                       

           

          Hello! My name is Eden. I am a junior at Wellesley College and currently studying Arabic in Amman, Jordan with Middlebury. First, I would like to thank Zack for asking me to post a guest blog, hopefully I don’t disappoint. I have read his blog and I think he has been doing a great job giving you an idea of what it is like here in Jordan. Obviously, the one thing that he can’t tell you is what it is like to study here as a girl. I can’t speak for every girl visiting here, or for what it is like in all of Jordan, but I thought I would share a few of my experiences in Amman thus far. Here is a list of some things that I have come to expect while living here.

           

            • Particularly near the university, I know that no matter who I am or what I am wearing, there will be random guys unapologetically staring.

            • These same guys will then proceed to cat call and then sometimes literally call to me as if I were a cat.

            • I have come to expect that no matter how covered up I am this behavior does not change.

            • I will never walk to school in the morning without being bombarded by car horns.

            • I have been told the streets near my apartment are known for prostitution and that some guys will assume that all foreign girls are either prostitutes or easy, which is why they honk and drive slowly past to see if I will just jump into a car with them.

            • Every once in a while on the way to the university, a car will follow me with the windows down and matching my walking speed as I speed up, or slow down. Incredibly creepy.

            • Unlike in the US, I do not have the words and the vocabulary I need to tell these men off as they deserve. But, I have learned some new phrases. My favorite is: If your hands come near me, I will break them.

            • I have moments when I think I hate all men and then quickly remind myself of the really cool, appropriate, and nice guys I have met here, who do not act like that, do not put up with those actions from other guys, and who are all around awesome.

            • I have met some really neat girls and am able to have closer friendships with them than my male counterparts can.

            • The program here is very supportive and I know that I am not alone in experiencing these things.

            • There are many places that are just for women, which are comfortable and safe environments such as all-women’s gyms and Turkish baths.

           

          For the most part though, any negative moments have ended up being a very small part of my experience here. I am not here to just improve my Arabic, I am also here to learn and experience a new culture. I think all study abroad experiences have their good and bad parts to them. I am learning to ignore the negative here, because as you know by reading Zack’s blog, studying abroad in Amman, Jordan is a fantastic experience.

           

            Thanks for reading!

            Sincerely,

           

            Eden