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Images taken by Ruofei Shang (Boston College), Scholar Correspondent for CET Jordan, Summer season 2023
The previous couple of days of CET Jordan summer season had been, to say the least, fulfilling and reflective. Two months of summer season magically flew by, and many people discovered ourselves simply beginning to kind deeper bonds with our classmates and different members of the CET group. The conclusion of summer season ending abruptly hit me as we completed up our ultimate oral exams and my calendar began to remind me of my flight dwelling. Consequently, I crammed my final week in Jordan with extra actions than common in worry of losing the remaining possibilities to attach with my pals and the higher setting round us.
For our final day of sophistication, our trainer determined to convey us to Abdali Mall to assist us put into perspective how a lot we’ve got realized over the summer season by utilizing phrases to explain gadgets in addition to discussing the Jordanian mall tradition. After the mall, we went to one of many eating places in Amman with the very best view of town. All of us had been holding conversations relating to our plans for the long run, our upcoming new college yr, and different matters round our lives in Arabic.
After the final class, my pals and I went to the Jordan Museum to attempt to be taught extra in regards to the historical past and tales of Jordan. We had been past shocked and excited to search out out that we had been capable of finding so many phrases that we realized in school on the museum. There have been no higher emotions than truly seeing your personal enhancements manifested in several methods in our day by day lives.
The previous couple of days had been full of farewells to different CET-related members too. My language associate, Malak, invited me to her home for a ultimate dinner. Her mother made mansaf, Jordan’s nationwide lamb and rice dish, and I met all of her household and talked to them. I’m grateful that I’m able to meet folks from totally different social backgrounds by way of CET, whereas my highschool in Jordan solely uncovered me to a really restricted group of individuals in Jordan. This image was my good chunk of mansaf— some rockets, lamb, rice, and, most significantly, fried pine nuts.
My professor is a superb a part of the explanation that my summer season was wonderful as lots of my classmates would agree for themselves too. Ustaza (trainer) Dania is among the most compassionate and affected person lecturers I’ve ever met. Our class wished to arrange one thing particular for her. Since our class had eight college students, there was no method a small card may carry all of our love and appreciation for her. I used my handicraft abilities to make her a easy card with all of our phrases of appreciation inside. The quilt reads in Arabic “from our hearts” with eight cut-out hearts representing every one in all us.
For our farewell dinner, we had been dropped at the identical restaurant the place we had our welcome dinner. This made the final dinner additional particular as a full-circle second. I keep in mind very clearly that our welcome dinner was the primary evening that we had began the language pledge for the summer season. Most of us may not likely maintain full conversations, whereas for our farewell dinner, we held totally different conversations and laughed at totally different inside jokes in Arabic. It was all because of our wonderful lecturers and our personal arduous work and dedication for 2 months.
One among my most treasured recollections was from the evening earlier than our departure. My pals and I received invited by my Jordanian boss (Jamal) from Boston to go to his small farm and have dinner along with his prolonged household. It was positively some of the genuine native cultural experiences all through our summer season.
They ready scrumptious home made meals for us; Jamal confirmed us his fig bushes and picked many for us to style; his household placed on dabke music for us to bop to, and many others. His household was past welcoming, and we had many exchanges surrounding American and Jordanian cultures. It was really particular to introduce my Boston household to my CET household and watch them bond.
I’m without end grateful for the friendships that I’ve made all through the 2 months with CET and grateful that our shared love and curiosity for Arabic introduced us—such totally different and distinctive people— collectively.
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