There and Back Again: An Arabic Tale

[fblike] Grace Babbs

While at the Gatton Academy, one never quite knows where he or she will end up. For seven weeks this summer, I found myself living in the awe-inspiring city of Amman, Jordan through an opportunity spotlighted by the Academy. The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is a scholarship through the US Department of State to instruct students in critical languages through complete immersion. The experience serves to teach linguistic skills, cultural awareness and to promote international dialogue.

The immersive language experience is unlike any other language program. When I arrived in-country, I could say nothing more than, “Hello, my name is Grace,” and count to ten. Over the course of the summer, I developed situational language skills organically, rather than in the classroom setting. Instead of sitting at my desk hunched over textbook learning vocabulary, I learned the language by haggling over prices with shopkeepers, giving taxi drivers directions back to my apartment, and writing down my host mom’s recipes to share with my family when I returned home.

In addition to our real-world language experience, we spent four hours a day in the classroom studying the nuances of the Arabic language. We were taught by native scholars. On weekends, we took excursions to the surrounding countryside to study Arab history and culture and appreciate the country’s natural beauty. We floated in the Dead Sea, rode camels, ran down sand dunes, and saw renowned archaeological sites.

However, the most rewarding aspects by far were the interactions I had with Jordanian locals, especially my host family. The Jordanians with whom I came into contact were the most hospitable and generous individuals I have ever met. For instance, one night I was invited to iftar (the breaking of Ramadan fast) with a friend’s host family. My friend explained to me the relations of the twenty-four of the twenty-five people with whom we were eating. She was unsure of the last man’s relationships to the rest of the family. When she asked her host mother the relationship, she quickly replied, “We met him yesterday. He is our new best friend. He stayed here eight hours yesterday, and he will stay for as long today.”

I have honestly been forever changed by my trip to Jordan with NSLI-Y. In addition to greatly advancing in my Arabic studies, I have begun to truly think globally. The Middle East is no longer a distant and seemingly-violent place in my mind. It has become a second home, a beautiful landscape with even more beautiful people. I am grateful to Derick Strode and Dr. Melinda Grimsley-Smith for their assistance and support throughout the application process and to the US State Department and American Councils for their sponsorship. Because of the seed planted by Gatton, this Kentucky girl has grown into a global student ambassador.