THE PULL OF JORDAN THREE INTERNATIONAL ALUMNI COME BACK FOR MORE ARABIC, MORE MIDDLE EAST
BY LEEN HAJJAR t seems that Korean Jin Seul Jun ’13, and Americans Josh Claxton ’14 and Whitney Anderson ’16 can’t get enough of Jordan. While at King’s, the three alumni developed a passion for the Middle East and the Arabic language, which led them to take a break from their universities in the United States and return to Jordan this past year to improve their Arabic and to make new memories in the country they consider their second home.
Claxton believes that his current interest in Arabic and Middle Eastern politics were fostered during his year at King’s, where he was enrolled in the Arabic Year program. It was also his experience at King’s that spurred him to return to Jordan.
All three alumni enrolled in study abroad programs in Jordan where they spent a semester savoring the opportunity of meeting local students and engaging in conversations held completely in Arabic, while gaining a deeper understanding of the country, its people and culture.
Before coming to King’s in 2013 as a sophomore also enrolled in the Arabic Year, Whitney Anderson ’16 had never traveled outside the United States and knew little about the Middle East. She soon developed a strong interest in Arabic and an admiration for the region and its people. So much did she enjoy her experience that she decided to remain for two additional years and to graduate from King’s.
I
Both currently Middlebury College students, Claxton and Jun enrolled in a four-month program at the University of Jordan, which included political, social, and economic courses, as well as Arabic fus-ha (formal) and colloquial speaking classes. The program required them to live with Jordanian families, further immersing them in local traditions and experiences. Since graduating in 2013, Jun says she has often thought about her King’s Academy experiences, especially the sense of family, security and belonging that King’s and Jordan imparted. “During my time at King’s, I always felt like I lived in a safe environment that inspired me to think, question and wonder,” Jun said. “For this reason, I wanted to come back and gain whatever new experience I could in Jordan.”
“If I didn’t come to King’s, I wouldn’t be studying Arabic and I wouldn’t be this interested in the Middle East, so I felt like I owed it to Jordan to return,” Claxton said.
For her study abroad program, Anderson, who is majoring in Arabic and Middle Eastern studies at Brigham Young University, enrolled at Qasid, a wellknown language institute in Jordan. During the fourmonth program, she worked on further developing those Arabic writing, discussion and presentation skills she’d irst started to acquire as a King’s student. Having lived in Jordan for three years, Anderson wants to remain connected to the region and plans on pursuing future internships or volunteer opportunities. “I believe that for me to truly understand the Middle East, its people and culture, I need to fully know the Arabic language,” she said.
SPRING 2017
21