A group of 17 students from Jordan’s Modern System School (MSS) are visiting the state of Michigan in a collaborative effort with charter schools run by Global Educational Excellence (GEE), who also sent students to Jordan last month with their own program titled “Global Passage: Destination Jordan.”

The Jordanian students’ current two-week stay in the states began on May 3rd, where they have been staying in a hotel in Ann Arbor and fulfilling their time with an itinerary that will allow them to experience the American culture by visiting attractions such as the Detroit Zoo, Somerset Mall in Troy, attending a Detroit Tigers game in downtown, going on an all day trip to Cedar Point in Ohio and spending a weekend in Chicago. 

In addition the students will get to experience the educational aspect of the country by visiting university campuses such as the University of Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Michigan State. Many of the 10th grade students on the trip are considering using this opportunity to do research about pursuing a college education in the United States. 

“I really like it here…the people are really kind and they greet you everywhere you go, even if they don’t know you. You feel very welcomed.” stated Areen Alhsani, who wants to be a doctor and is considering applying at MSU. “If you greet someone in Jordan that doesn’t know you, they would think you are being weird.” 

The picture on the left is a poster made by the Arab American students from Riverside Academy West depicting their trip to Jordan. To the right is are 17 students from Jordan’s Modern System School, who are currently in the U.S. on a two-week trip. PHOTO: Samer Hijazi/TAAN

Other students also pointed out similar observations.

“When people order food here, they stand in line and wait their turn and are just so polite about it,” stated Eveen Al-Bustami.

One major difference some students found during their visit in Michigan is the food, with many of them preferring the food back home.

“I’ve noticed that I need to be more careful in the restaurants. For Muslims, pork is forbidden in our religion so I’ve been careful about that. That’s something we never have to worry about in Jordan,” sated Hussam Al-Umari. 

Despite this, a major aspect that surprised the Jordanian students about Michigan was the religious traditions that they’ve seen being practiced in Dearborn and surrounding cities. They all say that Jordan feels more liberal when it comes to religious traditions.  

“They care more about Islam here than they do in Jordan. I’ve seen more people in a headscarf than I would see back home,” said Sandra Barakat, another student. 

The 17 students were also excited to spend time with some of the high school students that visited them in Jordan last month when they reunited with a few of them at Riverside Academy West in Dearborn. 

While the Jordanian students had to pay for the trip to the U.S on their own, the 15 students who were sent to Jordan on GEE’s “Global Passage” program were able to get funding through a Foreign Language Assistance Program (FLAP), a federal grant through the U.S Department of Education.

This will mark the second time since 2010 that the program was put into effect. It was shelved at the last minute in 2011 when the trip had been scheduled during the breakout of the Arab spring. This year it was back on, and according to Dr. Albert Abdallah Harp, the Consultant of the Arab Program at GEE, the project which had been 10 years in the making, is nothing short of a success.

“The goal is to increase literature and language of our students and to sensitize our American students to the nuance of the Arab culture with a rigorous 21 day program,” Dr. Harp stated. “The outcome is to build a cultural bridge of understanding between America and the Middle East in a global community.” 

Five students from three GEE high schools, including Riverside Academy West, were selected to go on the trip. The schools based the eligibility of the students on academic performances and good behavior. The students also had to write two essays explaining why they would be fit to go on the trip.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the kids to visit their roots and engage with others who have similar backgrounds. It’s a very educational experience and provides an incentive to our students to excel academically,” stated Ramzi Saab, the Principal at Riverside Academy West. “They only hear negative things about the Middle East in the media. We wanted them to speak proudly of their background.”

One student who went on the trip to Jordan was Malak Nasser, a junior at Riverside Academy West.

“It was a life changing experience for me. I never imagined I would go on a trip like this; the accents are different, the clothes are different, it was just a completely different culture from what I am used to,” Nasser stated.

During their three-week stay in Jordan, students had the opportunity to visit historical and cultural sites all over the country, including areas such as Petra, Aqaba, Wadi Rum, Jarash, Ajloun, the Dead Sea and Amman.. While there, they were also taught by numerous instructors from MSS. One of the chaperones on the trip was Dr. Ayman Basal, who said the entire experience impacted the students greatly.

“It was just a positive experience for all of them. At the end of the trip none of them wanted to come back home.”