My Life Changing Move to Jordan

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Recommended: Cross-cultural experience

Throughout my childhood, I was constantly reminded how much I didn’t know about my heritage. I never understood my parents when they spoke in Arabic. They enrolled me in a Sunday school to learn Islamic studies, which turned out to be ineffective. Whenever I spoke on the phone with family overseas, I couldn’t understand a word they said. As a result, eight years ago, my parents flipped my life upside down and inside out by making the biggest decision of our lives: We were moving halfway across the world, all the way to Amman, Jordan. Naturally, this decision was shocking to me, but it was a great many other things as well. I felt excited, yet scared; fascinated, yet furious. Day and night, I constantly thought of this upcoming adventure and, before I knew it, I found myself on a plane ride to Amman. My very own “journey of a lifetime” was finally starting. Little did I know, however, this “journey” would change who I am entirely.
As I stepped off the plane, I felt a dry desert breeze wrap around me and breathed in the smoggy, dusty air. My family and I managed to make our way through...

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