Greetings from AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs in the Arab World!

Thank you for being a part of AMIDEAST’s larger mission to help develop mutual understanding between Americans and the peoples of the Middle East and North Africa! This issue of the Alumni newsletter includes the following sections:

• AMIDEAST Continuing Student Discount!

• Alumni Resources: Featured Professional Development Opportunities

o Peace Corps Campus Ambassadors

o English Teaching positions at AMIDEAST Morocco

o Africa Center for Strategic Studies Internship

• AMIDEAST Education Abroad Programs Internship

• Alumni Contribution: Searching for Couscous

• Colloquial Arabic Refresher: Basic Greetings

• Spring 2016 Photo Contest• Mosaic: A Collaborative

Student Blog

As always, we hope our newsletters help you stay connected to AMIDEAST and provide creative ideas for ways to stay involved the Middle East/North Africa region.

An AMIDEAST Fall 2015 student in Morocco enjoys tea at the Sheikh’s house in Morocco during the Zawiyat Ahansal program excursion.

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AMIDEAST CONTINUING STUDENT DISCOUNT!

Interested in returning to the Arab World? AMIDEAST now offers a continuing student discount!

$500 discount

on the second program. Email EdAbroad@amideast.org

with any questions.

Alumni who return to participate on another AMIDEAST

Education Abroad Program will receive a

We look forward to seeing you on a future AMIDEAST program!

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ALUMNI RESOURCES: PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

PEACE CORPS CAMPUS AMBASSADOR

The Peace Corps is now accepting applications for Campus Ambassadors! Campus ambassadors are university students who work closely with Peace Corps recruiters to raise the Peace Corps’ profile on campus and introduce the Peace Corps to new and diverse student groups.

The Campus Ambassadors Program is an internship-like experience with a weekly commitment of about 5 hours per week for 9 months. However, as a campus ambassador you will be considered a local expert, not an intern. You know your campus better than anyone, and can connect with groups of students who may not yet know the benefits of Peace Corps service.

The official Campus Ambassador Program accepts applications March 1 - 31, 2016 only for the 2016-17 school year. Feel free to email ambassadors@peacecorps.gov with any questions or visit the Peace Corps Ambassador website for more information.

TEACH ENGLISH IN MOROCCO WITH AMIDEAST!

Whether or not you are interested in education as a long-term career, teaching English is one of the best ways to live and work in Morocco. We encourage alumni to consider professional training and the opportunity to teach English with AMIDEAST Morocco! In September 2016 applicants will participate in a one-month intensive certification training. Then, from October 2016 - June 2017, applicants will teach adults and young learners for AMIDEAST.

In partnership with SIT World Learning, AMIDEAST is offering the PCELT (Professional Certificate in English Language Training):

• Intensive PCELT Training: 6 hours a day for 20 days, from September 1 through 30.

• 120 hours of high-quality training with practice teaching included.

• TEFL/CELTA equivalent course, recognized worldwide.• Gives you the tools to teach English effectively

and with confidence.• Some prior teaching experience is helpful but

not required.

Applicants with native-level English language proficiency and a Bachelor’s degree who satisfactorily complete the course will be offered jobs teaching English with AMIDEAST for the academic year (October 2016 – June 2017). Competitive pay with healthcare are included.

For more information, please put “PCELT” in the subject line of your email and write to: ELMorocco@amideast.org.

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Internship: Africa Center for Strategic Studies

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) seeks a full- or part-time African terrorism research intern to assist the Academic Affairs team during the Summer Semester of 2016.

The terrorism research intern will work directly with the Academic Chair for Transnational Threats and Counterterrorism as a research assistant on various matters related to terrorism, counterterrorism, violent extremism, countering violent extremism, militant groups, transnational threats, and other related topics, focusing primarily on the Sahel, North Africa, and West Africa. Duties will include the following: (a) Conduct in-depth research on assigned topics and themes; (b) Review and report on African and international press coverage of specific subjects and events; (c) Provide unofficial translations/summaries in English of foreign language documents; (d) Attend relevant outside events at think tanks, universities, etc., and write detailed reports about them; and (e) Complete other duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate will be a graduate student or undergraduate senior, with excellent research and writing skills, a relevant educational or professional background, and a demonstrated interest in North Africa or Sub-Saharan Africa. Candidates with the ability to read Arabic are strongly preferred. French language skills are also beneficial, but not required.

All internships with ACSS are unpaid. However, interns do receive a work space at the Africa

Center, located on the National Defense University campus at Ft. McNair, Washington D.C., as well as an opportunity to work in collaboration with ACSS faculty and staff on important international security issues. Interns may also have the chance to participate in government meetings and think tank events off campus, and to observe ACSS programs taking place in Washington D.C. All interns have the opportunity to network with professionals, practitioners, and experts working in the field of international security, and to gain invaluable professional experience in government, foreign policy, defense, and security matters. Interns at NDU also benefit from the opportunity to participate in the university’s Young Professional Community and Distinguished Lecture Program. All NDU facilities, including the library and sports facilities, are available to interns.

To apply, please submit a resume, cover letter, and brief writing sample (samples can be in more than one language) to ACSS-Internship@ndu.edu by April 1st, 2015. Please include the words “Terrorism Research Internship” in the subject line of your email. Please include in your cover letter your expected start and end dates and availability. For more information on ACSS and its work, please visit our website.

ALUMNI RESOURCES (CONT)PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

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The Education Abroad Department of AMIDEAST’s Washington, D.C. office has an internship opportunity available in summer 2016. AMIDEAST’s Education Abroad Department is responsible for the design and implementation of study abroad programs in the Middle East and North Africa. Our programs include summer, semester, and academic year programs in the Arab world.

INTERN REQUIREMENTS:

The ideal Education Abroad Intern is a creative, motivated, organized individual who is able to work on diverse assignments and complete tasks within an articulated deadline. The Intern should possess the following:

• Solid oral and written skills, preferably including website or social media development experience• Keen attention to detail• Demonstrated interest in the Middle East and North Africa, Islamic studies, international affairs, social

sciences, and/or public diplomacy• Strong Microsoft Office skills; graphic design, marketing, and web design skills are also desirable• Self-starter with the ability to work independently as well as with other staff members

Special consideration is given to those who have previously studied abroad in the Middle East and North Africa.

INTERN RESPONSIBILITIES:

Interns report to the Education Abroad professional staff. In collaboration with the department staff, interns will engage in the following tasks:

• Assist with implementing and supporting Education Abroad Program marketing and outreach activities (which may include distributing materials, drafting text, and web research)

• Assist with Education Abroad Programs website development and maintenance• Provide administrative support for application and student document management • Assist with management of the AMIDEAST alumni network, website, and newsletters• Manage and update contact databases • Assist staff in their organization of promotional visits and institutional relations • Provide support for additional projects as necessary

INTERNSHIP DATES AND SCHEDULE:

This unpaid internship will begin in May 2016 and end in August 2016 (start and end dates are flexible). Additionally, there is a possibility of renewal of the internship for the fall 2016 term. Interns generally work 15-20 hours per week, but preference will be given to those with full-time availability. Business hours are Monday through Friday: 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

Please submit a cover letter explaining your availability and interests in the Middle East and North Africa. Please also include a resume outlining study and work experience to DocsEdAbroad@amideast.org by April 1, 2016. Top candidates will be interviewed by telephone or Skype during the middle of April.

INTERNSHIPEDUCATION ABROAD IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

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A CENTRAL NEW YORKER’S STRUGGLESEARCHING FOR COUSCOUS

Submitted by Brian Ives, Spring 2014 Morocco Program participant.

We’ve all been there: we discover an amazing food on vacation, we fall in love with it, worship it, eat it every day, grovel before those who can make it – and then when we come home, we can’t find it anywhere. We search and search, looking in the phone book for nearby restaurants that might serve it, scrolling through websites for recipes that look manageable, and maybe even casually browsing airline websites for cheap airfares to go eat our favorite food again. It’s worse when you come home from studying abroad. Much worse.

That single dish from your trip to the beach? For me, it was an entire country’s cuisine – everything I had eaten for four months. Tajine and lentils, goat feasts and light salads, fruity desserts lighter than air, and of course, the crowning jewel of Moroccan food, couscous.

At this point, I imagine all the AMIDEAST Morocco alumni reading this article are salivating. I have spent two years wishing I could eat Moroccan food, but I went to college in sleepy Syracuse, New York, buried in snow for at least four months every winter and without a Moroccan restaurant for 200 miles in any direction. The closest thing we had was an overpriced French restaurant in a nearby village that had on its menu a few Moroccan dishes – but nothing fancy.

My mother bought some boxed couscous at our local Wegmans once, intending to learn how to cook it, but when I described what “real Moroccan couscous” is like, she backed away from the idea like a beetle from a

boot-clad soldier in the Rabat sun. She sounded more than slightly intimidated by my description of a two foot-wide stoneware dish full of couscous, piled high with vegetables steamed whole, chickpeas, and spices, and topped off with a single crowning piece of chicken infusing everything with its flavor.

“Maybe I’m not the one to try that,” she said, after I showed her some pictures, “at least not right now.”

Luckily for me, I recently moved from the tundra that is Central New York to Washington, D.C. – and a quick scan of Google reviews has revealed more than a few Moroccan restaurants for me to sample. More people, more demand, more food.

The thought of sampling my Moroccan favorites again has made almost irrationally happy, even if I haven’t tried any of the area’s offerings yet. The taste, the smell, the texture of my adopted country’s cooking – and all close enough that I don’t need a transatlantic ticket to try it out. I’m hoping at least one of them lives up to my taste buds’ stratospheric expectations.

Studies have shown reverse culture shock – moving back to your own country after time abroad – is worse than the initial shock of living in a new country. I agree, but I think we need

a new term for that food-specific feeling, that longing for foods gone by.

What about you?

AMIDEAST Education Abroad alumnus Brian Ives in front of the famed Tour Hassan in Rabat during his program’s reflection week.

Brian smiles over his birthday couscous this year – the first couscous he’d had in almost two years.”

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A CENTRAL NEW YORKER’S STRUGGLE BASIC GREETINGSCOLLOQUIAL ARABIC REFRESHER

Opportunities to practice your hard-earned Colloquial Arabic skills after study abroad can seem difficult to come by. Luckily we have prepared a helpful reference for Jordanian, Moroccan, and Omani Arabic dialects. We plan to post installments of this colloquial Arabic refresher in future alumni newsletters.

What were your favorite colloquial words or phrases from your time abroad? Email these to AMIDEAST at DocsEdAbroad@amideast.org so we can include new resources for future students.

AMIYYAH (JORDANIAN COLLOQUIAL ARABIC)

DARIJA (MOROCCAN COLLOQUIAL ARABIC)

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COLLOQUIAL ARABIC REFRESHER (CONT)

OMANI COLLOQUIAL ARABIC

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Many beautiful photos were submitted and competition between the semi-finalists was fierce during the fall 2015 Education Abroad Photo Contest! We thank all of the participants for submitting such high quality photos and sharing your experience abroad with AMIDEAST.

We are currently accepting submissions for the Spring 2016 AMIDEAST Photo Contest. We love to see adventures from time spent in the Middle East and North Africa from AMIDEAST alumni and current students. The first place photo will be awarded an Amazon gift card for $75, framed in our Washington D.C. office, published on our Facebook page, and used in future AMIDEAST Education Abroad

promotional materials. The second place photo will be awarded an Amazon gift card for $25.

The deadline to submit photos is March 23, 2016. Semi-finalists will be selected by March 28, 2016 and will be posted on the AMIDEAST Study Abroad in the Arab World Facebook page. We encourage you to visit our Facebook page later this spring to vote on your favorite semi-finalist photo by clicking the “Like” button by April 10, 2016!

Please check out the Guidelines and Submission Details and start sending photos to DocsEdAbroad@amideast.org.

FALL 2015 PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS

UPDATEAMIDEAST PHOTO CONTEST

Second Place: Emily Rodger, Fall 2015 Amman, Jordan participant

First Place: Umar Farooq, Fall 2015 Amman, Jordan participant

CONTACT US

AMIDEAST Education Abroad2025 M Street, NW, Suite 600Washington, DC 20036EdAbroad@amideast.org

STAY CONNECTED

MOSAIC: A COLLABORATIVE STUDENT BLOG

Below is an excerpt from one of the spring 2016 AMIDEAST Blog Abroad Correspondents in Morocco, Shante Fencl. A student of International Studies at American University in Washington, D.C., Shante describes a heart-warming showing of community on the Rabat tram. We hope you enjoy her entry, and we encourage you to follow along with the current spring 2016 correspondents on the Correspondent Blog on Mosaic over the coming months.

We are always happy to receive student and alumni submissions for Mosaic, our ongoing collaborative student blog. Feel free to submit an article, blog entry, photos, or creative writing about your program abroad to DocsEdAbroad@amideast.org.

“STRANGERS ON A TRAIN” BY SHANTE FENCL

For this week’s blog post, I wanted to talk about personal connections I’ve made in Morocco in these first three weeks. I wanted to tell you all about the students studying with AMIDEAST this semester that have quickly become my friends. I wanted to talk about the Moroccan friends I now have that refer to me as their sister and truly mean it. I wanted to show off my adorable host siblings that spray silly string in my face almost every night and sing to me in French and Arabic. I wanted to talk about all of these things, but I witnessed something the other day that deserves an entire blog post to itself. At first I didn’t think much of it, but now I think about this one small moment almost every day. Please stay tuned for future posts because all of the people I mentioned will be discussed at some point throughout my semester here in Morocco, but I need to share this story that had a lasting impact on me. Earlier this week, I was taking the tram home from my last class at the AMIDEAST building. The tram in Rabat is the most efficient mode of transportation I have seen in my life. The sun had already set, and I found myself waiting on the platform with very few people around. As the tram car approached, I saw a man pushing an elderly woman in a wheel chair. The man was obviously some kin to the woman, as he helped cover her with

her blanket to protect against the January air. The doors of the tram car opened and he accompanied her inside. I continued to watch the pair as the tram left the platform. I take this thirty minute tram ride twice every day and gazing out of the window has gotten old, so now I people watch to pass the time. I couldn’t figure out the relationship between the man and the woman. Was this her son? Her grandson? I could not be sure, but I remember thinking how sweet it was for him to care for his loved one like that.

Before long, I heard the familiar sound over the loud speaker, “Al Mahattat Caadima.” As the pre-recorded voice informed passengers we were approaching the next stop, the woman motioned to the door. As soon as the train stopped the man opened the door, helped the woman out, and went back to his seat. I was completely caught off guard. It took me a moment to realize that the man was of no relation to the elderly woman at all, he was just helping an old woman get to her destination. As the tram car pulled away, my eyes stayed glued to the woman on the platform. To my amazement, I saw another man begin to push the woman without being asked. My heart was instantly warmed....

We hope you are having a productive spring season. We always enjoy hearing where life has taken AMIDEAST alumni, so please keep in touch! If you are in the Washington, D.C. area, we encourage you to stop by the new AMIDEAST Headquarters and say hello. Feel free to contact us if you have any suggestions for the upcoming summer 2016 Alumni Association newsletter, or just to update us on your recent successes.

Best regards,

Cara Lane-Toomey, Tineka Lebrun, Shino Yoshen, Lauren Kardos, Christina Gordon, and Nate Gath

The AMIDEAST Education Abroad Team