Arabic Category
Tanya is from Irving, TX and participated in the 2018 Arabic summer program in Jordan. I was always fascinated by Ancient Egypt since childhood and in 2013 when I visited Egypt with my family, the images from the countless books and History Channel became a breathtaking reality. This trip inspired me to apply to the NSLI-Y Arabic program and when I was accepted, I imagined having a similar experience to Egypt in Jordan. However, what I envisioned, quickly proved to be wrong. The experience of living with, studying, and eatingRead More
Wafae Baghnaoui, an NSLI-Y language partner and journalism student in Rabat, Morocco created a video on the 2017-2018 NSLI-Y Academic Year program in Rabat. Students share their language learning journies and their cultural discoveries as well. We encourage you to watch these impressive scholars use their Arabic to discuss these topics and more.Read More
Allan is from Burke, VA and participated in the Arabic program in Morocco. At school, Allan sat next to a girl from Morocco and learned about the diversity and beauty of her country. Yet every day when he got home to watch the news, he noticed that any mention of countries like Morocco was passed up for images of war, violence, and extremism in other parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This desire to hear about Middle Eastern politics from a local perspective and to delveRead More
C.J. is from Albuquerque, NM and participated in the Arabic programs in Egypt and Morocco. There is a saying in the NSLI-Y community that, “you are just one C.J. away from knowing everyone.” Meaning, Carlo James Aragon (better known as C.J.) knows so many NSLI-Y alumni and applicants that you are sure to have him as a mutual acquaintance. C.J. has touched many in the NSLI-Y community, spanning across cultures and continents. C.J.’s passion for cross-cultural connections has shone through during his two NSLI-Y Arabic programs and time abroad inRead More
Lillian participated in the Morocco 2017-2018 academic year program. As of today, I have only 2 months left in this amazing country. Now that I’ve been living here for well over 6 months, I think that I have learned a lot about Morocco. I wanted to take a minute to talk about the things that I’m grateful for, and what I’m going to miss when I leave. I think that I am still the same person as I was when I came, but I will take certain parts of MoroccoRead More
Lillian is from Fargo, North Dakota and currently participates in the 2017-18 Morocco academic year program. As any exchange student knows, food is one of the best parts of living abroad. I feel like so much of a culture is shown through food. In Morocco, not only is the food delicious, but the hospitality surrounding food tells you a lot about Moroccan culture. I’ll talk through some of the most important things surrounding Moroccan cuisine, and then include some pictures of my favorite foods! Kuli, kuli, kuli! “Kuli” (eat!), isRead More
Hunter is from Oshkosh, WI and participated in the 2017-2018 Morocco Academic Year program. When I was thinking of ideas for my next post, I thought it might be interesting to share what an “average” day for me looks like. No two days are the same of course, but each day goes a little something like this: I first wake up at around 7/7:15 and take a shower. After that, I eat breakfast which our host mom prepares for us. The food’s always zween bzef! For breakfast, we usually haveRead More
On March 21st alumni of the NSLI-Y Arabic summer program in Jordan shared about what their lives were like in Jordan on the NSLI-Y program. Following the presentation, audience members were invited to engage with the speakers during the live Q&A session. We invite you to watch the recording of the first virtual event showcasing the NSLI-Y program in Jordan. Click here to watch the Q&A. Introducing the speakers for the event: Organizer: Deni Hoxha – 2016 Summer My name is Deni Hoxha and I am from Worcester, MA. I studiedRead More
Dana, a current NSLI-Y student in Morocco, was recently nominated as the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ American Abroad Student of the Month for October 2017. Congratulations, Dana! Dana Slayton, a NSLI-Y student, has been excelling during her time in Morocco! Coming in with an advanced level of Arabic language, she has been working tirelessly to further strengthen her Arabic language skills. With her NSLI-Y teacher, Dana has committed herself to expanding her vocabulary, improving her reading skills, developing her essay writing, and developing fluency in both Modern Standard andRead More
The goals of the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) program are not only to improve the language skills of American high school and gap-year students but also to develop a cadre of citizen ambassadors. On January 17, 2018, current NSLI-Y Arabic Academic Year students shared about the religious, linguistic and ethnic diversity of Morocco and how they have contributed to mutual understanding in Morocco. We invite you to watch the recording of this special event. Click here to watch the speakers discuss fostering mutual understanding in Morocco. ClickRead More
