Arabic Category

Join a panel of NSLI-Y alumni for a breakout room-style webinar on Friday June 5 at 6 PM as they share tips, resources, and strategies for online language learning and staying motivated during social distancing. The event will include a panel discussion among NSLI-Y alumni about online language learning resources followed by breakout room discussions where webinar participants can ask questions about the NSLI-Y program and online language learning directly and will also brainstorm effective strategies to self-study a language during social distancing.  The panelists in this webinar are membersRead More

Julie Cmelik is an alumna of the Arabic Virtual NSLI-Y Winter Cohort from January-March 2020. When my mom first told me about learning Arabic through Virtual NSLI-Y, I was quite interested; studying Arabic had been a dream of mine for some years due to the beauty and mystery surrounding its written form. After being accepted, I was looking forward to starting the classes and meeting new people. As I logged into Zoom that first day, I was filled with excitement and nervousness. Would I do well? Would my classmates andRead More

Diana is from Chicago, IL and participated in the 2017 Arabic Summer program in Morocco. I participated in the Career Connections: Seminar for U.S. Exchange Alumni in Austin, Texas. The conference gathered 80 “U.S. alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs with expert career coaches, professionals from diverse fields, and international leaders” (alumni.state.gov) to network and learn how to leverage our international experiences to propel professionally. As an alumna of the NSLIY and YES Abroad programs, I have noticed a large portion of students that studied abroad on the NSLI-Y andRead More

Nicholas Wade’s future changed unexpectedly when he met a Foreign Service Officer at a career fair during his freshman year of high school. She described to him the life and work of a Foreign Service Officer; he immediately became interested in the career. When he asked what languages would be most important to learn, he was told that Arabic was in high demand. The officer also told him about the NSLI-Y scholarship to study less commonly taught languages. Because of that conversation, he began studying Arabic on his own afterRead More

Shraddha is from Round Rock, TX and is participating in the NSLI-Y Arabic Academic Year 2019-2020 in Morocco. “American… hmmm, but where are you really from?” It’s a question I hear multiple times each day, and at this point, I’ve made it into a game, because as a brown girl, saying “American” is never a satisfactory response. “Guess,” I respond, “What do you think?” Occasionally, people are spot on, greeting me with “Namaste” on the street, but surprisingly, the most common nationality assigned to me has been “Syrian.” Often, afterRead More

Jacob is from Malaga, New Jersey and participated in the 2012 Arabic summer program in Morocco.  Jacob is using his language skills to help the next generation learn Arabic. After returning from the NSLI-Y Arabic program, Jacob carried on his Arabic studies at high school during his senior year. He was so determined to continue studying that he had to drop his lunch period to fit Arabic into his tight schedule! It was during this time that his knack for Arabic linguistics began to take hold and the language became,Read More

Check out these highlights from the 2019 NSLI-Y Arabic Summer program in Jordan administered by American Councils. Arriving in Amman After a long day of travel, the NSLI-Y students arrived in Jordan very early in the morning on June 17th. After getting some rest, the group began their arrival orientation. After the orientation, NSLI-Y students gathered with their local coordinators at Hamada Restaurant to try Jordanian food for the first time. The group enjoyed falafel, hummus, and other regional snacks.   Taking in the Surroundings On June 18th, the groupRead More

On March 27th, NSLI-Y Interactive hosted the virtual event “Arabic Classroom Connections.” Four current NSLI-Y Academic Year students in Morocco gave presentations to two Arabic language classrooms in the U.S. (Bell Magnet High School and Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles, CA) The NSLI-Y students shared about the NSLI-Y program, learning Arabic, and Moroccan food, among other topics. After the presentations, the students in the U.S. asked the NSLI-Y students questions about their time in Morocco so far. Please support these impressive young scholars by watching their presentations and by sharing thisRead More

Meliha is from Boise, ID and participated in the Arabic Academic Year 2017-2018 program in Morocco. While participating on NSLI-Y in Morocco, Meliha quickly learned that food brings people together! To bond with her host mom, Meliha spent many hours by her side, learning how to make Moroccan bread. During the holidays, she and her friends cooked a Christmas dinner for their local peers. And just for fun, she and her fellow NSLI-Y participant, Isaac, whipped up bagels for their Moroccan friends so they could experience a taste of AmericanRead More

Amy is from Shoreview, MN and participated in the Arabic Summer 2018 program in Morocco. During my first week in Morocco, I was overwhelmed by the stark contrast between Rabat, my host city, and Minnesota. Everything was so different: the food, clothing, streets, and above all, the language. Shwiya b shwiya (little by little), however, I discovered connections between Morocco and my life in the United States through the people I met. I left Rabat at the end of the summer with the realization that no matter how different peopleRead More