Port of Call LAST UPDATE March 12, 2008
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November 5, 2007 Aqaba, Jordan – Using Global English to Create a Better World – A Cultural Exchange with Jordanian Students
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Using English, the Japanese participants showed how to write their names in Japanese while the Jordanian students showed how their names are written in Arabic
Peace Boat was met with bright blue sky set against golden desert landscape as she sailed into Aqaba, Jordan, the first port of call in the Middle East for the 59th voyage. For a group of GET (Global English Training) students, the visit to Jordan was an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate in an exchange program with Jordanian university students from Al Balqa’a Applied University, established in 1999 to meet the growing demand for tourism professionals. As well as making Jordanian friends and learning about the country’s rich cultural and historical heritage, the participants were excited by the opportunity to speak “global English,” a communication tool to empower people across the world to come together and move beyond national and cultural borders to create a more peaceful world. Termed a Challenge Program, their time in Jordan reflected some of Peace Boat’s core principles in that participants can apply what is learnt onboard in a real life context and actively engage in people-to-people communication.
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GET student Takatsugu Morita uses English to communicate with Jordanian student Mohammed, aided by GET teacher Sarah Logan
Upon arrival at the university, the GET students were met with warm handshakes from the Jordanian students who were dressed both in traditional dress, including the Arab headdress for men and headscarves for women, and casually in everyday street clothes such as jeans and t-shirts. The difference in clothes styles reflected the tension between traditional and modern values that currently exists in Jordan. For both parties the exchange was a rare chance to learn about each other’s culture firsthand as the two nations do not traditionally have a strong, common bond and are culturally distinct.
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Tasting Bedouin-style coffee was a new experience for the participants, and even for some of the Jordanians
The Jordanians showcased aspects of their traditions by demonstrating how Bedouins, the nomadic dessert dwellers of that region, make coffee. This is a laborious process which involves crushing coffee beans inside a wooden drum-like container with a round pole. This process also has the effect of making a unique musical sound and keeps the maker entertained because the process can take hours. It highlighted how arduous life used to be for the Bedouin, who, for the most part, have adopted more modern ways.
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Applying Henna to the bride-to-be – the Jordanian students performed a traditional Bedouin wedding
The Jordanian men and women together performed a sketch of a traditional Bedouin wedding ceremony. Usually, the marriage is arranged by the families and the partners do not see each other before the wedding, although either can refuse if they do not like the chosen person. This is uncommon, however, because the families have spent USD3,000-5,000 on jewelry for the bride and USD10,000 for the after-party. Peace Boat participants were surprised to learn that despite the Islamic tradition, women have many rights in Jordan, and enjoy many more freedoms than in neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia. ‘Women are catching up to the west but in Aqaba and other small towns and villages in Jordan, they are still conservative,’ explained Mhamad Momani, a hotel management student.
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The unusual combination of headscarf and kimono makes for an interesting multi-cultural appearance
The Japanese students then undertook their part of the exchange by dressing the women in kimono, making origami and writing calligraphy. It gave them a chance to utilize their global English skills by giving instructions and explaining the method and origins of each activity. The female Jordanian students were looking decidedly multi-cultural wearing an unusual combination of kimono and headscarves. The others became frustrated with trying to write complex Japanese characters in calligraphy and instead taught the Japanese how to write in Arabic using the writing brush and black ink.
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Mahmoud Rababatt gets frustrated with writing Japanese characters in calligraphy so instead writes a message in Arabic
After a traditional lunch of meat kebab, bread, humus and salad at a local restaurant, the students broke into small groups and wandered around the sleepy town of Aqaba together. This gave them a chance to get to know both each other and the city better. For one GET student, it was a chance to teach the group “Janken,” the Japanese version of “Rock, Scissors, Paper.” The efforts of the Jordanians were rewarded when he pulled out prizes of traditional Japanese gifts such as fans for the winners.
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Sharing a lighthearted yet integral aspect of Japanese culture – the girls learn how to play “Janken” on the quiet streets of Aqaba
Everybody then headed back to Peace Boat for a tour and final goodbye. Mahmoud Rababatt, an employee of the university who spoke on behalf of the Jordanian students, said ‘We shared a gorgeous time together. We won’t forget you. Tell the participants [on Peace Boat] we need only one thing – a prayer for peace in this region.’ Judging by the lingering hugs of goodbye between the participants and the Jordanian students, the day had been mutually rewarding. Despite their vast differences, they found using global English gave them not only a mutual means of communication but allowed them to strike up unlikely friendships while allowing insight into each other’s distinct yet fascinating culture.