After Markus had already spent a semester abroad in Botswana and then travelled through half of Africa, a typical Erasmus semester would probably have been too boring for him. So he decided to take the opportunity to spend a semester in the capital of Jordan at the German-Jordanian University as part of his Masters in International Social Work with Refugees and Migrants.
In this episode, he tells us in an open and honest way what this country has to offer. He answers many questions about security, but then goes into detail about the fascinating facets of this country, which is surrounded by Israel, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Even though it wasn't always easy, he was able to take away quite a lot for his personality and his learning success and get to know the country in an authentic way. He not only tried out all the typical delicacies, such as goat meat in yoghurt-lime sauce, but also got to know the culture up close through contact with the locals and weekly shopping at the traditional markets.
Of course, bathing in the Dead Sea was not missing either! The only question now is if Markus was able to get anywhere with his high-Arabic? Listen here! Let's start the journey! E-Mail: bimdannmalweg. Instagram: fwiwi. Yeah, in this podcast we talk about the experiences of students who have spent a semester abroad and today we have a new guest here in our studio, Markus.
Hello Markus, good to have you here! Lara: I don't think I know anyone who has been to Jordan. So this is not the typical choice that everyone makes. How did it happen, Markus? Why Jordan exactly? I think you've always had such a fave for the Middle East, but tell us what drove you there. Markus: When I finished my Bachelor's degree, I was travelling for a while and then I looked for a Master's degree where it was important to me that the Master's degree was in English, because I might want to work in an international context later on.
The reason for this is that Jordan has a very long history of refugees and migration. Since the s and the Israel-Palestine conflict, refugees have been taken in and the country has more or less consisted of refugees. That's why it was very interesting for my degree programme.
