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Alum Trip to Jordan Begins with Arabic Lesson at Sijal Institute

April 20, 2023 Alice Lesnick
Image of artwork by Etel Adnan entitled Allah.
Etel Adnan, "Allah", 1987, Mixed media on paper In the Permanent Collection of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts.

In March, Bryn Mawr’s alum travel program trip to Jordan took place with 10 travelers and Term Professor of Education and Associate Dean for Global Engagement Alice Lesnick as faculty host. As the journey began, Lesnick had the pleasure of introducing the group to the leadership and faculty of Sjial Institute, a language and cultural center in Amman, where Bryn Mawr has a partnership led by Professor Manar Darwish. For the past six summers, Bryn Mawr undergraduates, graduate students and faculty have participated in the program in person and remotely, and applications for 2023 are strong. The travelers got to take an introductory Arabic lesson, followed by a talk by Katy Whiting, the Institute’s managing director, about the Institute’s history. Conversation continued over dinner, where the Institute’s founder and a community collaborator joined Katy and the group. Other trip highlights included visits to Jerash, Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea. 

Mural by Miramar Al Nayyar of Zaha Hadid
Mural by Miramar Al Nayyar of Zaha Hadid. (photo credit: Alice Lesnick)

 

Approaching the Treasury in Petra
Approaching the Treasury in Petra. (photo credit: Alice Lesnick)