Introducing Spring Blogger Djibril Branche

Salam!

My name is Djibril Branche, and I am a junior at Kenyon College majoring in International Studies with a minor in History and Arabic. In my banner photo, I’m at my favorite spot on the farm where I work part-time. Today is the last day before I leave my hometown of Pittsburgh for Amman, and I am left with an uneasy mixture of excitement and nervousness.

Studying abroad by itself is something that requires a lot of adjustment and adaptation, and doing so during a pandemic has already presented itself to be a challenge (and I haven’t even left yet), but the preparedness that Amideast has shown thus far makes me feel optimistic about tackling what lies ahead.

Growing up in the post 9/11 cultural milieu in America instilled in me an obligation to learn more about a region that our discourse almost deliberately distorts. To that end, I decided to choose the Islamicate World as my academic specialization.

 I chose to study abroad in Jordan for many reasons: its reputation for remarkable hospitality, its location in the heart of the MENA region, and it being the setting of many of the stories I’ve heard in Sunday school. All of those things make it the perfect place for me to have a study abroad experience.

One of the things I look forward to is the chance for immersion in the Arabic language. Every summer since the start of college, I’ve undertaken intensive online Arabic programs, so a good chunk of my Arabic learning has been done on a computer, which obviously is not a perfect substitute for true immersion. The opportunity for that immersion is invaluable, and I’m excited to take advantage of it.

I’m most excited for meeting and getting to know my host family and starting my classes, especially Community-Based Learning and The Study of the Human: An Introduction to MENA Anthropology. I also look forward to exploring and being in a new and enriching environment.

My hobbies are reading, gardening, going to the gym, cooking, and listening to music on the radio so stay tuned for playlists, radio recommendations and recipes!

As I’m wrapping up my packing and checking and double-checking my checklist to make sure I have everything, I can’t help but marvel at the fact that, in a little more than 24 hours, I’ll be halfway across the world in Jordan. The excitement is overtaking the nervousness as I think about the life-changing experience these next four months will be.