ALO Newsletter
Thirteenth Edition: October 25, 2015

Featured Member: Ashleigh McGrath '16

Ahalan wa sahalan! My name is Ashleigh McGrath and I'm currently a senior at Elon. I am an International Studies major, concentration in the Middle East and minoring in Political Science and Economics. It was daunting to begin studying Arabic. Learning the language has been a large challenge, but the number of challenges has twice as many rewards. Last spring, I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. When people ask me how my experience was, I am unable to put my response in proper English, or Arabic for that matter. The only thing I can say is that, as St. Augustine once said, "The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page." Being fully immersed in Middle Eastern culture was immensely breathtaking. As my senior year draws to a close, I know I will take the lessons from being abroad in Jordan and apply them to my life, to seek new challenges and new heights every day.

ALO Newsletter
Twelfth Edition: October 24, 2015

Featured Member: Styrling Rohr '19

Hi! My name is Styrling Rohr and I am a first-year anthropology major. I signed up for every language organization at Org Fair before participating in ALO. I knew no Arabic and I am not focused regionally on the Middle East, but I was immediately blown away by the food, the people in this organization, and Middle Eastern culture, which I wouldn't have learned about otherwise. ALO has made me want to fall in love with Arabic and the people that speak it! I hope I can learn much more about this beautiful language and the culture that hosts it.

ALO Newsletter
Eleventh Edition: October 21, 2015

Featured Member: Maggie Liston '15

Ahlan wa sahlan! My name is Maggie Liston and I am a senior at Elon majoring in French and International Studies and minoring in Middle East Studies and Political Science. I spent two semesters abroad in Montpellier, France and Rabat, Morocco during my time at Elon. In Morocco, I was able to use my Arabic skills in everyday life to bargain for goods, gossip with my wonderful Moroccan family, or ask for directions when I was (frequently) lost. My region of interest in international affairs is the Middle East and North Africa and I can't wait to see where my Arabic skills take me next! As every Arabic student knows, there has never been a more beautiful, rewarding, and worthwhile challenge than learning to read, write and speak in Arabic.