Foreign students of Arabic return to streets of Beirut; AUB program complements courses with field trips

Beirut -- BEIRUT: The streets of Hamra are once again alive with the sounds of broken Arabic from international students at the American University of Beirut's summer Arabic program.
This year marks the ninth year of the program run through AUB's Center for Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies.
The summer program consists of six-and-a-half weeks of intensive classes, lectures, films and field trips amounting to a full year of Arabic at an average American university.
All 62 students, ranging from novice to advanced, are required to make a pledge to only speak Arabic when at school or risk expulsion from the program.
Along with class work and homework, students take field trips to Lebanese historical sites as well as attractions around Beirut, including local cafes and restaurants.
"Students are encouraged to use the city and its people as helpful study tools," explained Bilal Orfali, the director of the summer program. "This is not an artificial environment for learning Arabic. Beirut is the class room after classes finish."
Pouya Almagham, a student at Harvard's Center for Middle Eastern Studies, said AUB's summer program was only one aspect of the learning experience.
"Though we are not given much time to do much else except study, many students visit cafes, restaurants and bars to mingle with locals and practice what they learn during the day," explained Almagham.
The AUB summer program is just one of many similar programs sprouting up across the region, particularly after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US, which spawned a new wave of interest in the Middle East.
David Wilmsen, a veteran Arabic professor from the American University in Cairo and now at AUB, said that September 11 has helped grow an already burgeoning interest in the region.
"[Sepember 11] made Americans, in particular, more interested in the region and its people. In 2002, intensive Arabic programs catering to American students saw a dramatic spike in their popularity," said Wilmsen.
Most students in the AUB summer program are American, of whom approximately 10 pecrent are of Arab origin.
A large percentage of students attend the program to further their academic research or to improve their knowledge of the region and its people. Others have more personal motives.
California native Abdel-Razzaq said his reasons for studying Arabic stem from his desire to reconnect with family still in Iraq.
"My grandmother still lives in Basra," he said. "Each time my family speaks to her on the phone, I feel left out as I cannot understand her. Learning Arabic is about me knowing my grandmother, who she is and what she has seen before it is too late."
Similarly, Lauren Hamra, a student from Oklahoma, said she has always sought to unearth her Lebanese roots and learning the language is key. "I was born in Lebanon but grew up speaking English. I decided to learn Arabic to better understand my roots. My dad could not be happier about it."
Though the AUB program is one of the most popular in the region, it has sometimes faced difficulties in attracting students due to a fear of recurring violence in Lebanon.
This year's enrollment was extended in order to wait out the violence taking place just blocks away from campus.
However, many international students still believe that AUB remains the best place to learn Arabic.
"Students choose AUB because it has an excellent reputation, the best teachers and great facilities," said Orfali. "Classes are small so students get a lot of personal attention."
When asked why he chose Lebanon over countries with similar programs, Razzaq smiles. "Nice dialect, liberal society and, of course, cute girls."