Ezaldeen's Semester Abroad: Challenges and Silver Linings

COVID-19 has been extremely disruptive for study abroad students. Computer engineering major Ezaldeen Arafat knows this all too well - he departed to Louisiana State University this semester and has been unable to return to the UAE because the university shut down relatively late. The pandemic has been challenging for Ezaldeen in many ways, but it hasn't been all bad - due to the situation, he was able to grow closer to his extended family in the USA.

Ezaldeen and a friend at the New Orleans ferry

Ezaldeen's experience with the pandemic in Louisiana sounds very similar to the experiences of our study abroad students here at AUS: "When the university shut down, I was spending time with my friends before they left. Since they all live in countries where they hold citizenship, they were able to travel home (most of them were exchange students). Restaurants are still open for takeout, so you can get food but you can’t eat there. So we would get food and eat at somebody’s place, but around 95% of my friends have left to their home countries, so I was running out of things to do."

Despite this, he says he's coping pretty well with the situation. "I try to focus on my online courses and I know that I would be in quarantine even if I did make it back to the UAE, so for now, the only option for me is to wait things out anyway, no matter where I stay."

Staying in the USA during this pandemic was not Ezaldeen's choice to make: "My university shut down pretty late in response to COVID-19, and as I was making plans to go back to the UAE, the country closed its borders to everyone who wants to enter the country except their citizens.

"I stayed for a couple of weeks in Louisiana when the university shut down, but my uncle, whom I’ve met only once before, offered to let me move in with him and his family in North Carolina as I wait to be able to return to the UAE. Even though I still had some people that I could see in Louisiana, things were getting pretty dull, so I booked a one-way ticket to North Carolina and am currently living with my uncle."

Ezaldeen has observed how the pandemic has transformed Louisiana and North Carolina - which hasn't been all too different from how it has affected the UAE: "Louisiana was absolutely empty in terms of pedestrians. The number of cars you would see on the street didn’t really change, except for drive-throughs, which were always packed. The situation is the same in North Carolina."

Needless to say, the COVID-19 outbreak has heavily affected Ezaldeen's study abroad experience. "I realized that even if I decided to stay at the university, my study abroad experience had ended anyway since the university had shut down and I would have to quarantine myself for the remainder of my stay in the USA," he said. "At this point, it really didn’t matter where I stayed; I just wanted to stay with people whom I could rely on while I go through this pandemic. That's why I chose to move in with my uncle."

The transition to online courses has been pretty rough on Ezaldeen, but the fact that study abroad grades (that are passing) don't affect AUS students' GPA is a safety net. "I basically have no motivation to work when I stay at home 24/7 - kind of ironic since I basically have all the time in the world - but my courses are pretty easy. I’m also only taking four courses and a lab, because I planned this trip to have a very low amount of work compared to a regular semester at AUS. The easy courses mean that I have to work minimally to pass since I only need a C, but my grades have definitely dropped. I used to average A/A- on my exams, whereas I am now averaging C/D on the online exams I am taking. Since I did well in the beginning of the semester, I’m hoping that these grades average out to a passing grade."

Unsurprisingly, Ezaldeen's experience with the pandemic has been mostly negative, but he sees a bright side to the situation: "I got to form a relationship with a side of my family that I never thought I would see before. I also got to explore North Carolina’s capital, Raleigh, by car, which is indeed a very beautiful city."

Finally, he would like to leave everyone with this message: "I hope that everyone really is safe and that everyone spends their time in quarantine where they belong - with their close family. Unfortunately, I don’t get that privilege. Even though this is a really tough time, we do learn to appreciate even the smallest things that we have in our regular everyday lives. And even if somebody’s pandemic experience is extremely negative, just know that we become better people through our struggles and that the outcome will be a new and stronger you!"


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist

Studying Abroad in the Era of COVID-19

Noah Franco

'Era' might be a bit dramatic, but it has certainly felt that way. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a wrench into many of our plans. This is especially true for students, many of whom are scrambling to figure out arrangements regarding online courses, internships, and graduation ceremonies. International and study abroad students have the added stress of deciding whether to stay put or return home and arrange to travel, which has become increasingly difficult. Noah Franco is an AUS design management student abroad at Arkansas State University who decided to remain in the United States. He shared with us how this pandemic has affected him as a study abroad student.

Much like most of us, Noah has been staying indoors lately. "I've been spending most of my time in my room working on assignments or watching lectures, watching Netflix, gaming with my friends back in Dubai, and scrolling endlessly through social media," he said. "Since I'm more of an introvert, I don't mind spending all this time indoors. However, I miss routine university life: walking to class, going to the gym and playing football, and so on."

At the time of my interview with Noah, Arkansas had 1,498 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The state is around 7,800 miles away from the UAE, but the effects the virus is having in both places are very similar: "I live on campus and the atmosphere here has drastically changed in the last month. Most of the students and staff have moved back into their homes and only a few people are left on campus. Off-campus, the streets are not as lively as they used to be as all restaurants are now takeaway only, and many other businesses are closed."

(Don't worry, this photo was taken before social distancing was imposed.)

Despite the shared experience we are all having living through this pandemic, it is undeniable that some of us are harder-hit due to a variety of reasons. For one, study abroad students have been put in unique situations due to COVID-19, such as "travel restrictions on going back home and having to take online classes at odd hours of the day (for the students that returned home early)," according to Noah.

Much like AUS, Arkansas State University decided to conduct classes remotely for the remainder of the spring semester. "Since I was already taking a few online classes this semester, adjusting to all online classes wasn't too hard," Noah said. "Except for when I procrastinate and have to end up watching multiple recorded lectures at the end of the week," he added.

At the Centennial Bank Stadium at Arkansas State University

As difficult as this situation is, most struggles do have a silver lining. "I think the world now understands the gravity of the situation and I think global crisis management and healthcare will improve for the better," Noah said.

Noah also has a message for everyone during these times, which IXO fully endorses: "I hope you and your family are doing well. Stay indoors and stay safe. Hang in there everyone!"

Suzana Saoud

IXO Publicity Specialist

Yara Al-Jitan's Unique Semester Abroad at Colchester, England

Yara Al-Jitan

When Yara Al-Jitan landed in Colchester, England, for her Fall 2019 study abroad at the University of Essex, it wasn't quite what she expected. Colchester was extremely different from the UAE; it's a small, quaint town populated with tiny houses and no buildings. But Yara soon began to realize that she didn't need to be in a bustling city to have a great study abroad experience.

Yara, an international relations major, had her concerns before she left for her study abroad: "I was so scared, because I knew I’d have to leave my family and my friends and be on my own. It was [also] kind of exciting, but honestly, the thought of being away from my little brother for so long - super scary! So I just tried to block that thought out, and it worked! I think I’d give that piece of advice: don’t think about it too much."

She also had some expectations for her semester abroad. Yara says she had an image of study abroad from movies, websites and pictures - that it would be fast-paced and chock-full of experiencing new things and going to glamorous places.

However, Colchester was a different type of study abroad destination. "I feel like it was good because I slowly started to realize that I don’t have to do that to have a good study abroad experience. There's so much more I could do. So I used that time to just sit down and reflect on my own, and as surprising as it sounds, I reconnected with my religion, my people, and myself. I think I’ve also become a lot more independent. I grew a lot, I’ve learned so much, and I’m just able to handle myself no matter what's thrown at me."

The University of Essex also has a lot of historic and cultural importance, which made it fascinating to the international relations major. "The university was a space for minorities to speak up. Nelson Mandela once visited there. It was really nice to be there, because you can feel how politically active everyone is," she said. "I was able to open dialogues and talk openly and constructively about issues that are very important to me as an international relations major. It helped me understand what I want to do and where I want to go in the future."

Yara concludes that the best part of her experience was the personal growth she experienced. To any prospective study abroad students, she says, "Just go on your own terms, have no expectations, and make of it everything you can. It doesn't have to be what other people say it has to be."


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist

Summer at the University of Oxford

Salma Elgerby at our office

English major Salma Elgerby had a genuinely special semester abroad at the University of Oxford's Exeter College, Oxford, England, in Summer 2019. From Harry Potter-esque house sorting to one-on-one tutorials with faculty, Salma got to enjoy the uniquely British character of the college - and she wishes the experience had never ended. She told us a bit about her time there, and on Nov. 17, she will deliver the bulk of our information session about this program to encourage other AUS students to take the opportunity.

Salma absolutely loved the experience and said the "worst thing about it is that it ended." She said the Exeter College Summer Program provides 'Program Ambassadors,' who are like parents. The 83 students who attended last summer were divided into houses, like in Harry Potter and as is typical of the British system. Each house had a 'parent' (who was actually another Oxford student) to provide guidance and organize a wide range of daily activities for the students. The students got to do 3-4 activities per day, including punting on the river, boutique shopping, trips to London to visit The Shakespeare Globe Theatre, and more. Salma added that the housing itself was like a hotel - it was extremely nice and even better than she expected.

Salma took two courses during the summer: Literatures of Modernism, which transferred back to AUS as a 3-credit course, and Moral Philosophy. The credits for the latter didn't transfer, but she loved the course and was really glad to have taken it. She said there was a heavy reading load, but it was manageable, and she got an A- in both courses. The structure for Oxford courses is quite different from AUS; for each course, they have six lectures (of 1.5 hours each, and with little student participation), then six seminars (with lots of discussion and participation), and then four tutorials. According to Salma, the tutorials were the best part, as they had two-on-one or even one-on-one discussions with faculty, which resulted in very intellectual conversations.

We asked her about why she was okay taking courses when she knew the credits wouldn't transfer, and she said there was a lot of value and knowledge in that course. She added that this whole opportunity led to recommendation letters from Oxford faculty and contacts all over the world, and you never really know where all that could lead to.


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist

Embracing the Unexpected: Ali Srour's Semester in the Netherlands

Ali Srour at a carnival in the Netherlands

Some of the best things that happen to you are things that you didn't plan for. Ali Srour knows this firsthand. Before Ali headed to the Netherlands for his semester abroad at Tilburg University, he wrote a letter to himself detailing the goals he wanted to achieve during his time abroad. Things didn't go exactly as he mapped them out, but Ali had an exciting, unique, colorful experience regardless - and he plans to return to the Netherlands for his graduate studies.

Ali is a finance major and psychology minor. His fields of study were the main reasons he chose to go to Tilburg University in Spring 2019: "Tilburg is one of the top 50 universities worldwide in business, economics, law and psychology, so I chose it for that," he said. The first unplanned aspect of his journey was that the Netherlands and Tilburg University were his fourth option, preceded by three universities in New Zealand.

Ali reads from the letter he wrote to himself: "I wrote, 'I'm probably not going to read this letter because I will stay [in the Netherlands], but if I don't then that means I came back for graduation and that I will be going back there afterwards.' Which is true, I came back for graduation," he said. "My goals there were to get a scholarship, an internship, a job offer, [and] to have a plan for me to migrate there. See, I didn't get a scholarship because they only give them to Dutch students there. As for the internship, they prefer native Dutch speakers. I couldn't get the job offer because I couldn't get an internship, but I definitely have a plan now."

Ali with his letter to himself and IXO Publicity Specialist Bayan Al-Masri

Laughing, he adds, "I also [wrote] a small note for myself, which is 'Keep It Simple, Stupid.' Because I was really anxious about it, and I was planning a lot and going crazy."

During his time abroad, Ali took up cycling, which is very popular in the Netherlands. "I went on bicycle trips from one town to another, which was a distance of around 150 km. It’s like going to Abu Dhabi, but by bicycle. Traveling is really easy over there because if you have a residence permit, you can go to any European country [in the EU] without a visa. For example, if you wanted to go from Tilburg to Paris, it’s only 50 euros, which is about 200 dirhams. I also once travelled across all the towns and cities of the Netherlands on a train."

Ali was the only Arab and Muslim there during his semester abroad, but he managed to befriend many people from different backgrounds. "My closest friend [there] was a Norwegian guy. He was in the room next to mine. I was also friends with a Turkish guy. And I made a lot of friends through playing sports, namely powerlifting and football," he said.

Ali and friends at the carnival

Once Ali graduates from AUS, he plans to return to the Netherlands. "I'm going to do my master's degree in Leiden University, which is one of the top universities in the country. I [now] have a very good idea of how the system works there; I know the fees, how much you would earn in a part-time job, the living costs. So the experience readied me for the real deal, and it was a great experience; I would recommend it for sure."

Watch a video Ali made about his semester abroad:

Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist

Volunteering, Interning, and Seeing the World: Suhair Remzi's Study Abroad

Suhair at an internship event

We have recently welcomed back Suhair Remzi, who is an Ethiopian international relations major who studied at George Washington University, WA, DC, USA, for the academic year 2018-19. She is joining our ranks at IXO this semester as a volunteer Peer Advisor. Suhair now says she divides her life into "before GWU" and "after GWU"; she had truly dynamic, diverse experiences during her time abroad that changed her as a person. Suhair's study abroad gave her the opportunity to do fulfilling work at Action for Hope, the Eurasia Center, and AIESEC, all of which gave her skills, confidence and experience closely related to her degree in international relations.

During Suhair's first semester at GWU, she participated in a leadership training program that, coupled with the study abroad experience itself, inspired her to take full advantage of all opportunities that opened to her during her time abroad. "The leadership program allowed me to come out of my comfort zone and put myself out there," she said. "It taught me the essential skills and techniques I need in order to handle challenges from different perspectives. Through the program, I got the opportunity to get to know myself more by exploring my qualities and testing my self-confidence and emotional intelligence."

With leadership program coordinators and classmates

That summer, Suhair did a two-month internship at Action for Hope, a USA-based non-profit organization that supports children and women in Africa. "My experience at the non-profit was beyond amazing. The organization aligned with my interest in international development, specifically youth and women's empowerment in Africa. The internship offered me a hands-on experience on non-profit management, proposal writing, and strategic planning and research."

She then went on to intern at the Eurasia Center for six months, during which she worked as a research assistant in their new Africa program, "Uplifting Africa," with a focus on their women’s program in Sub-Saharan Africa. She says that this was a truly enriching and interesting experience: "I not only gained skill sets that would allow me to pursue my interests and advance in my career, but I also learned so much about myself. I was able to see my potential in the work sector and reflect on my strengths and weaknesses. Working at the organization allowed me to know what I actually want to do and the cause I want to work for. Thus I believe my internship at the Eurasia Center was a valuable experience that has influenced the course of my life."

Throughout her time in Washington, DC, Suhair also gained the invaluable experiences of volunteering at the World Bank and IMF Headquarters. "I [met] officials from all over the world," she said. "I attended international events and conventions and networked with high-ranking professionals from my field. In addition, I was able to have an amazing experience with the wonderful people I  met and the exciting trips I made to places like New York, California and Georgia."

And just this last summer, Suhair was an AIESEC volunteer in Italy, where she taught English to Italian children and worked on a social farm, among other things. She got to travel around Italy quite a lot, spending time in several different cities and towns. She speaks very passionately about her time volunteering: "My AIESEC volunteer experience in Italy truly transformed me as a person," she said. "The journey has touched my heart and granted me wonderful experiences with the new knowledge I have gained, the captivating places I have traveled to, and the amazing people I have met. Moreover, it led me to test my physical and professional abilities and allowed me to learn a lot more about my career and my personal life. Traveling to Italy for the volunteering made me more confident, optimistic, and fearless and gave me a global mindset and a different vision and perspective towards my life."

Volunteering in Italy

All of these various experiences have informed Suhair's major in international relations. "As an international relations student, I definitely believe that studying abroad has allowed me to have a better understanding of my major. First of all, it was fascinating taking international relations courses in a different university and attending classes with people with a different understanding of the world. Having those discussions gives you the opportunity to see things from a new perspective and it allows you to have a more well-rounded and global mindset. Furthermore, one of the main skills necessary in international relations is the ability to adapt to new cultures, peoples and environments. Studying abroad definitely allows you to gain the adaptability skills needed to work in a dynamic and ever-changing environment."

Suhair says that studying abroad is what opened these opportunities to her and encouraged her to take them: "After realizing my capabilities in the program, I started putting myself out there and I began truly being open to trying the things I am interested in. Since I became confident in my skills and my ability to contribute in new environments, I had no fear of going for the things I wanted to pursue."

Reflecting on her time abroad overall, Suhair says that it fundamentally changed who she is as a person. "My study abroad program was one of the best experiences I've had and it has hugely impacted the course of my life. Before my study abroad, I was not the most sociable person and I did not always try the things I was interested in. However, I can now truly say that I have become a person that enjoys meeting new people and is willing to try all the things I am interested in. I became more independent, optimistic and open-minded. Moreover, the experience has given me the confidence and the strong belief that I am able to achieve anything that I set my mind to."


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist