Nicolas Jaimes ’27 began his spring semester in Amman, Jordan as part of an Arabic-immersion program called CET Jordan. But after nearby military strikes raised safety concerns, Jaimes was forced to return to the U.S. on March 5.
Jaimes’ first six weeks abroad included spending three to four hours per day studying Arabic, and one to two hours per day studying regional political issues, such as Jordan’s refugee crisis. When he was not in the classroom, Jaimes said he spent time strolling through Amman’s downtown ‘Souk,’ Arabic for market, and eating lots of “tasty” koshari — a popular Egyptian dish filled with rice, macaroni, lentils and spicy tomato sauce.
On Feb. 28, however, his semester took an unexpected turn.
That morning, as part of the U.S.' Operation Epic Fury and Israel’s Operation Roaring Lion, the nations launched joint military strikes against targets across Iran.
At first, Jaimes and his peers did not know how their semester would be affected, as Jordan was not directly involved in the attacks. Then, on March 2, as tensions in the region escalated, the U.S. Department of State encouraged all Americans to leave the country immediately.
“There has been an ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights,” the Department of State wrote in a travel advisory released on March 2.
Following the Department of State statement, CET Jordan told all students in the program that they had to return home, while the program would continue virtually, according to Jaimes. On March 5, Jaimes packed his belongings and headed to Queen Alia International Airport to fly back to the U.S.
“Travel to Jordan is currently restricted by Cornell and its insurance company,” according to the Experience Cornell Website. If students wish to proceed with a Cornell Experience application, the site states that they “must submit … a petition through Cornell’s Travel Registry.”
Cornell’s three other study abroad programs in the Middle East — all in Israel — were not open to students this academic year due to the Israel-Hamas war. Travel to Israel is additionally prohibited by Cornell and its insurance company, according to the Experience Cornell site.
Weill Cornell Medicine in Qatar also transitioned to remote learning on March 2 due to ongoing military activity in the region.
Some abroad programs in the Middle East at other universities have moved their students to other countries. For example, Brown University students studying through the Middlebury School in Jordan program were relocated to Morocco.
However, Jaimes told The Sun that CET required students to switch programs entirely if they want to move to a new country, which would require him to pay for his own accommodations in the new destination. Because of this, he decided against that option.
“Our program said that we have to go home,” Jaimes said. “I could have gone to Morocco independently but then I would have had to pay the costs for housing and everything [else].”
Currently, Jaimes is finishing up the semester online from his home in Brooklyn.
“It feels a bit like COVID[-19],” he said, referring to the classes he is taking on Zoom.
Since the U.S.-Israel war with Iran began, Jaimes said that Cornell’s Office of Global Learning, which oversees the University’s study abroad programs, was very “supportive” in the relocation process.
“The study abroad advisors are very dedicated and have done an excellent job at being responsive to my emails and flexible in response to my unconventional situation,” he wrote to The Sun.
According to Jaimes, he was the only Cornell student studying abroad in the Middle East this term.
In a statement to The Sun, a spokesperson from the University stated that Cornell “cannot disclose specific student information” regarding Cornell study abroad programs.
Jaimes told The Sun that the study abroad experience is not quite the same when you are learning from home.
He shared that he misses all of the “friendly” people he met and “[talking] to Jordanians and getting to learn [about their] culture.”
Even though he is no longer in Jordan, Jaimes is continuing to practice his Arabic. His favorite new saying is “Ya’teek al-afiya,” which translates to “May God give you health” or “God bless you.”
“Arabic as a language has phrases like this one that establish warmth between people in a way I think English doesn’t always achieve,” Jaimes wrote.
James Covit is a member of the Class of 2029 in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is a contributor for the News department and can be reached at jc3684@cornell.edu.
