Hello!
My name is Hajjar Littles (she/her) and I am a rising senior majoring in psychology with a minor in Africana studies with certificates in Afro-Latinx studies and the conceptual foundations of medicine. This summer I will be studying aboard in Amman, Jordan where I will be a part of the School for International Training’s (SIT) counseling & humanitarian action internship. Yet just last year, I would have never thought that I would be able to fly across the world. Out of curiosity I started looking at global programs as I had been struggling to find opportunities with real-life applications of what I had been studying. As I currently aspire to be a clinical psychologist that focuses on LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC adolescents, I wanted to engage in a program that sheds light on areas I could grow while learning how to engage with marginalized populations. I also knew that I wanted to experience a mental health program outside of the Western perspective, which quickly knocked out Europe and Australia from my search. I spent hours researching psychology programs before I stumbled upon SIT’s experiential program in Amman. It stood out to me because it was the only psychology internship that I had seen and was a combination of everything that I had wanted. Courses to help me understand how to apply counseling skills in a culturally comprehensive way and a four-week internship at a local institution helping refugees, the latter of which struck me because of my own plans to work at a nonprofit. From there I became determined to go to Amman, driving headfirst into applying for scholarships and learning more about the study aboard process. As someone from a low-income background, studying aboard had been dashed from my mind as a possibility. However, last summer I pushed myself to change that mindset and see if there were any way I could be funded to go. And surprise, there were! All of which I could not be more grateful for as I prepare to soon leave the country for the first time. While I do not quite know what I will experience in Jordan, there are a few things about my program that I am looking forward to!
To start off, before my four-week internship, I will take a preliminary contextual studies course focusing on the counseling and humanitarian principles of the United Nations agencies aiding refugees and displaced persons residing in Jordan. The course will also highlight the psychosocial challenges these populations experience by combining lectures with excursions to refugee camps and mental health institutions. During this time, I will also be taking Arabic classes which I will definitely need as I only know a few phases. In the latter half of my study aboard, I will be matched with an internship based on my interests. As a result, I do not know if I will be working with a local nonprofit or a UN agency, but I am looking forward to the surprise! Almost the entire time that I am in Amman, I will also be residing with a Jordanian family. Much like my internship, I will be matched with a family from what I listed on my application, and I will have a chance to meet them once I arrive in Amman. Getting to know my Jordanian host family is one of the elements that I have been most excited about as they will be the individuals that I will be the closest to during the program. I was recommended to bring a gift with me and as someone that often bonded with their family over board games, Uno immediately came to mind. Hopefully it can serve as a way for me to get to know them better!
Now that it is only two days before I leave, I am a bit nervous but really excited for what I will learn in Amman. However, no matter what I experience, I will be sure to keep you all updated and take plenty of pictures!
Till next time!