My name is Amel Beldjenna. I am a fourth year PhD student at the University of Jordan.

I came to the University of Jordan in 2017. It was in January; it was snowing that day. It was very hard for me at first to adapt to the University of Jordan given the fact that it is an American system. I took two modules the first semester and as hard as it was for me it made me fall in love with linguistics in general and syntax in particular. That first semester, I also enrolled in a program that teaches Italian.

Amman was a little bit overwhelming at first. Nevertheless, it was my first taste of independence and responsibility. I learnt so much from the city and the university. I learnt to depend on myself. I learnt how to be a strong independent woman, literally.

The first year in Jordan, I got to see the wonder of Petra and wadi Rum. The year after that, I made my first travel alone to turkey. In that same year, I went with my father who came to visit me here to Al-Aqaba. I also had the chance to see the city of Irbid and Um Qays. I’d like to say that I'll never forget this place. I knew my real self in Jordan and the University of Jordan.