Psychology, Well-being, and Mental health in Jordan

I would like to express the utmost gratitude to Dr. Ashraf and Farah Al Alyah for their unceasing care in introducing me to Jordan and its mental health care systems. They form the backbone of this program and set the tone for our group as warm, generous, and hospitable people. They led us through the beauty of Jordan; the rich history, culture, people, and of course, delicious food. One of the best examples I can think of representing their thoughtfulness in even the smallest things is finding surprise snacks on our desks with smiley faces when we came to classes. They did not only teach us about mental health, but also cared for our mental health as students and adjusted the program as needed. I strongly feel that this is how education is supposed to be, and I hope that universities in the U.S. can be inspired by this level of care.

When I arrived to Amman, I was apprehensive about the fact that there would be only four of us students in the program. However, I was completely blown away by the way we clicked. I joke that we’re “forced friends” but, Ruiqi, Annabelle, and Allison, you have become some of my closest friends. Thank you for being there for me in sickness and in health. From cramming in the back of the car together to movie nights to acting in my short films, arguments and good conversations at coffeeshops all over Amman, walking down the cobblestone streets of Turkey together, and lots of laughter, you have been there for it all.

To my parents, who supported me through the whole process of applying to this program with trust and love. They sat through long phone calls where I deliberated whether I should apply or not, and whether attending the program was even possible. They encouraged me to pray and trusted for me that God would open doors if it was something I should do. To my three lovely siblings, I don’t know what I would do without your memes and updates in the group chat. Thank you for calling me and for counting the days till I get back, and for forgiving me when I forget about the time zone difference and call you at your three in the morning. Big hugs.

To Victoria and Mohammad, for accepting me and taking me in as family here in Amman. They picked me up from the airport and put up with my struggling Arabic from day one. It is a joy to spend time playing games and go on the roof with Salma, Hamza, Qusai, and get to be there for the first moments of life for baby Adam, who I got to welcome into the world! May your entire family be blessed.

I would also like to say that being connected to faith communities here in Amman has been one of the best decisions I’ve made and has been so encouraging. I’m grateful to get to attend the Amman International Church and the Sudanese International Church for the short three and a half months that I’ve been here. I can’t express how thankful I am for the support of being connected to believers who are seeking God with all their hearts. I feel that God has been working in me and leading me like a gracious dance partner as I learn to love him more and learn more about what he is like.

I would like to say thank you as well for the people who have helped me learn more about Islam, as 97% of the Jordanian population identifies as Sunni Muslim. It has been a privilege to get to better understand the history that has shaped modern practices of Islam, visit several mosques, learn about prayer, and see the beauty of a people who are seeking God. Learning more about Islam enriches my understanding by introducing me to new perspectives and helps me become a more culturally aware and empathetic person in the workplace, home, and school. I truly believe that the purpose of cultural exchange is to better understand each other and the deepest values that shape us, and it is one of the greatest benefits that I will return to my home with.

To my host family. Eman (أمي), Nawaf, Muhammad, Anoud, Fatoum, and all extended AlKhraisha members, you have been my home for the past three and a half months. You were not expecting a host student, but I appeared, and you quickly and generously made room for me in your lives. Since the first day, you have been the pinnacle of hospitality, love, and care. Thank you for teaching me so many Arabic words, especially including ones in the Bedouin accent. You are spontaneous and creative. There are so many experiences I feel as though I have known you for much longer than three months. Some of my strongest memories with you are slow morning breakfasts with hummus, zait and zaatar, shakshuka, and tea. Other times we went on late night family drives and felt the cool breeze. I am happy to say that I now know the Jordanian version of Duck, Duck, Goose and many other silly games we played. Thank you for appreciating my love of sunsets and sunrises and coming with me to the roof to watch. You spoiled me with a lot of delicious food and patiently taught me how to make some lovely Jordanian dishes. I will definitely be attempting to replicate many of your recipes, making basbousa, fattoush, and much more when I go back to the US. Thank you for always asking how I’m doing when I came home from classes or my internship. Your support made this time so sweet and so much harder to leave. I’m going back to the US, but I’m going back changed. Now I have AlKhraisha added to my last name and you all in my heart.

Coming to Jordan was a big leap of faith. I would not be here today without the support of Robin Chang and Chetana Acharya at the UW Office of Student Financial Aid. They connected me with the Gilman Fellowship, the Bordeaux scholarship, the UW Study Abroad Scholarship, and the Zahn scholarship. I would also like to thank the UW Honors Department for in part making my study abroad here in Jordan possible. For a student like me who depends solely on financial aid, joining this program is the fulfillment of a dream I didn’t think possible.

Thank you to Dr. Muhannad for being my internship supervisor at IFH. Despite his large workload, he never hesitated to make time to thoughtfully offer wisdom from his experience and this was invaluable to my training. I want to thank every employee at IFH who helped guide my learning process. You have been a joy to work with. Dr. Hussein, Shadia, Anas, Rand, Marah, Kholud, Khawla, Haneen, Ayah, Hamam, Neda, and Sheda, I am very much going to miss you.

To each guest speaker who came to educate our program on different topics in psychology and mental health care, especially Amal Taif, Afifa Shafei, Dr. Marwan Al Zoubi, Dr. Ahmed Bawaneh, Dr. Ashraf Salhi, Dr. Ahmed Sa’ad, and Loubna Alajeeb. Learning about psychology from the perspectives of all these people in different fields made the topics more human and thus brought the world of psychology and mental health even closer to my heart.

Below is my final presentation that I delivered as a summary of my research project in collaboration with my host internship location, Queen Nour Al-Hussein's Institute of Family Health.