I arrived at Queen Alia Airport in Amman, Jordan a few weeks ago. During the plane ride, I sat in the window seat with a French woman, Linda, on my right and a Jordanian woman, Rana, in the aisle seat. 

I had a limited conversation with the two of them since I speak absolutely no French and only basic Arabic. Linda spoke only French and Rana spoke Arabic and minimal English. 

However, I did learn Linda would be staying in a hotel with friends to for the week, and wanted to ride a camel in Wadi Rum. 

For the most part, I spent the ride reviewing my Arabic vocabulary and grammar. When we arrived in Amman, I found that every sign in the airport was marked in Arabic and English (sorry, Linda).

As it turns out, any English-speaking foreigner can get by in Amman with relative ease. Street names are marked in both languages, as are most business signs, restaurant menus, government offices, and American brand groceries. 

There are plenty of familiar chains in the city, both for shopping and eating. Living in Amman, one can enjoy a Big Mac or even a “McArabia” under those hallowed golden arches, but the sign outside might read: “م?ا?ك?د?و?ن?ا?ل?د?ز?.” 

Jordanian children attending public elementary school also take English classes through high school, and most adult Jordanians speak English better than I speak Arabic.

The everyday differences and similarities are definitely as interesting as the regional geopolitics, if not more so. I think my most profound realization has been that I never felt like an American until leaving America. 

Here, Arabic is not a foreign language and thus lacks the political, cultural and even religious connotations that it carries in the states. 

Now that I have been here for several weeks listening to my Arab friends, host family, and cab drivers speaking Arabic, the language is starting to acquire the same familiar sound that Spanish and other Romance languages have in the U.S. 

In fact, the Jordanians I meet (most of whom speak quite a bit of English) usually don’t understand why an American, or any foreigner for that matter, would want to learn their language. They will first ask me where I'm from, and I’ll say “Ameriika.”

Then they’ll ask what I'm doing in Amman. I tell them I'm studying Arabic and international relations. The next question I’m asked is usually: “Why you want to learn Arabic?”

Drew Schmid, 20, is a junior majoring in International Studies at Kenyon College an is spending a semester studying in Amman, Jordan. The 2010 graduate of Boothbay Region High School is the son of Patricia and Matthew Schmid of Boothbay. His mother is the business manager of the Boothbay Register.