Why not look at the schools in Qatar? There are a whole bunch of top notch schools that have campuses together. I would imagine that’s relatively safe.
First, thanks for all of the ideas and advice! I am going to print out this thread and discuss it with my husband. A couple of you have also contacted me by PM, and we will look at those, too!
For those questioning why he wants to do this: The kid barely graduated high school. He was severely bipolar and hallucinated so much that he couldn’t sleep at night. He has always been spiritual (he gets upset at the word “religious” due to its negative connotations) and is a deeply committed Christian. He attended a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) school in the fall of 2013. Not to be overdramatic, but they have turned him around. He is off all meds (with permission of his doctor), sleeps well, and is down to about 180 pounds from 270 (he is 6’-1" tall). He went on a two-month YWAM trip to Amman last winter. He loved the people and talking to them about politics, God, their living conditions, etc. He liked the Middle East SO much that he signed up for another YWAM semester and is currently with a group of kids in Beirut. They have been visiting three families a day, five days a week. Mostly just listening to their incredible stories. It has made a huge impact on him. He’s also been doing volunteer work. He mentioned carrying heavy boxes of food over rivers! A car bomb went off a couple of weeks ago, but he said it was 60 miles away. He said they feel very safe in Beirut - one of the group is a former Green Beret. I know, I know, it’s still incredibly dangerous. He raised his own support for this trip, so we’re not financing him at this point (we said we would help with college, but not other endeavors).
If it were up to him, he would just move over there and start helping people on a permanent basis. But he knows he has to find a way to support himself. He is really not the type of kid suited for college, but he’s accepting the fact that he will need the degree to accomplish anything meaningful. He wants to study over there so he can learn Arabic quicker. He hopes to do volunteer work while going to school.
He has ALWAYS marched to a different drummer. He is about as polar opposite from me as you can imagine - I was the first-born overachiever who went straight through to grad school, met my husband, and got married. When we were really butting heads when my son was younger, a close friend said, “You do realize that your son is a poet being raised by two engineers?” That was the first time I had realized that!
I forgot to mention that last year the group did quite a bit of volunteering in Syrian refugee camps - mainly moving heavy boxes around.
Knowing what I know about this kid, maybe not crazy, but it’s certainly an unusual choice.
My kid studied three semester in Jordan - one in Irbid, two in Amman. He likes Jordan a lot. I gather the dialect spoken there is pretty similar to the entire Arabian peninsula. He traveled to Egypt twice and had little trouble getting around. Most Arabic language TV shows are produced in Egypt so it’s commonly understood. That said what you learn in school and read in newspapers is Modern Standard Arabic which no one actually speaks. You have to learn some dialect as well. Here’s an interesting article about just how different the dialects are: http://www.economist.com/blogs/johnson/2013/06/arabic?fsrc=scn%2Ffb%2Fwl%2Fbl%2Farmiesandnavies
I agree that the State Department’s assessment of where is safe enough for their critical language classes is a good way to judge safe countries. My son has been reluctant to spend too much time in the Gulf States because they basically use indentured servants in a way that makes them pretty much slave holders.
Not all education paths are linear. Some return from military service to earn good degrees. His experience and language skills will be valuable. In a few years, he will know if a college degree is essential. If it is, it will come naturally. In the end, he might compare positively to many 24-28 years old who followed the standard path.
The important part is to consider this a journey of self-discovery with a … purpose.
He may run into some issues if he’s not careful with whom he’s discussing such issues with in many Gulf States even the relatively more liberal ones.
There’s also the issue of even American-based universities like NYU being found to have used subcontractors who failed to pay construction workers promised wages in a timely manner, housed them in overcrowded conditions, and restricted their freedom of movement/mistreated them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/19/nyregion/workers-at-nyus-abu-dhabi-site-face-harsh-conditions.html
While NYU denies knowing about what these subcontractors did, many who have spent time working in or have working knowledge of labor practices in those regions feel those American-based unis’ denials is akin to them playing the part of the Casablanca police officer who expressed shock at gambling in Bogart’s establishment while attempting to secretly pocket his winnings.
I’d also recommend Jordan - from what I understand, University of Jordan is among the best and is close to the heart of Amman while still safe and relatively close to anywhere you’d (or he would) care to go, be it NGO programs or tourist attractions.
American university of Beirut is also a highly ranked one, but Lebanon isn’t as safe as Jordan.
The UAE and Saudi have more prestigious universities, but even people in those areas often flock to Jordan or Dubai or Lebanon (ppreviously they went to Egypt, but clearly it’s not the best place to be right now), because the education is comparable and they are far nicer places to live in for those with relatively liberal values.
Best of luck!!
He is well aware of this. He even changed the spelling of his last name on Facebook in case someone was trying to find him after his trip to Jordan last year. To him, the importance of what he’s doing outweighs the danger.
He has been surprised that people seem to enjoy talking about Islam and Christianity. They are open to new ideas - not hostile at all.
He wrote me again today that he really wants to go to school in Egypt. DH and I have about decided that we would not finance his education in that country. I’m hearing too many negatives from CC posters and others.
I would look into schools in Kuwait, Qatar, & the UAE.
What about Israel? Very immigrant friendly country, although obviously they don’t speak Arabic in many parts of the country.
I’d also recommend UAE (very Western), Jordan, and possibly Oman, Qatar, or Kuwait. Turkey could be another good option. I’d stay away from: Egypt (govt instability), Lebanon (terrorism, instability), Libya (terrorism), Yemen, and Algeria. I also wouldn’t recommend Saudi Arabia or Israel for political reasons. Any extended stay in Israel would probably make his entry into other Middle Eastern countries rather challenging.
If he’s interested in the N.Africa region, Morocco or Tunisia might be good options, although I’m not sure about quality of education.
ETA: No matter what, he needs to watch his back in the fringe areas (Lebanon, northern Jordan) since being Western makes you a prime AQAP, ISIS, al Shabaab, or AQIM target.
The US State department routinely issues new passports to citizens who have spent time in Israel but need a “clean” passport to enter the Arab countries which do not allow visitors to Israel to enter. So this is a non-issue. And being an American at an Israeli university is a significantly safer option than in some of the countries that other posters are listing.
It is not a non-issue, if you have an Israeli degree and you want to work in an Islamic country.
The U.S. Department of State has placed a Travel Warning on travel by U.S. citizens to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and several other Middle Eastern and/or Arabic-speaking countries. This means citizens are urged to “consider very carefully whether you should go to [that] country at all.” Here’s the link with the full list of countries with Travel Warnings/Alerts and explanations for each. I’d stay away from any countries on that list.
http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings.html
"The US State department routinely issues new passports to citizens who have spent time in Israel but need a “clean” passport to enter the Arab countries which do not allow visitors to Israel to enter. So this is a non-issue. "
Agree. I had to travel to Saudi Arabia on business 3 years after having gone to Israel. I just got a new passport, that’s all.
This kid! He’s still asking me to look into Egyptian universities. “Can you send me the essay topics so I can start working on my application?” Time for a serious conversation.
It was his dad who suggested he start college this fall. I was thinking of our small, local university, which is where his older brother is going and actually likes well. It’s just too big a rush to make a life-changing decision like this in the next few weeks. I’m going to encourage him to get a year of college in Maine. That will give him (and us) time to make a wise decision.
I had already looked up State Department warnings. I’m not thrilled that he’s in Lebanon right now. But as I said earlier, he paid for the trip himself and is with a group that has a lot of experience in the country, so I’m living with it.
Please feel free to ignore what I’m saying, but given your son’s recent challenges, I would insist that he start school again much closer to home. He is dealing with a condition that my dearest, closest friend has and it took her until she was nearly 40 to be completely stabilized. Given the dangerous conditions in the Middle East and his quite recent struggles, I would not be comfortable at all with a child of mine being so far away for such a long time or in such a new environment. There are semesters abroad that might be a much better option. But good luck to you all.
Any update?
@MaineLonghorn Sorry, but this is not a good idea. I don’t want to offend any Egyptians/Other Middle Easterners on here, but 21 Egyptian Christians were just beheaded in Libya in yet another video released by Isis. That region is unfortunately plagued with instability and danger, especially for someone who is proud of being a devout Christian (which is the impression I get from your posts). For the time being, Isis isn’t going anywhere. With so many quality schools back home, it is downright foolish for someone like your son to head off to Egypt to get his degree.
My understanding is this bipolar disorder is a life long condition with relapses and remissions, and that stopping maintenance medication is often associated with a relapse. For this reason, I would be worried about him relapsing in a country far from home.