Story written by Peter Soroka, NPTS, ’14

As I stepped onto the tarmac at Muscat International Airport to begin a summer long Arabic program, I became enveloped by a heavy miasma of humidity. I couldn’t wait to grab my luggage, head to my air-conditioned hotel room, and change into lighter clothing. Little did I know that these simple desires would never come to fruition.

I waited for an hour at the baggage claim, only to discover that my bag—with all of my clothing—was stuck at JFK. I spent the next four days searching for any clothing that would fit me…to little avail. I ended up purchasing a button-down shirt with two left sleeves and pants that ended up splitting when I tried to sit down in class. Thus, I decided that I had to go native. I went that very afternoon to a custom tailor who made Omani traditional garb.

Omanis have a very distinct style: long, white, perfumed dishdashas, ornate hats, and, onspecial occasions, a decorative dagger known as a khanjar. I spent the next few weeks wearing this outfit as I waited for my luggage. I soon realized that I was having a much easier time striking up conversation with local Omanis and making friends around town. Omanis on the street would usually give me a puzzled look when they spied me, and hesitantly approach to determine who, or what, I was. Soon, these opportunities for dialogue began improving my Arabic dramatically.

As I look back over this experience after four more long years of study at the University of Virginia and here at the Monterey Institute, I realize how lucky I was to have lost my luggage. This mishap allowed me to gain a unique insight into Omani culture and provided for me a means to practice my Arabic. This experience, to me, also embodies a truth about learning a foreign language: that a student must completely eschew his native language, leave his comfort zone, and not worry about sounding (or looking) bizarre.

Here at MIIS, I’ve found a community of students who search out these opportunities to learn and grow through inter-cultural contact. It is this environment that has allowed me to grow both personally and academically hand-in-hand with my fellow classmates.