Teaching Arabic at CMES with Rafah is not merely about teaching the Arabic language; rather, it is an immersive engagement with Arab culture, as well as the customs and traditions of Arab societies—an experience that students actively live through dialogue, participation, and direct cultural encounter. This engagement extends to the exploration of the richness and diversity of Arab culture through traditional methods for preparing certain foods, introducing learners to food-related vocabulary and expressions commonly used across the Arab world.
Exposure to these courses allows participants—who come from highly diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds—to encounter a wide range of everyday life situations similar to those experienced by local residents in Arab societies. Such experiential learning familiarizes them with the social and cultural fabric of these communities even before their first visit, while simultaneously cultivating cultural awareness and preparing them to navigate social interactions with confidence and sensitivity.
Our courses at Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies therefore go far beyond language instruction; they constitute rich, transformative learning experiences that provide participants with meaningful opportunities to acquire not only linguistic competence, but also the practical and intercultural skills necessary to engage effectively in real-life contexts. Through expert language training, authentic teaching materials, and carefully designed immersive experiences, learners are introduced to the environment and lived realities of the target culture before they even arrive there.
One example of this experiential approach is a learning session centered on preparing a traditional Arab breakfast, most associated with the Levant. The meal included ful (stewed fava beans), hummus bi tahini (hummus with sesame paste), fava bean and chickpea salad with fresh vegetables, ‘Akkawi cheese, labneh, and olive oil with za‘atar, all served with traditional Arabic bread. The fragrance of fresh mint and locally grown cucumbers filled the room, evoking the sensation of standing in a flourishing vegetable garden along the Syrian coast—a vivid sensory journey that brought the cultural experience to life and transported me back to my beautiful village on the breathtaking Syrian coast.
