By Ayana Niyaz
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates – In an interview on Sunday, an exchange student at the American University of Sharjah, John Jones, said that doing a study abroad program was a good opportunity for him to gain new experiences.
“I wanted to leave Europe and get some international experience at the same time. And then the World Expo was happening. And so, I just kind of decided that the United Arab Emirates was a good option,” said Jones.
He added that the pandemic has allowed him to spend more time and money focusing on discovering the UAE and exploring other locations.
Jones said he did not encounter much culture shock because he was already aware of the culture in Islamic countries. He is fascinated by how close students are to their families in the UAE.
Jones, who is originally from Portugal but lives in the United States, is a student at Southern Utah University, where he is double majoring in Political Science and Philosophy.
