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Arabic-L: Tue 06 Apr 2010
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-------------------------Directory------------------------------------
1) Subject:A Wikiguide to Study Abroad in the Arab World
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1)
Date: 06 Apr 2010
From:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal; ">Alexander Magidow <<a href="mailto:amagidow@gmail.com">amagidow@gmail.com</a>></span>
Subject:A Wikiguide to Study Abroad in the Arab World
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; white-space: normal; ">Dear all,<br><br>When studying abroad in the Arab world, it is often difficult to find <br>the kind of practical information that one needs to plan ahead for a <br>study abroad experience. Guidebooks, while providing some information, <br>vary significantly in quality and are generally aimed at an audience of <br>tourists, rather than students who intend to stay for extended periods <br>of time. Individual programs may provide some information, but there is <br>no central place that all students can find information on everything <br>from the basics of daily life to bureaucratic issues. It is with this in <br>mind that I hope to help direct the creation of a Wiki-style website to <br>leverage the experience of previous students in making this kind of <br>information available.<br><br>Since it would be an insurmountable project for a single person, this <br>website will be based on submissions from students who have lived and <br>studied in various countries in the Middle East and North Africa. <br>However, to maintain the quality and consistency of the submissions, an <br>editor will collect and patch together the submissions into a cohesive <br>whole, then upload the information to the website. Submitters will be <br>credited if they wish, or may remain anonymous. The current design of <br>the website (link below) is to allow only members to modify individual <br>pages, but for anyone to submit messages to the discussion, so <br>information can be commented upon or updates given by anyone.<br><br>The website will hopefully contain the following types of information <br>(the list is meant to be illustrative rather than exhaustive):<br>- Basic pretravel information (Vaccinations, Pre-flight visas, currency, <br>what to bring, what is available in-country)<br>- Basic information on available programs (Program start dates, <br>registration information, levels offered, cost)<br>- Daily life (currency, ATM availability, where/how to get groceries, <br>what to wear, cell phones)<br>- Housing (How to look for housing, what types of housing is available, <br>prices, neighborhoods)<br>- Transportation (Bus routes within the city, how to flag a <br>bus/taxi/service, how to request a stop, etc)<br>- Cultural information (Cultural expectations, behaviour, etc)<br>- Basic city information (Restaurants, hotels, hostels, cinemas, <br>embassies, etc)<br>- Research institutions (Libraries, universities, research centers, book <br>stores)<br>- Linguistic issues (Local accent, important basic words, daily life <br>vocabulary)<br>- Women's Issues (Harassment, safety, etc)<br><br>Currently, the project needs the following: 1) Country/city specialists <br>who know a particular country or city well enough to synthesize <br>submissions on a per-country basis, and 2) basic informational <br>submitters who will write the individual articles. Volunteers for either <br>position (and country specialists can certainly write articles) are <br>welcome to send me an email with the topic (and area) they're going to <br>write about so that we can control a bit for overlap.<br><br>The current website is:<br><a href="http://arabworldstudyaroad.wikispaces.com/">http://arabworldstudyaroad.wikispaces.com/</a><br><br>This website is quite rough, and will remain more functional than <br>attractive for some time. However, Wikispaces allows a lot of the type <br>of control that a project of this nature needs, and will make a <br>reasonable host for the time being.<br><br>An example of information on housing in Damascus is located here:<br><a href="http://arabworldstudyaroad.wikispaces.com/Housing+in+Damascus">http://arabworldstudyaroad.wikispaces.com/Housing+in+Damascus</a><br><br>Obviously, submissions would not be expected to be nearly as detailed or <br>lengthy- all sizes and types of submissions are gladly accepted.<br><br>I am sending this email now, but don't expect to have significant time <br>to personally devote to this project until around June, however I was <br>hoping to get the ball rolling while study abroad programs are winding <br>down and the information is still fresh in peoples' minds. If there are <br>volunteers for country specialists, they can begin adding to the website <br>immediately, one of the benefits of a relatively decentralized design.<br><br>Please forward this email to people who may be interested in joining <br>this project.<br><br>Alexander Magidow<br><a href="mailto:amagidow@gmail.com">amagidow@gmail.com</a><br></span>
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End of Arabic-L: 06 Apr 2010
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