I travelled from Jordan to the UK to commence my studies on the 2nd of August 2005.  Seventeen days later my father very suddenly passed away. I informed the Chevening programme liaison officer in our area who quickly came over to where I was at Hull University even though he was very busy that day in Manchester receiving a group of new students.  He spent time with me and did his best to console me.  He also told me that I should feel free to travel back home and that the programme would cover all my travel expenses.  I was very touched and really appreciated his kindness and consideration.  That personal experience really changed my perceptions towards the British people.

How did the Chevening Scholarship affect my professional life?  
The strong and solid education I received in the UK far exceeds anything else I had learnt.  It has drastically increased my confidence in my abilities and myself.  
I feel very honoured to be a Chevening scholar and to have had the opportunity to study in the UK.

Abdelsalam Al Odat

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My experience in the UK started the moment my airplane landed in London’s Heathrow airport.

I found the British Council officer waiting for me in arrivals. She told me with a smile how I should continue my journey to my university using the different modes of transport available. It gave me the immediate impression that I was joining a society which was both organised and efficient.

Once I arrived at my university, I got to know people of different cultures, backgrounds, beliefs and hopes.  The only things we had in common were the English language and the acceptance of the challenge of leaving our homes and loved ones in order to obtain a degree. Successful students from all over the world were dealing with each other with open minds, hearts and appreciating their diversity.

I had to take a bus to university each day.  I was constantly amazed by the fact that the bus time table was always accurate, no matter how bad the traffic jams were. Every day for the first month I was there, I was convinced that would be the day that that the bus would be late.  For the entire time I was there, until I returned to Jordan, the bus was never late.

The process of learning at university started off with both lectures and coursework. The education system in the UK was different from what I had been used to. I had to be more dependent on myself, in obtaining the knowledge I required.  The concept of independent study was introduced to me for the first time; in particular, the British education system is built to facilitate research.  The greatest challenge is to understand the system quickly, and modify your mindset to accommodate it.  

Other experiences I gained outside of university during my time in the UK came about when I made the decision to move from the university’s accommodation to stay with a British family.  Reading about, listening to and watching people, is not as powerful an experience as actually living with them. The mother of the family that I lived with was a widow who spent her spare time doing voluntary work.  On one occasion, she volunteered to sew 30 dolls to send to children in Mozambique who had been recently affected by flooding. The media adopted the case of Mozambique, and presented the suffering that people there were facing. The British public trust the media and this helped to raise sympathy that was reflected in the large amount of donations to the people of Mozambique. The donations came from a large part of the British population, who believe in helping others who are suffering, and who believe that the need to assist such people to lead decent lives is a requirement of humanity.

My experience in the UK affected me greatly, and I thank the British government for giving me the opportunity to study there.

Mohammad Kanan