Former RHS student takes summer trip to study Arabic in Oman

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN CLINE Former Roseburg High School student Erin Cline wears an abaya and hijab, a tunic and head covering, respectively, worn by women in Oman. Cline was in the country this summer studying the Arabic language, enrolled in a program financed by the U.S. State Department.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN CLINE This beach is in Salalah, near Oman's border with Yemen.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN CLINE This historic village, known for growing dates, lies in Oman's interior region.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN CLINE The AMIDEAST Center in Oman is seen during Erin Cline's visit this past summer. The center is where Cline and other students learned the Arabic language through the National Security Initiative for Youth.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN CLINE Muscat, Oman, is the city where Erin Cline lived for seven weeks as she studied Arabic.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN CLINE Erin Cline, 16, a former Roseburg High School student, enjoys a coconut in Salalah, Oman.

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PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN CLINE Camels take a stroll in Salalah, in the south of Oman.

During my sophomore year, I applied to study Arabic through the National Security Initiative for Youth, a program funded by the U.S. State Department. When I found out in April that I had been selected to participate, I was elated. Some of my friends and family were scared, though. It’s not every day you send a 16-year-old to the Middle East. I went to Oman, a small country bordering Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the United Arab Emirates. While there, I experienced the genuine warmth of the people. Also the delicious food, the juice shops that dot the city and the …