I enrolled in the Master of Middle Eastern and Central Asia Studies after completing a Bachelor of Applied Linguistics. It is a great challenge but also an incredible experience for international students to complete this degree, especially without any background in Middle Eastern Studies or experience. CAIS is one of the best institutions in Australia and it provides excellent opportunity to study the Middle Eastern languages. After I completed one year of coursework at CAIS, I decided to continue the study, in order to consolidate and deepen my understanding of the related theories.

I have developed an interest in the political culture and civil society of the region after completing courses including Islam in World Politics, Islam and Democracy, Gulf Strategic Environment, Geopolitics of Central Asia etc.

The CAIS Arabic language program is a remarkable component of the degree. As the most popular and useful language in Middle East, to learn Arabic gives me the ability to further understand the people, cultures and ideology of the region. It also provides me the possibilities to do research using Arabic literature. After I complete the degree, I will go to the Middle East to seek an opportunity to work in an NGO that will improve my understanding of the Muslim societies and continue to use the Arabic language.