Matthew Cronin is a 21-year old student majoring Foreign Policy at Boston University. He is expected to graduate in May 2016. Matthew and I met at Inna’s Kitchen in Newton, MA, where he works part-time. Through a casual conversation over a year ago, I found out that Matthew would be studying abroad in the Middle East as part of his study-abroad program. I couldn't wait for his return and learn more about his experience.  Although study-abroad was not a requirement for his major, Matthew chose a path to learn more about the Middle East through the people and culture.  To prepare for his trip, Matthew took extensive courses in learning Arabic, a language he finds artistic and beautiful.  In this short 30-min conversation with Matthew Cronin, we discussed:  His earlier life, as a high school dropout, before Boston University  Learning Arabic: a beautiful language (by its sound and construction in a root system)  First impressions in Jordan and Morocco  Getting to the people in the Middle East  "A high-contact society" in "a system with no system"  Study-abroad in the Middle East and a social life away from home  Life skills for immigrants, travelers and students from Place A to B A growing appreciation for social networks and human connections   Are you a student who's looking to transition from school to work? Feisworld may be able to help. Check out our services at www.fromschooltowork.com  [button link="http://www.feisworld.com/work-with-fei/students/"]Learn More[/button] Do you enjoy this podcast? If so, please leave your comment below and share the podcast with your family and friends. Your support will keep me on track and bring many other sung and unsung heroes to this podcast. iTunes feed and subscriptionNon-iTunes RSS feed