Why I'm taking a punt on Cairo

By Zoe Roberts. If you're studying Arabic, finding a safe place to practise speaking the language can be tricky. Syria, no go. Lebanon, problematic, no go. Egypt remains on the borderline of stability. For those about to set off to study in an Arab-speaking country, stories of past students being evacuated when civil unrest breaks out are troubling.
Where is there left that's safe in the Middle East for students wanting to go there on their year abroad? Arabic, like Japanese and Mandarin Chinese, is rated a category five language, the highest category in terms of difficulty and hours required for an English-speaker to master it. Read more...