Work life.

In case you don't already know, I have been living in Irbid, Jordan for the past month. I am teaching English at Al-Huson College which is just outside of Irbid, in the Career Development Center (CDC). The Center is run by professors from the College, but entirely funded by USAID -- who also pays for my salary.

The goal of the course is to teach the students basic English skills - reading, writing, and speaking in a professional setting - and piping technology (a specific field of engineering). If they pass both courses they are guaranteed employment as managers in an international engineering company. This is a wonderful opportunity for these men and I am genuinely grateful to be a part of their development.

Work is amazing! I love running my own classroom, having the freedom to plan and execute my own curriculum, but the best part of work are my students. Although, I have found it quite a challenge to plan an entire English education program with little direction and assistance from the CDC.


Currently, I have 19 students, ages 21-28 years old. Although they act like 12 yearolds sometimes, ha. Getting them to sit still, remain focused, quiet, and engaged takes much longer than I would like. I try to be stern with them using my Arabic phrases, which they just find hilarious, instead of commanding. My theory is this: At the beginning of class I did not establish enough of a teacher/student boundary, I am the only woman in the workplace, and I am their age. This makes it difficult for them and for me to draw the line between friend and "superior." Furthermore, my work hard/play hard outlook translates to work a little/play a lot. For example, I eat lunch with them everyday. During this time we laugh and joke, talk about relationships, music, the nightlife, religion, and traveling etc...topics not commonly discussed between teachers and students, and often between men and women here in Jordan.


The work days are long. I leave home around 8:30am, cab it to the bus station, then take a bus to the college. Class is from 9:00am till 3:00 or 4:00pm daily -- depending on my mood. We have 2 or 3 15 minute 'smoke' breaks, plus an hour break for lunch. Seriously my students go completely insane if it has been more than an hour without a smoke.

Basically that is teaching like 6 hours a day! Which is crazy long. Then all of my prep work for class; like designing lesson plans, curriculum, and writing exams is done at home. Plus, grading homework and exams...the moral of the story is that the majority of my time here has been spent working. But thus far, it has been very beneficial for my students which is keeping me motivated to go to work everyday.

We are scheduled to begin a new class schedule next week, in which I will only be teaching 2-3 hours per day. For the rest of the day, my students will be learning statistics, physics, and engineering. I can't wait to have the 'free time' at work to prepare for class each day. I know that it will greatly improve the material I design and make for a happier work environment -- insha'allah!