Back to school

Marhabba!

I’m halfway through my first week at the School of Hope in Ramallah, Palestine. My time here so far has been a mixture of both fun and frustration, but I’m eager to become more adjusted to how the school functions. Also, Arabic lessons start next week, which will be extremely helpful.

School of Hope is a private, Christian school that caters to kindergarten through 12^th grade. Currently there are 472 students enrolled with 70% of them being Muslim. Working in the school has had its share of ups and downs. The ups usually have to do with helping students practice their English and getting to know them on a more personal level. This week I led conversation groups of 10^th and 8^th grade students. I find that they are very willing to share their culture with me (I’ve already been invited to coffee by my 10^th graders after Ramadan and they’ve been introducing me to Arab music) and give an honest commentary on it.

Particularly when talking about dating, many are frustrated with the strict tradition AND the gossip in the community. The idea of a boyfriend or girlfriend implies that there is a sexual relationship and therefore brings shame to not only the people involved but their families as well. Many dating situations are very secret and typically two people will become friends and then announce an engagement. If two people are dating, they refer to each other as “best friends” as the phrasing is more socially acceptable. I am very curious to find out how a shame culture plays a further role into Arab culture.

The downs of working at the School of Hope is questioning whether I feel useful. Simple tasks like filing paperwork are impossible because I don’t read Arab script. Also, my presence sometimes serves as a distraction rather than an assistance. I’m sure the allure of a foreigner will wear off in the coming weeks, but I don’t like feeling like a burden.

Overall, my experience has been good. Today I followed the music teacher and taught elementary students American songs like the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. I’m adjusting to reading music from right to left. Arabic is written from right to left and so is their music. Also, I met with the technology coordinator and they are hoping to launch an online schooling program where students can submit homework and quizzes online. I’ll be in charge of finding programs that have these capabilities (similar to Blackboard, Moodle, or WebCT) and making it so that teachers and students can access it. Hello, transferable skills.

Saturday we are planning a trip to the beach in Tel-Aviv – I hope the bikini my mom sent in the mail gets here on time!

Thanks for reading. I love the comments! Pictures to follow...