Moral Dilemma Solved

Amman, Jordan

After much equivocating over whether to teach needy Jordanians at the Greek Orthodox School in Madaba and pay only the minimum on my student loans, or to teach rich kids and expats at the Modern American School in Amman at a more generous wage, I have made my decision. A phone call home last night helped me feel more like I'm making the best decision in the long run. I intend to sign a contract with the Modern American School tomorrow. There may still be an opportunity for me to teach the Orthodox Patriarchy at the new location they hope to open in suburban Amman in September, and I will be interviewing with the Director of AMIDEAST/Amman on Monday to talk about moonlighting there as a test-prep or English teacher.

I'm also really looking forward to seeing Arwen in the next couple weeks and helping her translate while she's in Jordan distributing wheelchairs and interviewing potential recipients for the charity she runs in honor of her late sister.

I discovered in grad school that it's important for me to be involved in at least some work that benefits people in need, and I suspect there will be plenty of opportunities for me to do that here in Amman, I need only find them. Among other things, by staying in Amman, and particularly by moonlighting at AMIDEAST, I hope to make contacts in the embassy and NGO communities that will help me move on to really exciting things when I'm ready to take my next step into the future.

For now, you will find me in Amman, Jordan, for at least the coming academic year, if not longer. Family and friends are welcome to come and visit any time; ahlan wa sahlan, as they say in Arabic: Be like family and be at ease.