Hi all!
We've now been here a month and, as of Thursday, are paid employees of the school. I suppose it's official: we live in Kuwait. It's been quite a month with highs and lows but we're hanging in there and, overall, very happy to be here!
The school is really quite nice and both Jordan and I are enjoying working here. There's lots of support for new teachers which is reassuring. That said, it's easy to forget how emotionally and physically demanding teaching is. Every night Jordan and I get home from work feeling like we've just run a marathon. We collapse on the couch and half-heartedly squabble over who is going to make dinner. More nights than I'd like to admit, we've eaten a bowl of muesli instead of a proper meal. And our bedtime is creeping earlier and earlier as the year progresses. We catch a bus to school at 5:15 every morning and stay at school until 4:15 each afternoon (it takes about 25 minutes to get to school from our apartment) which means we aim to be in bed asleep by about 8:45. Towards the end of the week we find ourselves asking if it's socially acceptable to go to bed at 7:30. It doesn't usually happen but there have been nights where the lights are out by the time the clock strikes 8. Oh, how times have changed!
The kids here are chatty but sweet. It's been a battle getting them to raise hands when they'd like to ask a question or contribute to the conversation--most often, they just blurt out "Miss--.........." and then launch into whatever they'd like to say. We're working on it. :) The nice thing is that nearly every student--even the ones I would deem as difficult or distractable--genuinely want to participate in class when we have a discussion. I find when I ask a question to the class, I have more hands raised than not and often even the quiet students will offer an answer if I pause for long enough. I try and call on as many different students throughout class as possible to give everyone a chance to participate. It's inspiring to see such interest in what we're doing in class!
While the majority of my students are either Kuwaiti or from another country in the Middle East, nearly all of them speak English very well. I have moments where I forget I'm in a foreign country and that English is the second language of nearly all of these students. I also have Western students in my classes, along with one Korean student (it's notable because there is a large population of Koreans in Kuwait which is interesting!). It truly is an international school which I find to be refreshing and energizing. The kids are bright and engaged though some of them are unruly. Many of the boys have pushed back against my rules from day one and I've had my classroom management skills tested on a regular basis. I do feel like I'm improving daily as a teacher and am gaining more confidence in my abilities. Because we spend so much time at school (I'm writing this from my classroom on a Sunday!) and we live in the same building as the people we teach with, I sometimes feel like I live and breathe teaching. It's the topic of conversation 90% of the time which can be exhausting. Luckily, Jordan and I can step back and retreat to our apartment when we're feeling burnt out and play some ping pong. It doesn't clear the mind as well as fly-fishing but it's a welcome distraction! :)
When we're not working, I find myself feeling homesick much of the time. The trade-off for international teaching is that you have to start over every few years somewhere new which is emotionally draining. Making new friends is HARD. I feel like I'm back in the dorms again, trying to make a positive impression and convince others that I'm worth getting to know. Every social event feels like an audition and I usually walk away feeling defeated and deflated. I genuinely miss our family back home and wish there was a way to pop back for an afternoon and get some much-needed hugs and encouragement from the people who know me best. I find that homesickness comes in waves and I usually feel the lowest on the weekends when we find ourselves unsure of who to call or what to do. And yes--everyone here's in the same boat, but sometimes I just want to fast-forward to the part where we have friends and a social life and a sense of belonging. In the meantime, the homesickness creeps up towards the end of each workweek and sticks around all weekend during the friend auditions and the moments of self-doubt. It's unfortunate that the only real cure for homesickness is a hug from your mom.
So that's where we're at! One month down, 8 more to go in the school year. Most days are challenging yet rewarding (albeit exhausting!). But we truly miss everyone back home and think about you often! Lots of love from Kuwait..
We've now been here a month and, as of Thursday, are paid employees of the school. I suppose it's official: we live in Kuwait. It's been quite a month with highs and lows but we're hanging in there and, overall, very happy to be here!
The school is really quite nice and both Jordan and I are enjoying working here. There's lots of support for new teachers which is reassuring. That said, it's easy to forget how emotionally and physically demanding teaching is. Every night Jordan and I get home from work feeling like we've just run a marathon. We collapse on the couch and half-heartedly squabble over who is going to make dinner. More nights than I'd like to admit, we've eaten a bowl of muesli instead of a proper meal. And our bedtime is creeping earlier and earlier as the year progresses. We catch a bus to school at 5:15 every morning and stay at school until 4:15 each afternoon (it takes about 25 minutes to get to school from our apartment) which means we aim to be in bed asleep by about 8:45. Towards the end of the week we find ourselves asking if it's socially acceptable to go to bed at 7:30. It doesn't usually happen but there have been nights where the lights are out by the time the clock strikes 8. Oh, how times have changed!
The kids here are chatty but sweet. It's been a battle getting them to raise hands when they'd like to ask a question or contribute to the conversation--most often, they just blurt out "Miss--.........." and then launch into whatever they'd like to say. We're working on it. :) The nice thing is that nearly every student--even the ones I would deem as difficult or distractable--genuinely want to participate in class when we have a discussion. I find when I ask a question to the class, I have more hands raised than not and often even the quiet students will offer an answer if I pause for long enough. I try and call on as many different students throughout class as possible to give everyone a chance to participate. It's inspiring to see such interest in what we're doing in class!
While the majority of my students are either Kuwaiti or from another country in the Middle East, nearly all of them speak English very well. I have moments where I forget I'm in a foreign country and that English is the second language of nearly all of these students. I also have Western students in my classes, along with one Korean student (it's notable because there is a large population of Koreans in Kuwait which is interesting!). It truly is an international school which I find to be refreshing and energizing. The kids are bright and engaged though some of them are unruly. Many of the boys have pushed back against my rules from day one and I've had my classroom management skills tested on a regular basis. I do feel like I'm improving daily as a teacher and am gaining more confidence in my abilities. Because we spend so much time at school (I'm writing this from my classroom on a Sunday!) and we live in the same building as the people we teach with, I sometimes feel like I live and breathe teaching. It's the topic of conversation 90% of the time which can be exhausting. Luckily, Jordan and I can step back and retreat to our apartment when we're feeling burnt out and play some ping pong. It doesn't clear the mind as well as fly-fishing but it's a welcome distraction! :)
When we're not working, I find myself feeling homesick much of the time. The trade-off for international teaching is that you have to start over every few years somewhere new which is emotionally draining. Making new friends is HARD. I feel like I'm back in the dorms again, trying to make a positive impression and convince others that I'm worth getting to know. Every social event feels like an audition and I usually walk away feeling defeated and deflated. I genuinely miss our family back home and wish there was a way to pop back for an afternoon and get some much-needed hugs and encouragement from the people who know me best. I find that homesickness comes in waves and I usually feel the lowest on the weekends when we find ourselves unsure of who to call or what to do. And yes--everyone here's in the same boat, but sometimes I just want to fast-forward to the part where we have friends and a social life and a sense of belonging. In the meantime, the homesickness creeps up towards the end of each workweek and sticks around all weekend during the friend auditions and the moments of self-doubt. It's unfortunate that the only real cure for homesickness is a hug from your mom.
So that's where we're at! One month down, 8 more to go in the school year. Most days are challenging yet rewarding (albeit exhausting!). But we truly miss everyone back home and think about you often! Lots of love from Kuwait..
No comments:
Post a Comment