Teaching in Musaffah

Teaching in Musaffah has to be the best professional experience I've ever had.  Even despite fighting off every single new germ that has been tousled through the air conditioners, I've absolutely been blown away by the hospitality of my fellow Arabic teachers, my advisors, and the LT's who have been at the school since the previous year.  When I changed careers, I loved walking the hallways of the school and grabbing a cup of coffee and entering the English office and overhearing my colleagues (Amelia, Shelly, Carole, Krista, Colleen, Lynn, and many wonderful others) talking passionately about students, teaching, administration and administrators, Shakespeare, Holden Caulfield, and everything in between.  Now, my love for international flair and mystique has been thrown into the mix as I walk in to my new English office and I look around and one Arabic teacher is praying, the other is surreptitiously surfing the internet, and another is thinking of what new Arabic phrase to teach me for the day.  Additionally, where in the U.S. do the high school students treat their teachers like they are rock stars (i have no question mark left on my computer...is that a sign that I should stop questioning things so much).  (along those lines, my enter button is broken too, so please forgive lack of paragraphs).  Where in the U.S. do students yell, "I love you, teach-a!" "I missed you, teach-a!" "You are beautiful, teach-a!"  Where in the U.S. do the students literally run to carry your books and greet you enthusiastically with a "Good morning, teach-a!"  I don't know if there is such a place.  Don't get me wrong.  I've learned that universally, high school students LOVE to talk and in this part of the world, they don't understand the concept of whispering and socially the dynamics of conversation are more animated and done with greater vigor than those who are accustomed to the Western mode and norms of communication.  For now, I'm thanking Allah, Buddha, God, and others for this opportunity.  Each day, I feel blessed to work with my co-workers and to be teaching English here in the Dhab.