First days at the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf
Hello everyone!
I’d like to get in touch with you for the first time and tell you about our arrival here in Jordan at the HLID.
On Monday 12 August, three days before our departure, I was just packing when I received the news that our flight to Amman on 15 August had been cancelled. The reason was a possible imminent attack by Iran on Israel. So for us, it meant waiting for the time being and hoping that the situation around Jordan would return to some sort of normality, or at least not escalate further. That was quite tough, because I’d already said goodbye to all my relatives and friends and was, of course, incredibly excited.
After just under three weeks, on 1 September, my fellow volunteer Julia and I finally set off from Frankfurt Airport. During our stopover in Vienna, our small travel group was joined by two more fellow volunteers. Together, we then boarded the plane to Amman. We arrived at Queen Alia Airport at around three in the morning, feeling very tired. After a minor issue with our luggage, we were able to leave the airport around four o’clock and were met there by two very friendly staff members from the HLID.
After about an hour’s drive, we reached the HLID in Salt (north-west of Amman). As it was still dark, we couldn’t see much of the city or the surrounding area on the way. However, we really liked the HLID right from the start, as we immediately noticed that it is exceptionally green here. When we arrived, we were quickly shown the room where we will be living for the next year. We are sharing a room here in a small, pretty shared flat where the other nursery teachers also live.
The next morning, we were woken by a very shrill and out-of-tune version of ‘Für Elise’. At first, we didn’t know where this tune was coming from or why it kept playing. As the day went on, however, it turned out that it was a petrol van using this tune to attract attention. After getting up, we were served a very tasty breakfast in the dining room and were then welcomed by Father Jamil, the vicar of the Anglican parish in Salt and head of the HLID. He first told us a bit about the HLID and then took us on a short tour.
There are many different areas at the HLID. On the one hand, of course, there is the school for deaf children and the boarding school; on the other, there is also a section for deafblind children and a hearing centre, which also provides hearing tests and hearing aids to people outside the school. The HLID also has several workshops where the pupils work with materials such as wood, clay, fabric or mosaics. The items they create are sold in the on-site shop and are truly beautiful. There is also a playground and a large area for playing football.
At lunch, we met some of the teachers and were given a very warm welcome by them too. The children also approached us with great curiosity the next day and wanted to know all sorts of things about us. As the other teachers had already taught us a few signs, we were able to introduce ourselves.
If you’d like to find out more about our daily life here at HLID, do have a read of Julia’s blog post!
See you next time!
This text was automatically translated using an AI-powered translation system.
