Dear readers,
I’ve now been in Jordan for just over two months, so it’s time to share my experiences with you.
On 2 September, I flew from Frankfurt to Amman with my fellow volunteer. A member of the school staff picked us up and took us to Salt. It was already 1 am by the time I arrived, so I fell into bed, absolutely exhausted. I live on the school grounds in a shared flat with the other teachers. We share the kitchen and living area, but I have my own room and bathroom.
On my first day, all the staff gave me a very warm and friendly welcome. Father Jamil, the headteacher, showed me around the school and explained what the different areas were used for. Now, I’d like to tell you a bit more about where I’m working.
The Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID) is a school and boarding house for deaf children. Children can come here from the age of three, first attending nursery school, followed by primary and secondary school. After that, they can stay for a further two years to take their Jordanian A-levels or undertake vocational training. HLID offers various training courses, including pottery, mosaic-making, tailoring and metalwork. There is also a department for deafblind children. Here, children who are both deaf and blind are taught and cared for. A key objective is learning tactile sign language. In this method, the hands of the two people communicating touch each other so that the deafblind person can feel the signs. The audiology department offers examinations, consultations, repairs and the sale of affordable hearing aids.
Now, I would like to tell you more about my duties and working hours. I look after the children in the afternoons and evenings. I work with the younger boys and all the girls. Unlike the older boys, the older girls don’t form their own group as there aren’t enough of them. The younger boys and girls in the group are aged between 5 and 7, while the older girls are aged between 12 and 20. I don’t usually start work until 4 pm, as the children are busy with school and homework before then. From then on, the children play outside in the school playground. The older boys usually play football or volleyball. The younger children often play tag or hide-and-seek, or play on the playground equipment. Sometimes they draw or buy snacks from a small kiosk on the school grounds. Riding skateboards down a sloping tarmac path is also very popular. During this time, I supervise the children alongside other carers, resolving conflicts and sometimes joining in the games myself. Dinner is at 6 pm. Afterwards, either everyone goes outside to play again for an hour or so, or they watch TV or play games indoors. However, by half past eight at the latest, the younger children go to bed.
Two days a week, I work the night shift from midnight to 8 am. My main tasks during this time are to stay awake and be available for the children. This can feel like a long time, but it can be filled quite well by watching films or TV series, reading, learning Arabic or writing a blog. From 6 am, I wake the children up and help them get ready. Waking some of the children up can be quite challenging, as they absolutely refuse to get up and just want to carry on sleeping. I can understand that – 6 am is quite early.
As the school is Christian but many of the staff and pupils are Muslim, the days off here are Friday and Sunday. This way, both Muslim and Christian holidays are taken into account. In the rest of Jordan, the weekend runs from Friday to Saturday, which still feels strange to me. Once a month, there’s a long weekend when the children go home for four days. I’m off on those days too, so I can explore Jordan.
Communication at the school is mostly via sign language. This is challenging for me, but it’s still better than Arabic. I can now communicate relatively well, but I don’t understand much when the children or staff are talking amongst themselves as they sign so quickly. I have sign language and Arabic lessons three times a week here at the school.
In my free time, I often visit the other volunteers in Amman, so I have got to know the city quite well. Together, we have also visited Madaba and the Dead Sea. Otherwise, I also enjoy exploring Salt. The town centre is only about a ten-minute walk from the school.
Overall, I’ve settled in well and feel very much at home at the school. I particularly like the family-like atmosphere. The children behave almost like siblings. They do argue with each other quite often, but most of the time they play together, have fun and laugh.
Thank you for your interest, and I hope to see you soon!
This text was automatically translated using an AI-powered translation system.
