Margarete

Hello!

My name is Margarete, I’m 19 years old, and I’m from an area near Leipzig. Over the last few years, I’ve spent a lot of my free time doing music-related activities, such as playing the violin and singing in a choir. Having finished my A-levels this summer, I am now looking forward to leaving school and immersing myself in a new culture.

In three weeks’ time, I’ll be setting off for Jordan with my fellow volunteer, Julia. We’ll be spending the next year together at the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf (HLID) in Salt. HLID is a boarding school for deaf and deafblind children. My main role will be to support the day-to-day running of the school. This brings with it the challenge of learning two new languages: On the one hand, Arabic; on the other, Jordanian Sign Language. However, as I have been interested in sign languages for a long time, I am looking forward to this opportunity to learn a language I would otherwise never have encountered.

As I look ahead to the coming months, I still have many questions. How will I cope with the unfamiliar culture? What will I enjoy most? What will surprise me? What might I learn about myself?

I’m really looking forward to seeing what the next few months have in store. I’m sure that these next 10 months will be wonderful, exciting and educational.

In this blog, I’ll be taking you along for the ride, sharing my personal experiences of everyday life and how I’m tackling challenges, as well as my highlights. If that sounds interesting, stay tuned!

See you soon!