And it begins again

10 days ago I found out that I was being laid off from my job at one world market a fair trade non-profit store in Durham, NC after two years. Part of me was of course sad, but really I was pretty excited cuz it meant one thing to me.... FREEDOM to finally go back out into the big bad world and start back to the profession i love, Teaching..
The first thing i did when i got home late that night, (thanks Stacie for cheering me up)
was to go on-line to www.eslcafe.com and start looking again for a job.
Ironically I was IMing with Marty that night. Marty and I taught in China from 1997-1999. Since leaving there, I have talk on line with him less than a dozen times. I was greatly amused to be on line with him then. Way back when in China our favorite daily activity was just this... to be hunting for new and exciting jobs all over the world and planning trips. The world was my oyster.. I new i didn't want to go back to East Asia just yet but where?? I already was going to be going to the Holy Land with several family members in March, so I figured I would start there.
I like to think that I know the ESL market, it has been my industry for 12 years now, and in that time I had never seen a job in the West Bank before. But what the heck, I might as well have a look. And there it was

Pioneers Baccalaureate School (PBS) in Nablus is seeking experienced elementary school teachers. We are looking for teachers for grades 1-5. Our students have varying levels of English, so in the early grades much of the instruction will be ESL. In the fourth and fifth grades math, science, and English (of course) will all be taught in English and the teacher’s role will be much more akin to that of a grade-level teacher in an American elementary school.

We are seeking one teacher immediately and five teachers for next school year (September). Please indicate your availability date in your response.

PBS is unique in Nablus because we run our school on a western model based on inclusion, kindness, and active learning. The school was founded as a direct response to the sad state of education in our city. Even the best schools in the city have classes with 30-50 students, corporal punishment, rote instruction, etc. We are committed to doing something different. Please come and join us as we try to change Palestinian education from the ground floor.

Necessary Skills:

• Independence

• Ability to work in an environment with limited resources

• Initiative

• Willingness to commit to a two-year contract

• Ability to work with Palestinian teachers to combine the English and Arabic curricula (our teachers can all communicate in English)

• Strong in differentiated instruction

• Ability to blend art, music and science into the main curriculum

Provided:

• Stipend paid monthly. Accommodations in a shared apartment with other teachers. If you want to find your own living quarters we are also happy to help you.

About Nablus:

Nablus is encircled on all sides by the Israeli military. Despite that it is relatively calm but there is little or no nightlife and life can be very dull. The people are generally welcoming but conservative. Young women need to dress very conservatively.

So I applied...

and waited

and waited

and waited....

and finally today at 6 am my phone woke me up to a voice mail...
the school had called but my silly phone hadn't rung..

a few hours later they called back again, and we talked...
long story short,
They are going to pick me up from the airport in Israel when my plane arrives.
I am getting to Israel 4 days before anyone else and I will go to the school for those days to check it out and for them to have a chance to check me out too.

I will go on the pilgrimage and when everyone else leaves, I will find my way to Nablus..

and yes, once again I had to go on line and look it up on a map to find out exactly where it is.