Kurdistan is not a country. It is identified (by Wikipedia) as a "federal autonomous region", a region belonging to four nations (Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria), and inhabited by the Kurdish people who ultimately want peace and total autonomy. Of course, none of the four countries it belongs to is willing to grant such independence because it would mean a huge loss of money for them, given the bounty of oil reserves in the land.
Erbil, the capital city, is in the Iraqi portion of the Kurdish region, and the people there do everything they can to distance themselves ideologically from the rest of war-torn Iraq. They love the West, and they love Americans because of the general peace that the US government helped to ensure in this northern region of Iraq. Right now, Erbil is ugly, brown, and dusty, but it's undergoing major development in the way of shopping malls, entertainment centers, hotels, and restaurants. It's even said that Erbil resembles the United Arab Emirates some years ago.
Well, I never thought I'd be saying this, but I may be going to Iraq. !!! ...
See, I just got this teaching gig there. I haven't said yes yet because I want to take a couple days at least to make a well-thought out decision. Originally, I applied to math teaching positions at international schools abroad as a back-up plan, in case I didn't get into grad school, but now that I've almost clinched this job, I can't imagine turning down an opportunity to travel to the Middle East. Plane ticket, housing, furnishing- even towels!- and transportation will be payed for and provided, and during Christmas, they will pay for a trip to one of four destinations: Amman, Istanbul, Lebanon, or the UAE. It's just too good to pass up, possibly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Plus I'll be working with people from all over the world. Well, maybe mostly US and UK and local Kurdistan, but anyway.
So I'm waiting to hear back from one Master's program, the deadline for the other not even having arrived yet, and all the while being handed this amazing opportunity to see a part of the world that is totally different from anything I've experienced before. I can't help thinking, school can wait for one more year. It truly is hard to go back to school after leaving and taking a break, but I firmly believe that mid-twenties still leaves plenty of time to go back to grad school, and besides, I might have to listen to good old Einstein in this situation. It was he who said that "education is what remains after one forgets everything he learned in school". Of course, I'm traveling to the Middle East in order to teach at a school, but anyway. Isn't "but anyway" a great way to leave one's illogical statements unresolved?
!!!
3 comments:
Hmm... these are interesting and exciting new developments! I have a couple of q's:
1. Are you planning on becoming a teacher?
2. Are they offering you a salary on top of the plane tickets/vacation perks?
If the answer to both is yes, or even #1 is yes but #2 is no, then wow is that a great experience! But if the answer to only #2 is yes, then I would ask- What is it about Kurdistan that is so repulsive to teachers that they're bending over backwards to hire unexperienced US youth?, and I would also urge you to find out how Kurdistan feels about Korea, and how many Asian women are in Kurdistan. In most foreign countries, the concept of "Asian-American" is not easy to grasp. Being a female Asian American might be a bigger challenge than you could ever imagine...
Keep us updated! I'm excited for you regardless!
i'm still trying to get over this new turn of events in the life of angie chung. cool idea, but make sure it's safe. i mean really make sure, don't just take their word for it.
Angie,
I don't think you should go...
I think you should go to where you are needed, and where your talents and growing understanding of teaching as well as the world can be augmented while improving those with the greatest need.
As you look around for where you can make a big impact, keep in mind there're lots of places to do this-- some with perks, like learning a new language, or a focus on a specific area or talent , or have people with tremendous need like Iraq, but also so many other places.
Like Philly-- not nearly as rough as Iraq-- but teaching there stretched me in amazing ways. I helped those in need-- albeit much less need than Kurds in Iraq, but still a need. There were times out at some Philly high schools I was nervous about safety and I did fear for my life from time to time, with good reason--- at one of the high schools someone had just been shot the day before I taught my class. But I could always come home back to Penn... I was close, so I could remove myself from the unsafe situation.
Iraq is perhaps the most dangerous place in the world, especially for americans... and you would be jumping in feet first.
I'd love to help you find an amazing program that helps people who most others do not give the light of day, much less risk themselves to educate. I just think Iraq is a whole different boat, and I think I have an idea what you're looking to do, and I don't think the Iraq program is it.
Seriously, I wouldn't have written this much if I didn't feel this strongly... but I definitely understand why you want to go, and why you still want to go.
I'd be happy to talk this through more with you, and if you do decide to go, I think you will be smart, and you will take precautions, and you will help people in unimaginable ways. My only point is that I think you can do all this in many places, and you should brainstorm other areas in need as well.
I have a friend who went to an impoverished area of Kenya, and he probably has some great ideas for you to make the impact you're looking for.
-Eric
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