The game

One of the downfall of expats is the hunting season, a period when your heart oscillates between comfort and wanderlust. Initial contracts being 2 years for teachers, as you land in a new destination and despite all the information splashed at your face, one part of you feels at peace  – the knowledge that you do not have to waltz the international dance, the mad whirling, twirling and pirouetting through burning circles of interviews.

However, as soon as the end of your initial contract looms, the season starts. It feels like a creeping feeling that grows as the days, months pass; like the sword of Damocles. Once the season opens, there are steps to take. One necessary step is to register with various agencies, to be on the “market” and start selling yourself. If you are fortunate, somebody will catch your file on the online myriad and contact you.

Some of us feel very much in control and believe we hold the sword in our hands, assured that you are simply practicing or testing your options. Recent technologies have made this stage very easy and Skype is a wonderful way to first introduce yourself. If this is unsuccessful, you will have to sign up for job fairs. There, awaiting you is the sheer pressure of hundreds of colleagues, all attending in the hope to obtain their dream job. There are some lovely supportive people but the most common feeling is similar to a meat market: you look around, check out what is competing with you and then the Western motto becomes yours: every man for himself! From my past experience, I cannot say that this stage is the most beautiful human connection of a lifetime but it is a necessary step to increase your chances.

I have played the game 3 times now, and the past two times with two children and a trailing spouse. This is often not an advantage on a CV, especially because of the extra tuition fees and visa issues that are entailed by our circumstances. As a mother, you face the fact that it is not only about who you are as an educator, and that your family choices have somehow impeded your professional achievement, despite the fact that both topics are completely disconnected!

A few months ago, I entered the hunting process, sharpening my academic resume and  throwing arrows towards the East. In the meanwhile, riding the emotional and pride roller coaster of an educator on the market with my three precious heavy chains around the hands, Africa called again.

Writing this with tears flooding my eyes, we will leave Khufu, the amazing friends, my incredible students and all the wonders that have filled our heart with love at the end of this year. We are staying on the same continent and unexpectedly will move west, to Tunis, at the Northern tip of Tunisia. You should be careful for what you wish for, because it might happen.

Isn’t it frightening to be able to quantify… Here is to 7 more wonderful months in Egypt…