I am finding my time within the Heshimite Kingdom of Jordan to be quite nice. In some ways it is frustrating because I am in a new country yet I have little opportunity to explore the region or the city of Amman due to the extensive seminar programming. However the other grant recipients from Qatar, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Israel, Bahrain, and Egypt are all rather interesting people and for the most part we have a good time.
Last night we had dinner at a private club reserved for the Royal Family and top government officials and I happened to sit next to a woman from for USAID. Serendipitously, she overheard me talking about some of my work experiences with a colleague and after joining the conversation, she told me that I should apply for a job with her agency. We spoke about the details of this for a while and she gave me her contact info, stating that if I need any assistance within the application process (which takes about 6 months) then I am free to contact her. It is really the closest experience I have had to a direct job offer, and I am definitely going to take her up on the opportunity.
In similar news, I’m have been notified by IIE, the International Institute for Education, that I now a finalist for the UNESCO position in post-conflict reconstruction over in Paris. I now have to wait till June to find out if it will happen. There are 5 candidates who have been selected by IIE and recommended to UNESCO, now it is a decision to be made by the UN and there is little else that I can do. Oh the frustration of waiting… I was at least informed last night that the receipt of the UNESCO position, which last only 6 months, would not conflict with an application to USAID, so I definitely intend to apply.
Afterward we all walked through the city to a super hip bar for some sheesha a couple beers. I happened to meet the owner of the bar, a rather pirate-like British expat, and had a good time talking to the other academic folk in our party. Having a late night out certainly made it harder to wake up at 8 this morning, but I’m looking forward to another adventurous evening tonight as will be going to a traditional Bedouin dinner. The place is called, hasan al asdwalat, which basically translates as “horse stables,” So I’m a little nevous… but I’m sure it will be just fine.
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