Djiboutian Journey — Part 1
Welcome to Djibouti


Just over two months ago I landed in Djibouti following a fast-paced couple of weeks of packing, moving, and cleaning, selling my car, and visiting loved ones. I am here with with Resource Exchange International (REI — not that REI, a different one — we do not sell outdoor gear :) )-Djibouti, the NGO I work for. REI-Djibouti partners with the Djiboutian government to promote and increase English language programs here, as there is increasing demand for this language in education and workforce development initiatives. In my role with REI-Djibouti I work both at the International School of Djibouti (ISD) teaching English, Social Studies, Science, and Art to 5th-7th grade students, advising a high school student who’s completing an independent study program, and facilitating some of the after-school activities; and also work with staff from the Ministère de l’Education Nationale (Ministry of Education) as part of their program administering education programs in two of Djibouti’s three refugee camps — my focus is currently on curriculum revision initiatives for this program. The school and the initiatives with the Ministry of Education are two of several education projects REI-Djibouti is involved with.

The journey here was in and of itself an adventure, which got off to a great start as I got to have a brief reunion at the Boston Logan airport with my dear friend Tracy, whom I’d met when we were both studying abroad in Chile during our college years, and whom I hadn’t seen in over a decade. After that it was on to Doha, Qatar, but due to the plane sitting on the runway in Boston for a long time I missed my Doha-Djibouti flight and ended up spending a night and part of the following day in Doha. Although I was disappointed to miss the first two days of the new staff orientation that had gotten underway in Djibouti, I did enjoy the opportunity to get a brief taste of Doha. The highlight of my time there was wandering through the Souk Waqif, a sprawling market organized into sections that each contain different types of goods, including spices, textiles, jewelry, perfume, and birds, among others. Strolling through the narrow, winding, mud-walled, wood beam-covered corridors felt like taking a step back centuries in time, though the plastic souvenirs sprinkled in amidst the more traditional items served as reminders that we were indeed still in the 21st century. I had planned to also take a walk along the Corniche, Doha’s waterfront district, but the incredible heat (even in the morning — this was around 9:00 a.m.!) caused me to alter that plan taking an air-conditioned taxi ride along the Corniche, from which I enjoyed views of traditional dhow boats in Doha Harbor and the many museums, gorgeous parks full of public art, stately palm trees, and shiny high-rise hotels and office buildings lining the waterfront. From Doha I continued on to Istanbul, where I had a long layover and became well-acquainted with the airport, enjoying people-watching the very diverse crowd of people passing through this corner of the world that lies at the convergence of many different cultures. The last leg of the journey to Djibouti was uneventful, and I arrived in this city just before sunrise.





Rachel, a member of REI-Djibouti’s leadership team, picked me up at the airport and brought me to the house I share with Sami, another new staff member. Sami is also from the United States, but was living and working as a teacher for the past two years on Chuuk, an island in Micronesia. The other new staff here this year are teachers Kayla and Tammy, who are also from the States — though Kayla has been living in Kenya for the past two years — and assistant teacher Anja, who is from Germany and is here for an internship through her university. We are joining returning staff: program directors Tom and Rachel, who’ve lived in Djibouti for the past 17 years; accountant Kirk, who is also from the States; and assistant teachers James, who is from Kenya, and Mariam, who is from Djibouti. The student body is also a mix of roughly half returning and half new students. The long-term goal for the school is to serve primarily Djiboutian and refugee students — Djibouti is home to many refugees, primarily from Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, and Eritrea — but due to a number of factors the student body currently has a greater ethnic mix of students, including large numbers of students from Djibouti, France (Djibouti is a former French colony and there is a large French military base near the school) and the States, plus smaller numbers from several other countries. This ethnic diversity allows for benefits ranging from students getting exposure to many different languages, to a really interesting range of perspectives in class discussions, recess periods in which students get to play games, share snacks, and listen to music from around the world.
The first couple of weeks here were a whirlwind of activity, beginning with a new staff orientation session. Near the end of orientation we took a break and went on to Khor Ambado, a beautiful beach that is the reward you get to enjoy if you are lucky enough to know someone who has the necessary courage, plus a car equipped for driving over what I believe may be the the road with the biggest bumps and potholes I’ve traversed up to this point in my life :) As a bonus, we encountered a herd of camels along with two herders crossing the road on the outskirts of the city as we drove out towards the beach road. Other tasks we initially focused on included setting up our classrooms (mine was still under construction at the beginning of the school year so Tammy graciously let my class take over her ESL classroom for the first week of school) and planning for the student and family welcome event and the first week of classes, along with cleaning, furnishing, and facilitating repairs in our home. Our apartment had been unoccupied for months and in the hot desert climate here it doesn’t take long for dust and sand to accumulate, paint to peel, air conditioners and fans to break, plaster and caulk to disintegrate, and ants and other insects to congregate, so much of our first two weeks were spent addressing these issues, with lots of help of Tom, who knows who to call about and where to buy supplies to address the various tasks we were trying to accomplish.





It’s good to, after this initial settling in period, feel like the basics are at least mostly in place at home and work, and to be able to dive into work, focus more on building community — I’ve been able to connect with members of the local and expat community through work, church, volunteer opportunities, an expats group, and Tom and Rachel, who have developed an extensive network. in their many years living in this corner of the world. I have also begun to pick up the pace with learning French (French, Somali, Afar, and Arabic — along with English — are all widely spoken here but since French is the language most commonly used in professional settings that is the language I’m mostly focusing on for now), and am slowly but surely getting to know the city through both going to meetings, running errands, and meeting people in various areas as well as sometimes simply walking around to explore different areas and points of interest. Signing off for now — thanks for following along on this new chapter of my life!
