We have had an amazing time teaching the last 3 years in Shekou, China! While we've really enjoyed working at QSI Shekou, we have come to a conclusion that it is the right time for us to move on. The last few months have been crazy busy as we have been preparing for the ISS Bangkok Job Fair for overseas educators. This last week, Marea and I have were in Bangkok conducting intense interviews with directors of other schools from around the world. At the end of the job fair, we found ourselves with three offers: Caracas, Venezuela; Tianjin, China; and RasTanura, Saudi Arabia.
So... Where did the Boumas decide to go? SAUDI ARABIA! Yes, it sounds crazy, but it made the most sense for our family as Marea will not have to work immediately for the school and stay at home with Avery. She will be a teacher for the company that they can use later when needed.Q: Where will we live?
A: Ras Tanura on the Persian Gulf in a camp on the beach. This is a very large camp with a golf course, bowling alley, dive club, yacht club, swimming pools, and a beautiful sandy beach to play on.
Q: Can we leave the camp?A: Absolutely - we will leave several times during the week to go to local towns/villages and eat/shop/interact with locals.
Q: Does Marea have to dress up and wear anything?
A: Marea is able to dress normally when leaving the camp, although she will probably wear long pants and long sleeves. She does not have to cover her beautiful blond hair.
Q: Are there any restrictions for Marea?
A: They only restrict her from driving. When we drive to Dubai/Bahrain/Qatar/Red Sea, I will have to do all the driving --- ugh :)
While we knew the school in Saudi had one of the best reputations for schools in the world, we had a lot of these questions that needed to be answered before we even considered it as an option. The director eased our minds by saying that out of the 75 teachers in his school, he is only interviewing for 2 positions and that teachers stay because they love it. This spoke volumes to us.
So... we know Saudi Arabia is not a destination for most people (we've had several people visit us in China). Who wants to meet us in Europe? Egypt? Thailand (yes, it's still a reasonable flight)?
We're both looking forward to what God has in store for this next chapter of our lives. We prayed for an open door, and feel that he provided this for us. We are anticipating the amazing travel opportunities at the crossroads of the world: Egypt, Jordan, back to the mission base in Kenya, Maldives, Nepal, Bosnia (where several of our friends are teaching), Italy, Turkey, Greece, Spain, Holland, etc! It will also be interesting to compare middle eastern culture with China and SE Asia.
We will keep updating our blog from time to time. Bookmark our page and you'll be able to follow our travels!
