Well we're no longer in limbo anymore. We were made aware about four days ago that school had to let us go, along with roughly 28 other teachers. It is disappointing to us and we were disheartened to hear about their decision at first. But we have decided to look at the bright side of things. First we want to express our empathy for the other teachers at our school and all over the world who have been laid off due to enrollment issues due to COVID-19. This year has certainly been one for the ages in terms of negativity as far as I am concerned, but it's also one of great opportunity for resiliency. To me, the myriad of challenges, events, and global catastrophes that have taken place this year is emblematic of a changing world and these problems are symptoms of a greater illness facing society. However, each and every one of these issues is an opportunity for growth, togetherness and improvement.
We are very much looking forward our next steps professionally, but personally we are thrilled to say we have something in our lives to give us hope and strength and to look forward to. Shannon and I are expecting our next child in January and we are blessed to be able to say that. But information on that is for a future post. Today's is about reflecting on our time in Saudi Arabia. After expressing our condolences to those whose lives are changing along with ours, I feel that the next step is to be thankful to the community here in Saudi Arabia and at our school for being so welcoming to us, so generous, and for reaching out to make our experience here as authentic as possible. We've had some major family milestones take place
here such as having our first child and spending his first two years here. Additionally we have been able to be in the Kingdom for some fantastic milestones in the community such as women gaining the right to drive, huge economic diversification projects, the opening of movie theaters, and the restricting of some cultural expectations for women. It was like being in the front row of the history of this region! We were able to learn a lot about the culture of Saudi Arabia and the Middle East as a region, and while there is still so much more we wish we could have learned, we are grateful for having been exposed to the things we have. Additionally, living here has allowed us to meet and work with some of the finest educators and students we have ever had the pleasure of knowing. People who have truly changed our lives. Some of our coolest adventures here included playing basketball against the Saudi National Team, Shannon tutoring a princess in a palace, navigating all that is Saudi construction, being invited to personal family meals and holidays, and celebrating various events with people we grew quite close with.
Additionally, living so centrally to the world, we were able to take some amazing trips during our time here including trips to Cuba, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy (twice), Austria, Czech Republic, Jordan, Egypt, Bahrain, Philippines, India, Ireland, the UK, UAE, and maybe even a few more we're forgetting. That's pretty incredible for a three year stretch!
Now we are in the process of dealing with the fallout of the decision which includes making sure we reach out to those whose friendship we have cherished the most, closing bank accounts and cell phone accounts, selling all of our possessions (stressful but freeing!), sorting out travel arrangements, making final doctors' appointments, and seeing some final things in Saudi while we can.
As a parting thought, I want to say a special thank you to the students and colleagues who have reached out to us to offer their support, express their wishes that we could have stayed, and to offer their help as we try to transition into a very short term move. Those sentiments are greatly appreciated. Thank you to our school for giving us the opportunities we have been afforded during our time here, to the community for welcoming us so warmly, and best wishes to all students/parents/teachers/workers who remain. Thanks for everything.
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