Host Country Staff Spotlight: Myrna, Colleen, and Donia
We have spent the month of November, 2021 highlighting the different Amideast team members across our HQ and field offices who make our programs what they are. As the month comes to a close, we want to introduce you to Myrna, Colleen, and Donia, Education Abroad Program Managers and Officers in Jordan, Morocco, and Tunisia, respectively.
Get to know these amazing people now before you arrive in your host country and read closely to learn what they think is the best advice for new students!
Myrna Al Tall, Program Manager, Jordan
مرحبا… Hello! My name is Myrna, I joined the Amideast family in 2015 as the Education Abroad Program Manager in the Amideast Jordan office.
After working with the Peace Corps Jordan office for 10 years supporting volunteers in learning Arabic, understanding the Jordanian culture, and integrating into Jordanian communities while staying safe and healthy, I was looking forward to working with Amideast Education Abroad.
One of my favorite parts of my job is orientation week and orientation sessions. I feel happy and honored to be one of the first faces students see and to facilitate students’ transition in studying and living in Amman. Being able to put faces to students’ names, meeting and getting to know their host families, hearing students practicing and speaking Jordanian Amiyah Arabic, hearing the stories of how students tried to give directions to their taxi driver in Arabic, with every group of students it always feels just as exciting for me and the excitement never gets old.
As much as we try to prepare for their experience in Jordan, the key factor is always the student. It’s up to the student to try to find ways to go out and meet Jordanians, to try to get to know their host families, and to try to attend and enjoy as many different cultural events and opportunities as they can.
If there is one thing that I want students to know, it is that studying abroad and being in Jordan will challenge their comfort zone and resiliency.
Colleen Daley, Program Manager, Morocco
Hello! My name is Colleen Daley, and I am the Program Manager of Amideast Education Abroad in Morocco. I grew up in Wisconsin, and went to university in Boston and Philadelphia, but I have been living in Morocco for the past 14 years. I first came to Morocco during the fall of 2005, when I was studying abroad in Spain, and after a visit to Chefchaouen, decided that I would like to spend more time or even live in Morocco. From there I joined the Peace Corps in Morocco, did a Critical Language Scholarship in Salalah, Oman, studied for a short program in Beirut, and then returned to Morocco to work at Amideast.
I work in Ed Abroad because I was inspired by the resident director during my own study abroad and decided that this was a job where I could both live a less “traditional” life and also make a difference in the world by teaching Americans about the MENA region and help Moroccans learn about the US. As you might guess, my favorite part about working in Education Abroad is the students – both Moroccan and American – that we work with and seeing how they grow and how their eyes and hearts are opened as they go through these life changing experiences.
Another favorite part of my job is collaborating with our fantastic team – Outman, Malika, Kaoutar, Fouad, and Rachid. Over the past 2 years, we have really come together as a group, and we all support each other and work together to make sure the students have a wonderful and challenging experience. Many Moroccan organizations operate in a more vertical, “top down” way, but we work together to be more horizontal and respect everyone’s strengths in different areas.
In working with study abroad students over the past 6 years, it is very hard to choose just one favorite memory, but I think our farewell dinner/dances must be some of my favorite activities each year. We see the students, teachers, language partners, and staff coming together, reflecting on their program, and expressing their joy in dancing and sharing a meal in a truly Moroccan way. It’s amazing to celebrate the end of a successful program, despite the slight bittersweet nature of having to say goodbye.
Future students should know that Morocco is so worth their time for study abroad. Many students come here having been told that the Moroccan Arabic spoken here (Darija) is “not real Arabic” and it is not going to help them develop their Modern Standard Arabic skills. I personally can attest to the fact that once I learned Darija, I had an intrinsic and emotional understanding of the way Arabic worked, and all my MSA classes were so much easier after that. There is no substitute for immersing yourself in an Arabic dialect, no matter which country you choose.
The same goes for students who are considering coming here to improve their French. Just because Moroccans have a different accent or approach French differently than France does not mean a student’s French will not improve. On the contrary, students have said that coming here to study opened their eyes to the plurality of experiences that exist in the Francophone world, as well as to the effects that colonialism still has on Africa.
Beyond language however, I would love for students to know how amazing our Moroccan partners and staff are – I cannot repeat enough how dedicated all of our Amideast staff are in Rabat to making sure students enjoy their experience here. They go out of their way to help students navigate the city and the country and help them understand their new home. I am so proud and honored to be part of this amazing team.
I would say that the most important thing to prepare for your time abroad is to manage your expectations and search yourself for expectations you didn’t know you had. Morocco is different, and even though we are an American organization, we operate in Morocco and we have to balance our program to address the needs of both our Moroccan partners and our American students. Nothing goes quite as you would expect here, from transportation to how time works to weather to perceptions of identity to language and human interactions, and so if students can take the time to prepare to be adaptable and flexible, they will be much better prepared for this roller coaster of an experience!
Donia Hajjem, Program Officer, Tunisia
Hello! My name is Donia, and I’m the Program Officer at Amideast Tunisia. I was born and raised in Tunis. Through my work with education abroad, I facilitate culture exchange for American students who want to experience Tunisian culture first-hand. Personally, I am no stranger to cultural exchange, as in my first year of high school, I moved to Saudi Arabia to pursue my high school diploma in an international school. During the three years that I spent in Saudi Arabia, I had the chance to try new food, meet people from different countries and experience their culture. I learned how to celebrate those differences and helped create a culture of inclusion and acceptance among students in my school. Then, I went back to Tunisia to pursue a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Arts in English Communications at the Higher Institute of Languages in Tunis.
I started working with Education Abroad in late 2019, after holding different positions at Amideast. From a Human Resource Assistant to a Project Assistant, then a Project Officer, and now a Program Officer, the long way has prepared me for the memorable experience with EdAbroad; and it was like nothing that I expected. My experience has been very enriching. I found the chance to facilitate and provide opportunities for American students to visit Tunisia and learn about Tunisian life, to better understand the North African culture, and get an immersive experience that was guaranteed to change their perspectives on the Middle East and North Africa.
What I like most about my job is that I can see a visible difference in the mentality and attitude of students at the beginning and the end of the program. The curiosity, anticipation, and nervousness are replaced by contentedness, a fulfilled sense of adventure, and promises of coming back for another lengthy visit with friends and family. Other favorite moments in my job are when EdAbroad students find comfort in coming to my office in between classes to have some chocolate and candy and vent to me about their day or ask for advice. They know that my door is always open for any questions and requests all the time. It makes me happy knowing that they can find support and assistance from the team as they are munching at their candies!
Through my role with EdAbroad, I share my culture to bridge the gap. I want Americans to see Tunisia and the North African culture and what it represents: the diversity, the beauty of cultural differences, and experience the wide range of backgrounds and viewpoints. I want to showcase the picture of Tunisia, a unique place that gathers the geographic beauty of the majestic desert, the lush mountain ranges and the mesmerizing beaches, the bustling nightlife and the old Medina, and a place like no other country, and one that no student has ever left not wanting to come back.
If there is one thing that I want students to prepare before their time abroad is to buckle up for an unforgettable experience that will shape their future and give them a lifetime worth of memories. To be accepting of new cultures, be ready to try new dishes and cuisine, and to not be afraid to mingle and socialize, because the whole point of travel is to open one’s eyes to those parts of the world they’ve never before seen... and Tunisia is just the place for that.
