We finally figured out where we're going to be this summer: Middlebury, Vermont.
It's not as random as it sounds. Every summer, there is a massive, well-known (for people who know about that kind of thing) language immersion program held at Middlebury College for ten different foreign languages. Jeremy will be a teacher for the Arabic school. He applied for and was offered this job last year, but we passed it up to go to Jordan. This year, we're going for it!
We visited Middlebury for a week or two back in the summer of 2003, so we're slightly familiar with the college and its environs. And it is a beautiful, beautiful place.
Exciting facts about our upcoming summer in Middlebury, Vermont:
- Middlebury is a small New England town. It has a Main Street with a church on it and everything.
- You can actually walk places in Middlebury. There are sidewalks and you can use them to get to restaurants, the grocery store, and even church - even if you're Mormon.
- As part of the job, we'll have to sign a language pledge stating that we will speak Arabic everywhere, all the time, or else. So it's quite possible that Miriam will learn more Arabic this summer, in America, than she did the last two summers, in Jordan.
- Also as part of the job, we get free room and board. I think this is my favorite part - we all get three meals a day in the dining hall. I realize this could be a curse in disguise except that we've eaten there before (back in 2003) and it was great. In case you're not grasping what this means, let me be absolutely clear: I will not have to cook for the entire summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jeremy thinks that's why I was so in favor of Middlebury over other options during the decision process. I have no official comment on that matter.
- In what seems to be an emerging family summer work tradition, we will not have a car in Middlebury.
- This will be the first summer we've spent in America since 2003.
It's a relief to finally know where we'll be this summer and we are excited to spend it at Middlebury!
It's not as random as it sounds. Every summer, there is a massive, well-known (for people who know about that kind of thing) language immersion program held at Middlebury College for ten different foreign languages. Jeremy will be a teacher for the Arabic school. He applied for and was offered this job last year, but we passed it up to go to Jordan. This year, we're going for it!
We visited Middlebury for a week or two back in the summer of 2003, so we're slightly familiar with the college and its environs. And it is a beautiful, beautiful place.
Exciting facts about our upcoming summer in Middlebury, Vermont:
- Middlebury is a small New England town. It has a Main Street with a church on it and everything.
- You can actually walk places in Middlebury. There are sidewalks and you can use them to get to restaurants, the grocery store, and even church - even if you're Mormon.
- As part of the job, we'll have to sign a language pledge stating that we will speak Arabic everywhere, all the time, or else. So it's quite possible that Miriam will learn more Arabic this summer, in America, than she did the last two summers, in Jordan.
- Also as part of the job, we get free room and board. I think this is my favorite part - we all get three meals a day in the dining hall. I realize this could be a curse in disguise except that we've eaten there before (back in 2003) and it was great. In case you're not grasping what this means, let me be absolutely clear: I will not have to cook for the entire summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jeremy thinks that's why I was so in favor of Middlebury over other options during the decision process. I have no official comment on that matter.
- In what seems to be an emerging family summer work tradition, we will not have a car in Middlebury.
- This will be the first summer we've spent in America since 2003.
It's a relief to finally know where we'll be this summer and we are excited to spend it at Middlebury!
