My Life in the West Bank - Life in the West Bank

My Life in the West Bank

On this page I want to show you a little bit about my life here. I think you will find that it is quite different from what you would expect from watching the news. I am teaching English at Arab American University-Jenin. Only 12 kilometers from Jenin in distance, it seems like it's worlds away from the violence and destruction that characterizes life in Jenin and much of the West Bank.

You can navigate through this page by clicking on the links below or just scrolling down. If you want to see any of the pictures magnified, just click on that picture. It may take a minute for the pictures to load depending on the speed of your connection.

A Little About Me
The University
Surrounding Area
My Job
The Apartment Tour
Leisure Time

A Little About Me

First, a little bit about me. My name is Jonathan Smith. I am an American from Atlanta, GA. I recently got my Master's Degree in Teaching English as a Second Language, which opened the door for me to go teach English in the West Bank. Why am I here? Contrary to popular opinion, I do not have a death wish! I first visited the West Bank in January 2000 and fell in love with the culture and people. When I was offered a job here as an English teacher, I jumped at the chance. But I do have some specific goals for being here. First, I want to learn more about the political situation and how it affects people's lives here. Second, I am trying to learn Arabic. And third, I like the food! Believe me, it's that good. If you want to learn more about me, click here to see my CV.

The University

This is my new home. Arab American University-Jenin just opened up in September 2000, but it has accomplished much in its short lifetime. It is a private university (the first one in Palestine) funded by Palestinian businesspeople and other donors. As of Fall 2002, there are around 1,900 Palestinians students attending from all over the West Bank.

In contrast to the destruction going on in most of Palestine, the university
is a ctually expanding. Two new buildings were just finished in the beginning of the Fall 2002 semester. One of those is the new Information Technology building, pictured here.

Surrouding Area

Arab American University-Jenin is located in the northern West Bank. The West Bank is an area on the Western side of the Jordan River (thus the name), bordered by Jordan and Israel. Its inhabitants are completely Palestinians, with the exception of some Israelis who live in settlements scattered throughout the region. For a more detailed map of my location, click here.

The university is situated 12 kilometers from Jenin in a beautiful hilly countryside dotted with olive groves, herds of sheep, and numerous villages. To learn more about Zababdeh, the closest village to the university, check out this website .

My Job

So what do I do here? All of the classes at our university are conducted in English, so the Palestinian students need specialized English study to improve their academic English skills up to the level that they need to do well in their studies. That is where my job comes in as a teacher in the English Language Center. We have a great group of teachers and staff from the U.S., Canada, and Palestine.

In Fall 2002 I am teaching five classes with about 35 students each. It is challenging, but also a lot of fun. The students are intelligent and have a great sense of humor, which makes our class time really interesting. Here is a picture of my office, and the beautiful view from my office window.

The Apartment Tour

I live in a great apartment on campus, complete with a kitchen and even cable TV with all the Arabic channels so I can learn Arabic while watching Batman cartoons dubbed in Arabic (or the news if I want to be more responsible). I really like having my own place, and I enjoy cooking for myself. I emphasize for myself because my cooking is just good enough for me, but I wouldn’t want to subject anyone else to it!

Leisure Time

In my spare time (which there’s not a lot of), I busy myself with taking pictures, studying Arabic, playing guitar, and enjoying the view from the roof of my apartment building. My favorite times here are the sunrise and sunset. On my first morning here, I took these pictures of the sun rising over some of the buildings of the university.

That was the only sunrise I have seen since being here (I am not an early riser!), but the sunset is also incredible. I love to play guitar on the roof while the sun is setting. It is incredibly peaceful.

So that's a little about my life here. Definitely different from the news. Not to say that the situation does not affect me -- it does, especially in the area of travel. You can read more about that in the photos & stories section. But I think I'm living a good life here overall. You just have to see it to believe it!

Back to top

Page last updated 12-11-2002.
For more information, contact Jonathan.