Career Day

9 am. Today we are making an unscheduled visit to Tarabot - it's Career Day and we don't want to miss it. When Sophia and I arrive, everything is already prepared: in the main hall, employees of the International Medical Corps are guests today, an NGO located in the same building as Tarabot, offering health services and psychosocial counseling and support. They will tell the children general information about their future careers and show them various alternatives. At the other end of the hall, Mahmoud and Samer are ready as barbers. In the room where we usually paint and do crafts with the children, Hana'a (a new colleague at Tarabot) and Fuad have set up a small carpentry workshop to make small miniature furniture out of cardboard with the children. In the next room, Tarabot's "library," Sarah is working as a chemist and has prepared various experiments for the kids. In our neighboring English classroom, an electrical engineering course is taking place under external guidance, and in the last room, a creative workshop, a combination of music, theater, and puppetry. Amer, the event coordinator, is hopping between all the rooms in a funny oriental costume, making sure that everything is going according to plan. So there's something for everyone.

Sophia and I first visit the carpentry workshop and the chemistry laboratory, and then we get caught up in the creative workshop, which Kemo is leading. We are with an all-girls group that first has a small music session with some colorful plastic pipes of different lengths, in which we are allowed to participate. When the hand puppet play starts, Sophia and I withdraw. The language barrier always serves as an excuse, but even with Arabic skills, I wouldn't have dared to participate. While Kemo's movements with the puppets look totally easy, smooth, and in sync with the voices he makes, the girls still have some difficulties controlling the puppets. It's really hilarious how the puppets talk to each other with their heads sometimes looking in the completely opposite direction. But Sophia and I can easily comment from the audience seats.

Afterwards, a drama exercise. Here too, Sophia and I are only observers as the girls shyly perform spontaneously improvised texts. However, the joy in their eyes can be seen behind their shy facade. I am sure that many of them would blossom if they did such exercises more often. In the end, everyone receives a theater mask as a souvenir, and then the magic is already over.

Sophia and I make a detour to Abu Wahid on our way back, then we go to Arabic class (39 out of 40 points in the test 😊), later to the lecture, and then to Jungle Fever for some university stuff. As usual, I meet Bashar, who is currently working on his thesis and is therefore usually found in places suitable for studying. He says he listened to a bit of our Arabic class with Rose at Manara last week (of course not on purpose) and then compliments me on my pronunciation. At least a little encouragement, since I always get laughed at by everyone for my Arabic pronunciation. Although I wouldn't mind that much if I could just have a decent conversation. But I still have some time left - exactly halfway, by the way!

Aside from Career Day, the next day follows a very similar routine: crafting, playing, and doing Dabke at Tarabot, then a quick university stuff at Roamers (a small café across from the university that has deliciously forbidden cookies), lecture, and university stuff at Manara. Today, I am already writing my final internship report for GJU - Sophia and I have been to Tarabot so many times that we have already reached the required number of internship hours. However, we have decided to also accumulate internship hours at Tarabot for the next semester in Würzburg. But even aside from all the mandatory hours - we would still continue to go. We really love the children there.