Eric and Jamie's International Teaching Blog

Eric and Jamie have moved to Saudi Arabia. After living in China for two years, we have decided to take another international school teaching opportunity to teach in "The Kingdom." We have created this site to keep our family and friends updated on our journey. We are currently teaching at International Schools Group in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, right on the Persian Gulf. We would like to thank you for checking out our blog and hope you continue to visit.

From Jamie's Philippines Pics

We have also had the opportunity to travel to some amazing places in China, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Bali. We have archived all of our travels and living experiences abroad; and if you wish, you can read about our adventures by finding the archives on the right of this page and by checking our Photo Album.

We appreciate all of our family and friends who have stayed in touch and emailed us with encouraging words throughout the year. We hope you will continue to keep us in your thoughts as we continue our adventure of living abroad teaching at an international school. For those who have stumbled upon our site, check out the "About Eric and Jamie" section on the right for more information.

Thanks for checking us out!

Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness."
- Mark Twain

"Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends."
- Maya Angelou

Eric
School: ebrown@isgdh.org

Home: ebrown2324@gmail.com

Jamie

School: jbrown@isgdh.org

Home: jkwbrown@gmail.com

Skype: "ericandjamie"

PICASA PHOTO ALBUM

MESSAGE BOARD

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Crunch Time

Today was our last day of pre-planning. I can honestly say this is the least prepared I have ever been to teach and that is including my first year of teaching. Of course, because of the constant schedule and building and room changes, everyone is pretty much in the same boat. Nonetheless, the kids come tomorrow for a half day, but it will be regular first day type stuff. No biggie, but exciting nonetheless.

We had our final step today for receiving our 1 year visas. We had to travel about 40 minutes to a district police station and then wait for about an hour for a 2 minute paperwork process. They say we'll have our passports and visas back by next Thursday, and we'll be able to travel. Thank goodness.

We finalize our bare and scarce rooms and feel pretty prepared for tomorrow save some copying that we'll do in the morning. I'll take pictures of our rooms soon and send them. Nothing much at which to look.

Back to work tomorrow!

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About Eric and Jamie

Eric

I am now teaching 7th grade Math/Science at ISG in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. For the last two years, I have been teaching middle school at Quality Schools International in Shekou, China for 2 years. Prior to these international school placements, I taught middle and high school social studies in the state of Georgia for 7 years. I'm originally from the small town of Calhoun, Tennessee (Go Vols!) and went to high school at McMinn County High School. After high school, I completed my Bachelor of Arts Degree in history at Middle Tennessee State University minoring in Geography and Secondary Education. I was a brother of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity all four years. Upon completion of student teaching, I took a job in Cartersville, Georgia teaching Georgia history to 8th graders. In 2004, I completed my Master of Science degree in Educational Administration from Jacksonville State University in Alabama. I coached baseball and basketball in Cartersville for 5 years before moving to a high school in Adairsville, Georgia teaching just about every social studies and coaching the Mock Trial team. My hobbies included traveling, reading (Gresham, Baldacci, North Patterson, Connelly, and Dan Brown), golf, tennis, and politics. Recently, I've been trying to get back in shape by running and have been proud with my progress. I am hoping to finish my dissertation for my PhD in Curriculum and Instruction from Capella University sometime before my hair falls out.

Jamie

My husband and I moved to Saudi Arabia in August of 2010 to take teaching positions at ISG in Dhahran where I am teaching high school social studies. Prior to this, I have been working at QSI in Shekou for 2 years teaching in a middle school. Before this, I worked in Calhoun, Georgia for 4 years teaching every high school social studies subject. After graduating from Rome High School in Georgia, I went to the University of Georgia and earned a Social Science Education degree in 2004. I have since graduated with my master's degree in Teaching and Learning from Nova Southeastern University and working on my PhD dissertation in Curriculum and Instruction from Capella University. I love reading and traveling as well as spending time with the most wonderful husband in the world.

We actually met in 2004 on a blind date set up by one of Eric's former students' mother. We started dating and were engaged on New Year's Eve of 2006 and subsequently were married on June 2, 2007 in Rome, Georgia. We are avid travelers and cultural readers and decided we wanted see the world and began searching for teaching jobs abroad. We figured since we were still young and without any children, now would be the best time. We have had amazing travels through China, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Macau, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and Bali, Indonesia.

We will be teaching in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia starting in August 2010 to teach middle and high school for International Schools Group for a 2 year contract. We are excited about this new experience and hope that it opens up new travel opportunities for us.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Crunch Time

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