quality of life in Moscow, Jeddah, Shanghai, Damascus

[E.B. White]

I am writing for any information on the quality of life in Moscow, Jeddah, Shanghai and Damascus - what is it like for a family of four when the schoolday is done? Any information would be appreciated.

[Saiyara]

I will post about Damascus. I did not teach there but a good friend did teach at DCS for three years. I can relay to you what she told me. She liked the school, the people, her church (Christian but very small as you can imagine). I visited her there and she had a pretty nice flat in the embassy area. The main inconvenience she mentioned had to do with the embargo that is in place between the US and Syria. Because of it, she could not recieve mail other that simple flat letters and they had to go to some special address... is the embassy if I remember correctly. She could not receive packages from friends or family. She could not order from US websites like amazon.com. She had a cat and had no problem finding cat food & litter. The school faculty seemed to be pretty tight. She saved a lot of money and was able to travel as well. Cost of living is low in Syria and you can live very well. Yes, there is pollution but the historic aspect of the city is absolutely unbelievable. Shopping in the old city is really neat. I have been to Syria twice and have found the locals to be warm, friendly and helpful. She made the same comments having lived there. If you are single living there could be a bit lonely. That is one reason she decided to move on to another country/school. The teachers would organize drives to Lebanon every few weeks to pick up certain items that they may not be able to get in Syria. It's about an hour drive it I remember correctly. The only American fast food restaurant you will see in Damascus is KFC. There is a WONDERFUL place called Sale Sucre that has the most delicious cinnamon buns you have ever had in your life. It's a little cafe/bakery/coffee place... very quaint and they make the sweets right in front of you.

Hope this helps and I hope you get more responses. Good luck.

[teachingoverseas]

I have not worked in Moscow, but know it from a recent extended visit. The city has many cultural opportunities by way of music, opera, etc. which you could enjoy even if you don't know the language. However, the cost of these events has skyrocketed. Perhaps you know that Moscow was voted the most expensive city on earth last year? But the subway is still CHEAP and much, much faster than taking a car or bus in the now horrendous traffic. I remember the "good old days" when the boulevards were virtually empty except for buses and the occasional truck and . boss car. The city is huge, in the shape of a oval. Just hopping on the subway and getting off and exploring would take you many weekends. The trains arrive every two minutes most of the day and evening, to my recall and the stations are clean. Some are quite beautiful. In 2003 when I was last there, the food cost about what it does in the US. If you like to enjoy winter sports, this may be the city for you. I think the sun comes up at about 9 am during the winter solstice and disappears probably around 3pm. But this soon changes. If you stay in the summer, the sun is out for a long, long time. I think July and August are great! I have heard both good and bad things about the AAS's academics. One dissatisfied parent said it was too easy on the students. Another teacher has raved here about how glad they are they brought their kids there.
From my research on Jeddah, I would avoid that.