After 11 years of experience at a German university (Bochum) I have taught and conducted research at UJ during the academic years 2016/17 and 2017/18 as a lecturer for the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) at the
Faculty of Archaeology and Tourism, Dept. of Cultural Resources Management. Being an archaeologist of Greek and Roman antiquity by training, this academic constellation proved to be especially lucky for me. Working in a country with sites like Petra, Jerash, Umm Qais or Amman and having the opportunity to discuss issues of the country’s rich and unique cultural heritage as well as its protection under the regional circumstances with students and colleagues was an insightful, very informative and stimulating experience.
My colleagues at faculty and department have given me a more than warm welcome. They have always been helpful and never lost patience with my admittedly weak Arabic skills. Their support helped me a lot to understand and manage the new tasks and issues numerous – often remarkably different than those in Germany. In addition, the International Affairs Unit with Maysaa al-Khatib was a major help for me. Their support in all kinds of problems and challenges (bureaucracy…) saved me from many potential mistakes, and I always felt welcomed there.
The four semesters of teaching BA-courses in Archaeology and Cultural Resources Management at UJ have been joyful und rewarding. To discuss aspects of the rich archaeological heritage of Jordan with the students was an enormous pleasure. Here it was an interesting experience to teach students not only from Jordan, but from countries all over the world, among them the US, UK, Brunei, Seychelles, Singapore, and China. This impressive worldwide internationality is, in my opinion, one of the great plusses of UJ and should be fostered and, if possible, intensified even more.
I have visited Jordan several times before my stay at UJ, so I knew Amman and the country a bit before applying to the position. Therefore, I have tried to use my stay to learn as much as possible about the rural regions of the country beyond Amman and the important tourist sites, travelling a lot to areas of no tourist interest, to gain insights into numerous Jordanian regions, their astonishing variety, and the local culture.
Here the possibility to participate in a project in Umm al-Jimal offered by my predecessor Thomas Weber-Karyotakis to students from UJ and GJU was a great opportunity. This extraordinarily well preserved archaeological monument near Mafraq was the site my predecessor chose to develop and implement an admirable project focussing on the involvement of the local community, Syrian refugee children as well as students from Amman. I am extra grateful to him for this experience.
I still miss the campus and its relaxed atmosphere, the trees, coffee booths, and green areas. Wouldn’t it have been for the offer of a professorship at a German university I would have extended my contract with DAAD and UJ and gladly enjoyed to stay for more years. All in all, the years at UJ have been among the best of my career. I have learned a lot, the stay has changed my perspective on numerous issues, and has resulted in manifold memories I certainly will never forget.