Interpreter Is Valued Colleague on Reporter’s Journey

Amman, Jordan

Editor’s Note: Education Week Assistant Editor Mary Ann Zehr is on assignment in Jordan to report on the education system of this strategically located country in the Middle East. During her two-week visit, which began April 1, she will also be filing occasional reports for edweek.org.

Yasmine Mousa is one of an estimated 900,000 Iraqis who have moved to Jordan in the past few decades. She, her husband, and three children moved here about two years ago, after the U.S.-led war began in Iraq in March of 2003.

As my interpreter during my two-week stay in Amman, Yasmine is my bridge to the language and...