Teaching in Somaliland: The Last Drink in Dubai

This is a firsthand account of a Christian teacher living and working in an all-girls school in a strict Muslim country. From August 15, 2023, until July 15, 2024, I taught beginner English in Somaliland, one of Africa's poorest countries.

Memories of my growing up in former Yugoslavia are interwoven with the harsh reality of life in Somaliland. Besides describing daily life and adventures in Africa, this book is also about my efforts to inspire girls to fulfill their potential and to teach them that they have the power to improve the world around them. It describes through humor how I endured eleven months of harsh African sun, hardly any digestible meat, no proper running water, and no close friends or relatives. The book is an epistolary novel, written as a series of letters in chronological order.

A friend read the excerpt and said this about my experience:

"I have read the pages you sent me. It's like you were on a different planet, not a different country. I am amazed how you somehow were able to function. I would have been on the next balloon flight for the USA."

The names and countries of origin of those with whom I shared this adventure have been modified to preserve their privacy.