After a year of discussing the possibility of teaching overseas, English teacher Daniel Michelson and his wife are moving to Kuwait after accepting a two-year teaching contract at an English-speaking school there starting this fall.
“Basically, the main reason why we did it was not really because we’re unhappy teaching here, because I actually like teaching here, but we just wanted to do something different,” Michelson said. “Should I say we were having a midlife crisis?”
Both Michelson and his wife, who is also a teacher, accepted the opportunity, because they want to do something new with their lives and are fond of traveling. They have taken trips to places such as South America and Europe.
“That’s what we like to do,” Michelson said. “Some people like to have nice cars and stuff like that, but we don’t care. We like to spend our money going to different places.”
The Michelsons became interested in teaching overseas after taking a trip to Spain last summer. One thing lead to another, he says, and they found out about a job fair in Iowa in the winter. After interviewing with many agencies, Michelson says he accepted the position in Kuwait because it seemed like the best offer at the fair.
“Overall I feel good about going,” Michelson said. “Obviously I’m a little bit nervous because there are things that are unknown about [moving there]. But overall I’m glad to go. It’s a little bit of a risk, because we might not like it. But I’m pretty sure we will.”
Kuwait has many American and European residents because of jobs in the oil industry. Although Kuwait is a pretty western country, he says he understands when people are shocked about his plans because of its proximity to more conservative countries like Saudi Arabia.
“[My family was] a little bit apprehensive about it,” Michelson said. “They were a little freaked out about the Middle Eastern thing because they didn’t really know [much about Kuwait]. But overall they’re happy we’re doing it. They’re behind us.”
Right now, Michelson says he and his wife have had to make many arrangements for the trip, such as renting out their house and selling their cars. In the summer, they will finish most of the arrangements and pack.
“We’re kind of waiting until school’s over,” Michelson said. “[The both of us] are busy now with school. So June we’re going to be extremely busy, getting ready to go. In July, we’re going to California to visit my family for a couple weeks before we go. And then we’ll come back here in the middle of August [to] leave. It’s a little crazy.”
Michelson will either teach English or social studies, a subject he has never taught before but is willing to teach, Kuwaiti students. Although Michelson has done research about the school, the city and the country through the Internet and blogs of teachers in similar situations, he knows he cannot really get a grasp on what it will be like to live in Kuwait until he experiences it.
“It’s definitely going to be a new experience for me,” Michelson said. “I’ve never even been close to the Middle East, actually. The first few months will probably be an adjustment. Slowly but surely we’ll adjust to it. The culture there is definitely different than in the states.”
Michelson believes the experience will benefit him and his wife in their careers and lives. During their two years in Kuwait, they hope to travel around and visit places like Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Europe and Russia. After the two-year contract ends, Michelson says he and his wife are not sure what they will do after their adventure.
“I’m definitely leaving a lot behind here, like people I’ve known for a long time,” Michelson said. “And comforts [are] gone. [Here], I know where everything is, I know people here and I know all the ins and outs of what my job is like. It’s going to be different there. In a way I’m walking into the unknown, because you can only know so much from interviews and doing research and phone calls. [But] I still feel pretty good about it. But still, [having an experience like this] is kind of a rare thing. Most people my age don’t do this kind of thing, so I’m glad to be doing it.”

Read more about Kuwait here https://www.raiderecho.com/news/2013/05/23/more-about-kuwait/