Reference in the Desert:
Joan Petit, Reference Librarian Overseas
By Rachel Waterhouse
Finding adventure in her career
What can you do with an English degree? Of course, there
are the glamorous job descriptions that every English major
dreams of, such as editor in chief, journalist, novelist,
or essayist. Being a librarian doesn’t seem nearly as
exciting as penning philosophical ramblings on the brutality
of corporate America, but who’s to say you can’t
get your kicks referencing encyclopedias? Joan Petit, a WCU
English graduate and passionate librarian, has managed to
find a bit of adventure in her career.
Petit did not begin her career in a library. After graduating
WCU in 2002 with a Master of Arts in English, she remained
in her marketing position at the Nantahala Outdoor Center
where she had worked since before her studies at WCU. Two
years on this track convinced her to make a switch. In 2004,
Petit returned to her alma mater, the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill, and entered the School of Information
and Library Science. After graduation, she worked at Duke
University as their Instruction and Outreach librarian. One
year later, she was offered the adventure of a lifetime.
In 2007, Petit accepted a position in Cairo, Egypt at an
American University. Her husband and their two sons (adopted
from Ethiopia) moved there primarily for the adventure,and
that it has been. Although her job in Egypt is similar to
her job at Duke (mostly library instruction and answering
questions at the reference desk), her life is quite different
from what it used to be.
Making cultural adjustments
Indeed, she has made some difficult adjustments. First,
Petit and her family had to re-invent their eating habits,
substituting fresh produce and local brands for convenient
American dishes and brand names — but not because American
food is unavailable; rather, “it’s often expensive—for
example, Cheerios® cost over $7 a box!” The family
also had to adjust to apartment living. Although Petit and
her family live in a suburb of Cairo, it is still very crowded,
with no public parks or big backyards for two growing boys
of four and six years to romp around. Eventually, the Petits
broke down and joined an American sports club.
No shifts were as trying as the “shift in cultural
norms.” According to Petit, “Egyptians are very
friendly and warm, but much more conservative socially. Most
are Muslim and about 10 percent are Coptic Christian.”
Women generally cover roughly 95 percent of their skin (meaning
all skin besides hands neck and face), and most don a headscarf,
or hijab, in addition to that. Joan is expected to dress conservatively
(she misses her knee-length skirts sorely), but as a non-Muslim
expat, no one expects her to go all out. “It would,
in fact, seem quite strange.”
Despite the difficulties in acclimating to a vastly different
culture, Petit decrees that her family is “spoiled here.”
They acquire, as a standard expat compensation package, free
tuition at a private American school for both the children,
paid airfare for their family unit to go to America each summer
during “home leave,” and vacation time for all
combined holidays (American holidays, Muslim holidays, and
Egyptian national holidays). “That's a lot of vacation
time,” says Petit. “
Our favorite destination is a town called Dahab on the Sinai
Peninsula, across from Saudi Arabia. It’s a very laid-back
coastal town with incredible snorkeling and diving right off
the beach.” The Petit family is even able to pay a full-time
nanny/housekeeper. But apart from all the benefits of her
international lifestyle, Joan insists, “My life is a
pretty normal mom-with-kids life.”
Reflecting back on past experiences
Petit looks back on her experience at WCU with great appreciation,
considering her unique career now. “My master's degree
has opened many doors for me professionally that wouldn’t
have been open otherwise…I also find I can relate to
the graduate students and faculty I help because of my experience
researching and writing a master’s thesis.” Petit
benefited from the small class sizes and attentive faculty
at WCU. In fact, a WCU faculty member, Dr. Hal Farwell, first
suggested Petit would enjoy being a librarian, triggering
the course of her international career.
So who says you need an illustrious title to fill your life
with excitement? Opportunies for thrilling journeys hide in
every career path, no matter if you become a teacher, an editor,
or even a librarian. Follow the example of Joan Petit: chase
your passion and go where adventure calls.
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