UD teaching assistant returns favor

	Hayette Meddah, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Economics, helped acclimate Algerian English professors to life in Newark.

It’s like the hotel. The Hyatt Hotel.

Hayette Meddah, whose first name means “life” in Arabic, explains its pronunciation with the ease of someone who understands American life and thinking. That understanding made her an invaluable resource for Algerian teachers studying at ELI last spring.

A French citizen whose parents were born in Algeria, Meddah first came to the University of Delaware through an exchange program with the Université de Lyon, France. She completed her master’s degree in economics here and was about to begin her doctoral studies when she first encountered ELI.

ELI’s training program for international teaching assistants helped prepare Meddah to interact with American undergraduate students. A chance conversation let her return the favor.

Meddah was working as a graduate assistant in the Center for International Studies when director Bahram Rajaee mentioned that a group of Algerian teachers would be coming to the English Language Institute. Meddah immediately sent an email to ELI director Scott Stevens.

“I would like to meet [these teachers],” she wrote. “I’d like to help.”

Officially, Meddah was designated a second driver for the group, escorting them on cultural visits. But in fact she became much more. When the group traveled to New York City, Meddah, who had previously lived in Manhattan for three months as a U.N. intern, took charge. The Statue of Liberty? Not a problem. Meddah helped the group navigate the subway system and catch the Staten Island ferry.

“I was so scared to lose one,” she said.

Most of the teachers had earned advanced degrees in Great Britain and were in the United States for the first time. Quickly Meddah’s role grew.

“They wanted to know how American people think, how the system works here, where to buy this and that, where to go, what to do.

“They considered me as their sister, part of their family,” she said. “I felt the same.”

During the last week of their stay, group participants prepared a party for their ELI hosts, complete with the traditional Algerian couscous. Meddah played a crucial role in the event, locating a couscous steamer and helping buy the grain in bulk at the Newark Natural Foods Store.

For Meddah, the ELI work experience fit in with her career plans as an economist.

“My goal is to help developing nations,” she said. “This was just a small contribution, but it’s a step.”