27 Lessons from a 5 Year Expat
Five years an expat! A milestone, perhaps. The sapphire anniversary. A longer commitment than any job, city, or relationship has ever gotten out of me. And yet it feels…. Normal. Perhaps that’s what I should have expected,…
Kyiv Expat Life: April 2020 Round Up
Canceled plans. That was the theme of April in Kyiv. No more IATEFL Ukraine, where I was going to get listed on the same program as Scott Thornbury. Goodbye to that long-awaited visit to Minsk. So much…
Moving Back to Kyiv. Again.
I know they say be careful what you wish for, but it wasn’t like I wished to be back here. I just made a joke, that’s all. It wasn’t even a particularly good one. About a year…
Kyiv Expat Life: February 2020 Round Up
Just by looking at this blog, someone could assume my life only involves epic train trips, road tripping through Eastern Europe, and an exorbitant number of cocktails. However, only one of those things is true. As my…
10 Hidden Truths about Teaching English Abroad
When I chose to do a CELTA, I anticipated learning a lot about teaching – and I did. I learned to minimize my Teacher Talk Time, how to breakdown new vocabulary for students, and that I would…
How I Survived Teaching with Depression
Oh hello. Well, this is a bit awkward. I mean, I know I’m the one who brought this up, but depression is still something not talked about. Except, we’re going to talk about it today. First, talking…
5 Reasons to Get a CELTA to Teach English Abroad
In 2012, I hit early retirement. If only. Wait, what I mean is, I was hanging out with my aunt down in Florida, having just quit my job without any plan for further action. Everything I owned…
Why I’m Moving to Kiev to Teach English
On February 26, 2016, I boarded a midnight plane flying direct to Kiev. I had scored an amazing $300 ticket, one way to the city that would launch the European part of my nomadic life. The plane…