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My language-learning journey started when I was about three years old when my parents put me in a Greek-American preschool. While I didn’t have much choice in the matter, many of my other experiences with foreign languages like studying abroad,…
Whether or not America was ready for me again, the time had come. I made the decision to move back to the U.S. months prior, but it was time to put the pedal to the metal upon arriving back to…
I never thought I’d move back to the U.S. I guess living in Europe for almost eight years will do that to a person. I’ve lost track of the times I confidently and without hesitation said, “I’m sorry, but I…
Looking for a job outside of the world of TEFL teaching, I had a one-track mind: anything that wasn’t that. When my networking scavenger hunt led me to a copywriter and editor position at an online startup in the heart…
When you’re learning a new language, you’re likely to stumble across words for which there’s no equivalent in your native tongue. Japanese is no exception. There are nuances of societal expectations conveyed through language that just don’t make sense when…
It’s no state secret: Becoming a TEFL teacher is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to live abroad. Of all the expats I met in Spain who found themselves on this career path, everyone could be more or less…
Life in the U.S. doesn’t really prepare (nor encourage) you to take on a new job that you have absolutely no experience in. Did I let that stop me when I decided to go teach English abroad? No way, José….
Fresh off the car, the plane, and the bus, it was time to establish myself as a functioning adult member of society in Spain. This included, but was not limited to, getting a Spanish phone number, finding an apartment, opening…
One year in Spain turns into almost eight years in Spain really fast. Oh, wait, that’s not the norm? That was just me? Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool. As I find myself reflecting on how much time has passed—years filled…
I was twenty years old, and I was living abroad for the first time as an au pair in the French Alps. I was mostly loving it, but when the parents asked me if I wanted to go on vacation…
It’s my last day in Costa Rica, and I’m sitting in a smoothie bar watching a ceiling fan whirl lazily above my head. My two friends, Maggie and Maddie, are sucking on the last of their smoothies as cars buzz…
The words a language uses can tell you a lot about its cultural and societal values. And language can evolve over time, taking on new meanings and growing organically to embrace challenges. That’s especially true of the ways in which…
