Expat life is full of excitement, exploration and learning. It means new routines and challenges every few years. It means being open, flexible and vulnerable. But above all, it is about making and seeing connections.
In my blog entries you will find my thoughts and experiences relating to relationships, international teaching, expat life in general, or anything else that is currently on my mind.
In the podcast I share how the way you perceive yourself affects your ability to learn a new language and why it is important to keep a growth mindset in order to improve your study techniques and progress in your language skills. My goal is to share my language learner’s and my teacher’s perspective in order to make acquiring a new language less stressful and more effective.
I am looking forward to connecting with people who are inspired by similar things I am inspired by. Feel free to leave a comment, post a question or simply make contact through the About page.
“If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright”
-AMANDA GORMAN
Teaching
I began my international teaching career in 2008, in Hungary. I was called in to substitute teach for a first grade English as a Second Language class at American International School of Budapest and realized very quickly that I am very passionate about early literacy and ESL. In addition to English, I taught grades K through 3 in Uganda, Kenya and in Congo-Brazzaville. Recently, I came back to teaching English. While in the US in 2018-19, I worked with immigrant populations which turned out to be an incredibly rewarding and inspirational experience. In the Congo, opportunities to teach English I multiple. I taught a course at the European Union, I volunteer at Actions de Solidarité Internationale, and I consult on Communicative Approach to English teaching, working with English teachers and students.
EXPAT life
When my children were small and still living with us, we moved seven times in 15 years. Each time we started from scratch. We followed a familiar routine – setting up house, learning where and how to purchase necessities, discovering a new school/work and making new friends. Our quick settling-in process was entirely psychological – we knew we had to proceed fast because soon, we would be gone. I grew in my parenting skills, communication techniques, relationship building, professional practice and emotional maturity during those years. My expat life made me who I am today. Check out the separate blog about my adventures in the Congo! https://meanwhileinthecongo.blogspot.com/
PODCAST
“Growth Mindset in Language Learning” podcast was born out of passion for teaching and fascination with the Growth Mindset theory and how well it applies to language learning. The listeners can discover how the way you perceive yourself affects your ability to learn a new language and how important it is to develop and maintain a growth mindset in order to be a successful foreign language communicator. Being a life long language learner myself, I speak from both, the teacher’s and the learner’s perspective . My goal is to share my philosophy and study tips, and hopefully make language learning less stressful and more effective.
Teach-Learn-Love 