Category Archives: Abroad Blogs of the Week

ABOW is a weekly series posted every Wednesday highlighting international bloggers around the world.

Abroad Blog of the Week: Born Again Brazilian

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Although a little later that usual, I am proud to bring you the Abroad Blog of the Week! I found Born Again Brazilian about a month ago and since then have been fascinated with her project of becoming Brazilian. This American-born blogger moved to Sao Paolo from NYC about two years ago with her Brazilian husband and little girl. But on January 1st of this year, she took on a new challenge – do one Brazilian thing every day and blog about the venture. She is now +203 days into her journey and has even survived being Brazilian in Chicago (I’d say that’s is pretty global-from-home-worthy). On top of all that, Born Again Brazilian was so gracious to give me a last minute interview. THANK YOU!!! Here’s what she had to say:

Now that you are +203 days into your Brazilian Challenge, what is your favorite challenge so far?

While the travel experience and the food tasting challenges are the most fun, my favorites are the ones that are really kind of scary and challenge me in both the culture and language. So I’d have to say that my very favorite is “The Exams” when I spent the morning experiencing the Brazilian medical exam center system and learning all sort of new vocabulary.

You’ve been State-side for almost six weeks. How hard has it been to be Brazilian in Chicago?

Harder than I thought. Chicago doesn’t have a large Brazilian community like New York and Los Angeles, so I’ve been limited on food, art and entertainment venues. But it has forced me to test my Brazilian behavior skills, which gets me closer to the original goal of my blog – to become more Brazilian.

What do you prefer: Brazilian parenting styles or American parenting styles?

That’s difficult because parenting styles vary within both cultures. But I feel like American parents are much more involved in the details of their children’s lives. Brazilians tend to put less importance on day-to-day participation and feel it is acceptable to pass tasks, like bathing and feeding, off to others. My mothering mindset is more aligned with the American way, probably because of my American upbringing. But I have witnessed a few American expat mothers adapt into the Brazilian parenting style quite easily.

Who speaks better Portuguese, you or your daughter?

My daughter. Hands down.

What advice would you give someone trying to assimilate into another culture?

I just published “10 Tips for Surviving Sao Paulo,” on my blog. I think all ten pretty much apply to anyone assimilating into another culture. But the one main clue to adaptation is to know that you need help. Most larger cities have organizations for expats and I would highly recommend seeking out those groups for information and support.

Abroad Blog of the Week Nominations

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With moving, Mexico, and a residual stomach bug I am a bit off this week and now I’m running behind. While I’ve been emailing with a few bloggers, I have no abroad blog (yet) for this week. Bummer. But like the greeting card says, “When life gives you lemons, stick them in your bra.”  I figured I could use this opportunity to get some nominations for future Abroad Blogs of the Week. So here is the deal:

Criteria to be an Abroad Blog of the Week:

  1. The blogger must either be about to go abroad, currently abroad, or recently returned from abroad
  2. The blog must predominately be about culture/travel
  3. Posts should be fairly regular (at least once or twice a week).
  4. It has to be interesting

Requirements to be an Abroad Blog of the Week:

  1. Let me ask you 4-6 questions via email
  2. Send back your responses by the following Monday
  3. If you want (i.e. this is not a requirement), welcome any new readers from Global from Home the day I post our interview.

Easy, peasy.

If you would like your blog to be an Abroad Blog of the Week or know of another blog you think I should scope out, let me know! You can comment on this post or email me at elisehblalock@gmail.com.

Want to learn more about the Abroad Blog of the Week? Check out these previous editions:

Abroad Blog of the Week: Partners for Peace

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I came upon Partners for Peace about a month ago when I did a tag search for Peace Corps. While I don’t know that the Peace  ever fit into my life, I do love reading about others who have delved into the two-year journey. For Mari and Paul of Partners for Peace, this adventure has taken this married couple from NYC to Palmar, Ecuador. Despite connectivity issues, M&P post regularly and give a ton of detail about being a Peace Corps Volunteer. I first started reading their blog when they were opening a pizza parlor in Palmar (great posts), but since have gone back and read their engagement story and process of applying for and getting placed with the Peace Corps. If you are even contemplating the Peace Corps, Mari and Paul’s blog is definitely one to read.

I caught up with Mari and Paul this week via email to ask them a few questions about their lives in Ecuador with the Peace Corps. See what they had to say!

What are the best/most challenging aspects of your Peace Corps assignments?

MARI: One of the best aspects of my Peace Corps assignment is that I am able to combine several of my skills and passions into individual projects. For example, I am working with a women’s artisan cooperative called Mujeres Cambia (http://mujerescambia.com). Members of the group make incredible hand-made jewelry out of recycled paper. You can’t tell by looking at it that it is made from paper. Most people think the beads are made of glass, ceramic, or wood but they really are made of paper! I am able to share my love for making things with my hands (I used to be the executive director of an arts nonprofit in Brooklyn, New York) at the same time I am able to design promotional materials and a marketing strategy for the group. Further, I am constantly motivated as the women learn new business skills like branding, accounting, promotions, and inventory.

One of the more challenging aspects of service is that while we act as catalysts for change we are also forced to change a lot in our current context, too. For instance, I was used to being a very independent woman in New York City – walking around alone, sharing household chores with my husband, traveling wherever and whenever I wanted, working outside of the home – and many of these activities are less common for women in my particular town. I am in the privileged position of being from somewhere else so I am given a pass on most of these things but I am often the exception acting in this way.

PAUL:  The reason I joined the Peace Corps is that I wanted to do something different with my life. Mari and I were happy in NYC but we were restless and looking for adventure. We wanted to live abroad, learn a language and at the same time do some good. We find ourselves 2 years later in paradise. We are on the beach, working with an incredible team and couldn’t be happier. I agree that our most rewarding project is with the women’s group, Mujeres Cambia. Everyone who sees their pieces does a double-take. It is an
incredible gift to be working with such talented women.

Who has helped you adjust to your life in Ecuador?

MARI: One of the reasons I feel so fortunate to be serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer at this stage in my life is that I get to do it with my best friend and partner, Paul. Serving as a married couple means that we can collaborate on projects (we help each other on all of our projects even if one of us is the lead), take care of one another when we are sick, share household chores, and serve as each other’s support system.  I thought about applying to the Peace Corps after college but now I can’t imagine this experience without Paul!

PAUL: What Mari says is true. While many of our peers are here alone I am here with my best friend. Together we are learning about the culture of Ecuador as well what it means to be a Peace Corps Volunteer. In reality, it is also challenging because Marisa is a superstar so it’s sometimes hard to keep up. I strive to keep up with this powerhouse motivator, facilitator and designer but enjoy having a role model by my side.

You recently helped open a pizza parlor in Palmar. What are your favorite pizza combinations?

MARI: Pineapple is really popular here so we have that as an optional topping at Palmar Pizza. We also have pepperoni, ham, and vegetables. In my old life in Brooklyn, though, Paul and I were fond of a local pizza place that made a corn, goat cheese, and basil pizza. Often, we would buy pizza dough from our local pizzeria and make our own version of that pizza. I don’t know if the local taste buds would go for this one, but you never know!

PAUL: Helping start a pizza restaurant was a rewarding project where we designed and built out the space and of course perfected a recipe. In Palmar, because most people have never had pizza before we wanted to stick to the basics at least at first. In 2013 look out for shrimp pizza at a Palmar Pizza near you!

If received a care package from home, what would you want in it?

MARI: Wow! This is hard. This mythical perfect package would have to include some comfort food like home-baked cookies with dark chocolate chips, pad thai (not sure how well that would do in the mail) as well as some practical stuff like the new Polaroid digital instant camera and a bunch of Sharpie marker variety packs for the ladies of Mujeres Cambia. It would be nice to have other fun stuff to make me smile like pictures of my two nephews and one niece, recipes from my mom and mother-in-law, and actual written letters from all of my closest friends.

PAUL: My parents have been sending incredible care packages these past couple of months. We usually look forward to simple things like suncreen, cookies, or towels and always look forward to any hand written notes. I am also always excited about things that support our projects. Now I am trying to solicit old smart phones from friends that we could use for our business projects where we do accounting and inventory by hand.

What advice do you have for someone applying for the Peace Corps?

MARI: I would say “Go for it!” It is never too late to apply. We thought that since we hadn’t applied right after college that we had missed the boat but that’s definitely not true. The average age of a Peace Corps Volunteer has increased steadily (I think it’s 28 now) and they are encouraging more married couples as well as retirees to serve.

Also, it’s important to talk to current and returned volunteers. We hosted a potluck at our place for returned volunteers as we were filling out the application. We also spoke with people who had volunteered through other organizations. In the end Peace Corps was the best fit for us and they accepted us so we couldn’t feel luckier.

PAUL: I am on the same page as Marisa, “Go for it!” When we were thinking about Peace Corps we had been out of school for years, had stable jobs and a comfortable life in New York. We were content and happy. Doing something radically different like Peace Corps was risky. It meant not just leaving our jobs but being away from our family and friends. We couldn’t pick where we would live or what we would be doing. There was a chance we may not like our site. There was a feeling that we are giving up a great deal of control over our own lives. But thinking about the past couple of years in New York (which seemed to blur together now) it seemed like having a big change like this would be a way to challenge us. It would be a way to have another type of experience and of course an adventure. Adventure bound, as always.

Thanks so much, Mari and Paul!

Abroad Blog(s) of the Week: Ones to Watch

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This week I thought I would do something a bit different and highlight a few blogs that I’ve been following. What each of these bloggers have in common is that they are preparing to study abroad. They come from various places and each is headed some place different, but all of them are taking a great deal of time and effort to prepare for their journey, which I hope leads to a great abroad blog. Here are some new ones to add to your reader:

Mary in Haifa

Like me, Mary is a study abroad professional. She travels the country helping students study abroad affordably in really interesting locations. Mary is taking a year leave from work to study abroad again (jealous), but this time, she’s doing her Master’s degree in Haifa, Israel in Holocaust Studies. Mary’s blog has so much depth already because she knows what she is getting herself into. She is prepared and has even reached out to the local roller derby team in Haifa to meet friends. This is definitely one to add to your blog roll for this fall.

FREEdom Abroad

I happen to have the privilege of being the advisor to the lovely blogger of FREEdom Abroad. Katie is first headed to London at the end of July for a semester abroad with our university, then will be traveling through Asia independently, and she’ll finish out the year with a semester in Budapest, Hungary. As a journalism major, Katie’s writing is interesting and inquisitive. She is constantly wanting to try something new and she is highly adventurous (sometimes to the dismay of her study abroad advisor!).

Turkish Musings

This blog is written by Hayley, a senior at Grand Valley State University headed to Turkey for the semester. Hayley’s prep has been extensive. She posts regularly and goes into detail into everything from learning the Turkish alphabet, saying goodbye to friends, and the visa and financial aid process. I’ve allow noticed that Hayley is pretty active in the blogosphere and is reading a lot of abroad blogs to prepare. I’m pretty eager for Hayley to go abroad to read her personal Turkish musings. One more fun fact about Hayley – she’s a regional official for the US Figure Skating Association.

Adelaide for a Year

I’ve only been following Anthony of Adelaide for a Year for a about a week but I’ve enjoyed going back through this prep posts. From Essex, UK, Anthony just arrived in Australia to spend a year studying at Flinders University in Adelaide. There are so few men that study abroad and blog about it that I was excited to find Anthony’s site. His new camera seems to be serving him well and I really appreciated his first post about leaving home. Now that he’s just arrive in Adelaide, I’m sure he’ll have some great pictures up soon.

Abroad Blog of the Week: The Parallel Life

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I started following The Parallel Life a few weeks ago through a chain of Versatile Blogger posts. They are living one of my secret dreams – a thirty-something couple who quit their jobs, saved their money, and are traveling the world for an indefinite amount of time. There blog shares their adventures and great tips if you want to recreate their journey. I was able to catch up with the bloggers, Ashley and Justin, for a virtual drink in Mumbai. Cheers!

Where are you now and what was your last meal?

We are in Mumbai, India at the moment.  Honestly, I have no idea what our last meal was.  No, really, I have no idea.  We don’t have much experience with Indian food, though we’ve eaten it a number of times back home with friends, we just are never in charge of the ordering so we never remember what the dishes are called.  We stopped in a random restaurant for lunch and, not surprisingly, didn’t have a clue what anything on the menu was. We ended up just going roulette style and picked two dishes at random.  We know they were vegetarian, rice on the side, one was definitely a curry of some kind, and they were delicious!

What are the best and most challenging aspects of traveling with your spouse?

The best thing is that we get to spend so much time experiencing all these new places together. It’s hard to believe now, but there were weeks when we were living in New York where we were so busy that we barely saw each other except for a few minutes of overlapping schedules either late at night or early in the morning.  Now we get to hang out all the time!  That’s sort of the most challenging thing also…we have to hang out all the time.  We both had a great set of friends back home and we spent lots of time being social, sometimes together but often with our own separate groups of friends.  Now, it’s just us.  Sure, we meet loads of people along the way in hostels and whatnot (and we’ve met some truly great people that we know we’ll be friends with for years to come), but on a day to day basis it’s only the two of us.  We have nowhere to turn on days when we are really grating on each other’s nerves, so that’s taught us a lot about being patient with each other and learning how to avoid big meltdowns.

What tips would you give on saving money for a trip like yours?

For us, the first thing we had to do was get a realistic grasp of what was coming in and out, budget wise, each month.  Once we sat down and really looked at our financial situation we were able to get an idea of what we might be able to set aside each month with a few changes to our spending habits.  Set a goal for yourself, and really commit to it.  I think that’s the hardest part – the commitment.  If you want to save big and you don’t make a lot of money, you are going to have to sacrifice some things, but keep in mind that there’s a bigger picture and that small sacrifices add up to huge rewards in the end.  We changed little things, like making coffee at home instead of buying it on the way to work, that saved more that you might expect.  We also changed some big things, like that I got a second job once night a week, that helped boost our income.  I wrote a whole post about this before we left (back when my mom was our only reader) and you can find it here:http://theparallellife.com/2011/09/20/how-we-saved-for-our-rtw-trip-part-i-trimming-the-fat/  It says part 1 because I always meant to write another post on how to actually make a budget in the first place…I should probably get on that!

Of all the places you’ve visited so far, if you could go back to just one spot, where would it be and why?

Gah!  This is like the “If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life…” question!  There are so many places that we have loved visiting, it’s practically impossible to pick one.  At this moment though, I’d pick the southern coast of Turkey.  It’s got fantastically beautiful beaches on the Mediterranean, great food, nice people and ancient ruins all over the place.  Justin would like to chime in that while he also loved the coast of Turkey, he might pick Buenos Aires, Argentina.   He liked the European feel of the city, the nightlife and of course, the steaks.

Ashley and Justin at Iguazu Falls

Thanks for the interview, Ashley and Justin!

Abroad Blog of the Week: The Cantaloupe Tales

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When I came upon The Cantaloupe Tales a few weeks ago, I was reading through study abroad posts on WordPress. It’s my favorite tag as I do love me a good ole study abroad blog – one that has pictures of the Eiffel Tour or the experience of a student eating her first Italian gelato. But what I enjoy the most is when I find ones that are unique, filled with character, and so funny that I almost wet my pants.  Well, Cantaloupe Tales is one of those blogs.  The blogger, Katie, is witty. She can tell a great story and has made me laugh to the point that Hubby has come in our office to see what is going on. If you’re having a bad day, read this post from Katie. I promise you’ll be tearing up from laughter by the end.  Katie’s humor doesn’t end there. I have had the wonderful privilege of emailing with her and she answered a few questions about her blog and experience in Morocco.  I hope you will enjoy her writing as much as I do.

Katie from the Cantaloupe Tales

Why did you name your blog The Cantaloupe Tales?

You know, I don’t really have a good reason, except that it was the first thing that popped into my head when I sat down to create it in January. Maybe I got confused between which snack I wanted to eat and what I wanted to name this new blog; I do that sort of thing when I’m hungry. It also sort of sounds like the Canterbury Tales, which makes me sound educated and clever. The first post is called “A Melancholy Tale,” (get it?) and it’s a very short, very dumb story full of puns about two star-crossed lovers who also happen to be melons. The last line is: “‘I love my melon lover,’ sobbed the melon, “but now we cantaloupe!”  I know, I know. I can’t believe I have readers either.

What surprised you most about Morocco?

Healthcare. Is. So. Cheap. (For US-ians, anyway). When I came down with intestinal parasites (avoid those), I dragged myself out of bed to a private practice Moroccan doctor, who made us wait forever but only cost 200 dirhams (approximately exactly $22.7110). Then I went to the pharmacy and got my meds. Long story short, you just walk in and tell them what’s wrong with you. For Moroccans, I know that this isn’t exactly chump change, but as someone whose paycheck (when employed) comes in dollars, it was a bit of a relief. Also: don’t eat unwashed salads. Parasites suck (ugh, literally. Ugh, get me off the Internet).

Also, when inside a Moroccan family’s house, everyone wears their pajamas all the time. One gets dressed to go out. Brilliant! It was fantastic. Bring your jammies.

Did you pick up any local habits/customs while living abroad?

I read this question to my mother, who laughingly replied, “Well, look at what you’re wearing!” She was right: I’m wearing a Moroccan gandora, which is a traditional garment that my host family gave me the day before I left Morocco. I also wear harem pants now. Other than my increasingly dubious wardrobe, though, it’s hard to say: when living in Morocco, I picked up plenty. I ate with my hands, mastered the squat toilet and bucket operation, and grew accustomed to haggling in the souk. Lots of small things come to mind, tiny and huge lifestyle changes that add up to making a new home as the months pass.

What have I brought back to the U.S., of all these customs and habits? I’m still not sure. People use forks and toilet paper, and it’d be crazy to try to haggle at Target. I like to think I’ve brought back something, though. A puffy Hello Kitty bathrobe? That little purple rug? I’ll let you know when I figure it out.

From your experience, was it harder to go to Morocco or to come back home?

BOTH. I know that’s sort of a weenie answer, but let me explain. I struggled with adjusting to Morocco: I missed my friends, culture shock, the works. Yet adjust I did, and as my airplane departed Casablanca, the last thing I wanted to do was completely change my way of life—again. I love Morocco and its rich culture, history, politics, and mostly, its people. Slipping into all of my old U.S. habits was easier than forming new Morocco habits had been, but once home, I realized that nobody (except for a select few) knew or really cared about Morocco. That’s been weird.

So both were challenging in different ways. No matter which way the cookie crumbles, though, you’ll forget where your comfort zone was and replace it with some good, wholesome awkwardness. I’d do it all again, and not change a thing. Well, except for waiting so long to see a doctor about those parasites. Seriously.

What three pieces of advice would you give someone who was planning to live/study in Morocco?

1.     Travel as much as you can, Morocco has pretty great public transit. Go to Chefchaouen and Asilah! Climb Mount Toubkal! Run around on beaches! Play soccer with Moroccan kids!

2.     Don’t be too paranoid about people ripping you off in the souk. Get some ballpark prices from Moroccans for certain items, and haggle away! Don’t be shy! But honestly, you’ll end up paying a bit more for some things because you’re foreign anyway. When it’s a difference of 10 dirhams, what’s one more dollar to you? You’re boosting their economy. Smile. Make friends with the shopkeepers. Have a ball.

3.      Learn Darija and talk to people. All the time. Never stop talking to people! Ladies, just ignore the catcallers, but talk to people! That’s the point, right? Crossing cultural and linguistic boundaries. Seriously, learn Darija. It’s fun. Chat ‘em up! Good luck! Have fun!

4.     I know you said three, but I just thought of an important one. Bring hand sanitizer. There’s never soap, and when you’re using a bucket and water, you’ll want to wash your hands thoroughly. Oh, yeah, and eat lots of couscous. Go to a wedding. Beware of leben. Okay, I’m done. Thanks for reading!

Thanks for the interview, Katie!

Abroad Blog of the Week: Travel Thayer

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If you have ever considered teaching abroad and want to know what it’s really all about,  check out this week’s Abroad Blog of the Week: Travel Thayer. The blogger, Michael, has now been teaching English abroad at an elementary school in Jochiwon, South Korea for right at a month and in his blog shares the details of teaching, living, and learning in Korea.  For anyone contemplating teaching abroad, the blog has great posts about classroom management, the experience of being a new teacher, and adjusting to living in a country where you don’t speak the language.  What I like best about Travel Thayer’s posts is that they are regular, detailed, and seem to reflect his true experience.

I caught up with Michael via Gmail last week and was able to ask a few questions about being an ESL teacher in Jochiwon. Here’s what he had to say:

What countries did you consider when you were looking for teaching positions abroad?

I had been thinking about teaching English abroad ever since my 2008 summer internship in Hangzhou, China where I taught English at a middle school summer camp.  Once I finished my Bachelors I looked into three countries for teaching: Japan, Korea, and China. I researched these countries simply because they were places that I was interested in spending time learning language, eating food, and experiencing the culture.

After much research I finally decided on Korea for several reasons.  Korea is one of the highest paying countries for English teachers; an entry-level teacher with only a Bachelors can find jobs paying about 2,000,000 Won per month for public schools and about 2,200,000 Won per month for private “Hagwon” schools.  Korea also provides free housing in every job offer I have seen.  I believe that this is also very common in Japan.  You still have to pay for utilities, but free housing is a great bonus!  The third economical reason I chose Korea is because the cost of living is very affordable, especially on an English teacher’s salary!

I believe that Korea and Japan offer similar contracts in terms of free housing and pay, but from my research I have found that Japan’s cost of living can be very high.  China is a wonderful country that I have spent about 6 months studying in, but I simply could not afford to live there on the salary that the English teachers are paid.  Perhaps if I had less student loans. . .

How did you decide to take the placement in Korea?

My first step after deciding which country I wanted to work in was to figure out which school I wanted to work for.  It can be an incredibly daunting task if you are not prepared!  There are probably thousands of different schools in Korea, some of them good, others have very poor reviews.  It is important to thoroughly research a school that is offering you a job and ask if you can speak with current foreign English teachers.
How do you find these schools in the first place? To be honest I did not go out looking for individual schools.  I simply put my resume up on an ESL teacher forum that several schools use to find new teachers.  It was not until later that I found the recruiting agency that I used to land my current job.  Recruiting agencies can be extremely helpful, especially if you have never taught overseas before! They help you with everything from how to get all of your documents completed and certified, to preparing you for your interview with your potential school.  Be sure you find an agency that is looking out for you and not simply trying to fill a quota of teachers.  I had an excellent experience with Footprints Recruiting, but I have friends who used Korean Horizons and had great things to say.

Lastly I want to talk about public schools and private “Hagwon” schools.  Public schools are government-funded and organized, much like public schools are in the United States.  Private schools are “for profit” schools.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it seems to be more likely to lead to a bad situation. Most of the bad stories that I have read about come from people teaching in hagwons.  This being said, I have friends who teach in great hagwons and are very happy with their placement!  Each person lives their own experience, some people are more culturally adaptive than others though. I think the most important thing is to be open to new things and smile!

Now that you’ve been in a Korea for a month, what do you love so far?

So far I love everything! I love the food, the people, my co-workers, my students, my apartment, and my city!  I have a hard time thinking of things that I do not like about Korea.  Even for the two weeks I was sick with a very stubborn cold I was happy about where I am.

Specifically though, the food is absolutely wonderful!  I am a very adventurous eater, and I love trying new food.  Some of my favorite foods here are duck, hot pot, and gimbap (Korean version of sushi).

I really must say how grateful I am for the kindness of the everyday Korean person. My language skills are very poor right now as I am a beginner, so the patience and kindness really helps.

What has surprised you the most?

What surprised me the most is how kind most people are here.  A long time ago Korea was known by China as “The courteous people of the East”.  I have to say that from my experience that this is very true! It is, of course, important to be courteous in return.

Also the number of Christian churches here is very surprising.  I had read that Christianity is quite popular here in Korea, but I never imagined to see so many churches!  When you look down on my city at night-time you can see all of the red crosses (neon lights).

What are three items that you brought with you from home that you just couldn’t live without?

My computer, my camera, and deodorant.  I do not really need any of these things to live, but they are things that I do enjoy and appreciate a great deal.  Technology is very well advanced in Korea; I am always finding new things in shops that I had never seen in the West.  That being said, computers are more expensive here in Korea.  I really enjoy taking pictures, writing about them, and sharing them with others; there was no way I was going to leave my camera at home.  Deodorant may sound a little funny, but it is not as easy to find here; when you do, it is much more expensive than back home.  I ran across the same issue in China where I paid about five dollars for a tiny roll-on deodorant.  This time I came well prepared!

What words of wisdom would you give to a recent study abroad returnee interested in teaching abroad?

The absolutely most important thing I can think of is to arrive with a smile on your face and an open mind!  If you have already been traveling, your mind has probably been opened a bit; keep it that way!  The worst thing you can do is to shut out experiences because you think that they are weird or embarrassing.  By being narrow-minded you will not reap the full benefit of the experience and you may even offend people.

Make sure that you actually want to teach; don’t think of teaching abroad as a vacation.  My regular schedule is about 22 classes per week.  I am at school from 8:30am-4:40pm (6pm on Tuesdays), but since I enjoy teaching I love coming to work.

If you are serious about teaching abroad I would highly recommend taking a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) course.  There are several of these courses offered online, but be sure that you take one that is at least 100 hours.  By doing this you will gain a great deal of information on how to teach English to students with a different native language. As an added benefit, most schools offer a higher wage to those who are TEFL certified.

As far as schools go, research them!  I spent at least 3 hours every day for about a month prior to my arrival researching schools, contracts, issues people had, and simply life in Korea. Also, buy a book about the culture of the country you plan on going to.  This is probably one of the best ways to avoid the brunt of culture shock. Either before you leave, or once you get to the country, try to learn at least some of the language!  It makes an incredibly good impression if you are able to say “hello”, “goodbye”, and “thank you” correctly in the native language.

Michael with two of his students

 Thanks, Michael, for the interview!

Abroad Blog of the Week: If You Ever Find Yourself In…

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In my search for the Abroad Blog of the Week, I’ve been reading dozens of travel blogs over the past few days.  Some were written by first-time travelers, while others documented the wanderings of what I would call professional globe trotters. But there was one travel blog this week really caught my eye: If You Ever Find Yourself In…  The blog of two well-traveled sisters and their mom, If You Ever Find Yourself In… takes a different approach to sharing their global adventures.  Rather than just retelling their story, the three South African bloggers take on the role of a tour guide.  The women share what you could do in Copenhagen, Prague, Apricena, etc. They focus a good bit on nature, exploring outside of the city, and participating in local events. If I ever do find myself in Copenhagen, Prague, Apricena, etc., I will certainly look to this blog for thoughtful advice on how I should spend my time.

If you ever find yourself in Apricena, visit the historical city of Vico.

Abroad Blog of the Week: Healing Pilgrim

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I’ve been reading through dozens of blogs this week but wasn’t finding anything that really stood out to me until I came upon Healing Pilgrim.  The blogger, Amit, writes from Bali where she volunteers, explores, and heals from a traumatic accident she experienced while cycling through Cambodia in 2009. She shares her journey of rehabilitation in a foreign country as well as the culture, travel and awakening she has experienced along the way.  She is detailed in her stories and explanations and her blog provides great insight into traditional and herbal medicine, the religious and spiritual traditions, and the way of everyday life in Bali. Browsing through the past few months of her posts, Healing Pilgrim reads as both a personal narrative but also a cultural guide to a beautiful part of the world. If you are interested in learning about non-Western medicine, Southeast Asia, or just are looking for something a bit different to add to your Google Reader, I would recommend giving Healing Pilgrim a try.

Abroad Blog of the Week: Soulshine Traveler

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If you are looking for adventurous inspiration, Soulshine Traveler is a blog you should definitely check out.  Taking a year off from the corporate world starting last October, Meghan is traversing the globe on the roads less traveled and serving along the way. Currently she is in the small city of Yaroslavl, Russia with Cross-Cultural Solutions (a great international volunteer organization!) working in the community for the next two months.  I’ve only been onto this blog for about 2 weeks but here is what I love so far:

  1. Soulshine’s photos would make just about anyone want to go to Russia.  Unfortunately Russia is usually not on the top of someone’s travel bucket list but I think Meghan’s photos may just be the nudge someone would need to add it to the list. For example (wow, right?):     
  2. Each week on Soulshine Traveler, Meghan shares a variety of online resources she has stumbled upon pertaining to her interests, travel, other blogs, etc. Check out her most recent Dose of Soulshine – the Diary of Foreign Language Class Clown is a good one.
  3. Meghan is an excellent storyteller. I have never been to Russia, however, when I read her last post I could imagine myself in Yaroslavl. Her travel stories are a fond reminder of my own independent global adventures and are truly a delight to read.
  4. But what I think I love most I found out last night in a message from Meghan. She shared with me that she never studied abroad but that perhaps this year of traveling is making up for that.  I have so many students that think once college comes and goes, their chance at seeing the world is over.  I think Soulshine Traveler is indication that this simply is not true. It serves as a good reminder to me (and I hope you) that the world is only a decision away.