With the arrival of June I now face my final month in the Ukraine this year and the end of my first year as a Teach of English as a Foreign Language and what a year it has been!
I can still remember arriving in the Ukraine with a limited bag of Russian words and a CELTA certificate to my name. The train ride was uncomfortable and hot, the food took some getting use to and I didn't sleep at all. The induction week was over in a blur and by the end of the first week I had already taught more than I had before hand!
4 months later and I was preparing to return to the UK and recovering from a spell of homesickness. Coming home reminded me how much I had missed everyone in the UK but I soon realised how much I was looking forward to being immersed in a different culture again. Despite this I returned to the Ukraine feeling quite nervous and worried about what the next 5 months would be like.
As soon as I landed everything became fine and the confidence of managing to buy a train ticket on my own gave me the lift I need as soon as I was back.
Before I knew it I had reached the point of having completed more of my contract than I had left to go! Suddenly I realised how long I had been in the Ukraine, How much I had learnt, How much I had improved [I no longer received constant feedback telling me that I needed to grade my language] and how actually the idea of leaving the Ukraine wasn't that appealing.
Soon after this I returned home for my friends wedding! it was a wonderful few days, yet extremely tiring! As I wondered down the high street things seamed different, the world I had left behind had moved on and I had too. Shops had opened and closes, friends had got together and broken up and I felt uneasy. It had passed by the time I was heading back but It still struck me as odd.
A few weeks later and I had the conversation. I wanted to stay and they school wanted me to stay too.
And so it was agreed. Another year in the Ukraine, a chance to finish all I wanted here and to do more than I had thought about.
More months passed with highs and lows, reflections and rants, developing friendship and letting others slide and before I knew it the second conference was coming up and I decided to speak there! In the lead up to the conference I had several more observations which confirmed how I felt, that I had continued to grow as a teacher here. Not only that but I had also filmed a Pilot episode for English club TV!
And now I'm here! 1 month left before heading back to the UK, teaching at a summer school in Oxford and trying to see people whilst I am back home.
If I could offer some advice for people thinking of teaching/living abroad I think I'd encourage them to stick it out, of course it is hard at times but once the night returns to day the sun seams to be brighter than the last time and your confidence builds that you can get through it each time. I'd also encourage people to try and meet as many local people as you can. It's amazing what a difference just a little chat in English or broken Russian can do for my mood. As a teaching point I'd encourage people to reflect on the way they are learning the language in that country. It has been so useful for me to come here with very limited Russian and to be able to reflect how I have increased my own communicative abilities. My final point with be establish a routine, enjoy it...and break it! I firmly believe that finding a regular rhythm is important as well as ensuring that you step out of sync with your rhythm too.
Other than that I'm still learning and growing and hopefully I'll be able to look back on next year and offer better insights.
