"Warnings"

Hello,

I just published a post on my "Becoming Scheherazade" blog about a playlist I'm grooming in my YouTube account.

I have a few different playlists on ESL Teaching, snip bits on American culture, various topics and sermons from a Christian perspective, even some of my favorite international songs--and several other topics.

The one I want to focus on here is my "Warnings" playlist.

You can't deny that things are messed up--and getting worse. Many freedoms we value and take for granted are being taken away little by little under so many petty pretenses. Maybe you already know some of the issues. Maybe you don't. I invite you to take a look through my Warnings playlist.

These are NOT my videos and I'm not getting any money from them. I just care about all of you and want to warn you of what's going on so the powers that be cannot take advantage of you (anymore). If you were being deceived, wouldn't you want someone to warn you and help you see the truth?

Click here to view the blog post and get the whole idea.

Teaching EFL in Poland: Would I Do It Again?

Seeing it has been almost 2 years since I moved to teach English as a foreign language as a missionary in Poland for 8 months, I figure I could share my 2￠

 on my experience; summing it up for myself and giving anyone else interested in this option an idea of what to expect--especially as a non-EU citizen.

First, my situation:

As a missionary/volunteer, I received a monthly stipend of 1,400 PLN (yes, that was extremely low). Any full-time position starting salary is 2,000-2,500 PLN/month. I found this out much later.

With 1,400 PLN, I paid for rent (utilities were included), non-work-related transportation (work-related transportation was reimbursed), my prepaid phone, and food. 

I lived in an apartment with another girl for the first month. In the second month, another girl joined us for the rest of our 8-month-stay.

I barely traveled except for work (I used to teach at another private language school once a week in a bigger town nearby).

Since I knew I wanted to take the CELTA course, I (really) started saving from December for the June/July course. I managed to collect 1,800 PLN in about 5-7 months. It was tough, but I did it.

We were supposed to teach 80 hours per month. I averaged at around 90-100 hrs/month. I took on over-time gladly--and was paid for it at 20 PLN/hr. That also helped me fund my savings (which was enough to pay my rent during the CELTA course).

I taught many 1-to-1 lessons, but a few small groups (2-3 students), and 2 larger groups (one had 12, the other had 6-8). Most were middle/high school students, some were professionals. One was retired, and one of my group classes was with 10-12-year-olds.

My schedule varied each day. I may teach an 8 am class one week and have it canceled the next week because of the student's change in work schedule. The latest I ever finished was 18:30.

Some classes had a textbook, others didn't. I usually recycled content from one class and used it in another one or four.

Living in a touristy city, there were plenty of things to do. However, I needed to really watch my money. On average, I ate out about once or twice a month. Fortunately, the Baltic Sea was about a 20-minute-walk from my place. There were 2 beaches I could walk to and a couple of parks I could stroll around in. I mostly keep to myself, so this was perfectly fine with me.

Now the question: Would I go back to teach and live in Poland?

YES.

True, my paycheck was much less than desirable. However, if I returned, I'd teach for a school/language institute as a full-time employee with the visa that reflects that. I'd go to where I am paid well, have over-time opportunities, receive sweet benefits, and can advance further and further in my career.

Why don't I?

Most Poles study British English--which is logical. The UK is much closer than The States or Canada and is much more influential there.

Another major problem is that I'm not an EU citizen. Poland is part of the EU and highly prefers to hire EU citizens to teach English. Of course! There's a lot more red tape to go through if they were to hire someone who's not an EU citizen (namely proving why the non-EU national is necessary for a position that an EU national could fill). Besides, there are non-Native English speakers in several EU countries (i.e., Dutch, Scandinavians, etc.) whose English is second to none. However, there are a few schools that do hire Americans/Canadians, so not all hope is lost.

Would I recommend teaching EFL in Poland to others?

Depends on what they like and want.

There are many opportunities to teach in Poland (again, especially if you have EU citizenship), mostly in language schools/institutes. Some teach children, others adults, most both. You may have split-shifts or teach from the afternoon to the evening. Weekend classes are not completely out of the question. Neither are private lessons in students' homes. Or yours.

Class sizes tend to be either one-to-one (or up to one-to-four) or in groups of < 20 students. Most of my teen students were motivated, or at least interested. The kids can be rowdy (let's face it, kids are kids everywhere). Adults were my favorite students by far. They were motivated, interested, curious, and open to discuss (almost) every topic possible.
The people may seem cold and mean, but give them some time. Once you get to know them, you'll see how warm and kind they really are.

Housing may or may not be provided. I'm pretty sure they don't provide a housing allowance like Korea. Check with the school. Commuting time always depends on where you are and where your next class is (which may change per week/day). Work-related travel costs may or may not be reimbursed.

Food-wise, cook to save money. Eating out does not have to be expensive (just go where the university students go to eat--can't go wrong there!), but it will be if you go out often enough. The meals usually consist of some kind of meat, potatoes, and soup/other vegetables. Quite hearty. It is possible to find vegetarian restaurants--even vegan--, but they will probably be more expensive.
I think it's a little harder being vegan in Poland than in Korea. Dairy products are not all that popular in Korean cuisine. You can find milk alternatives (soy, rice, almond, etc.) easy enough in Korea, but not so in Poland (you can, but not as easily).
The Poles love their vegetables so it might be a little easier to be a vegetarian in Poland than in Korea, although Korea has a TON of vegetable dishes (or vegetables in their dishes) too.

You will definitely not earn as much in Poland as in Korea, nor will you be able to save as much--if your goal is to pay off student loans or other massive debt. Say you just want to live in Poland, then you should be able to live comfortably and save a bit each month.
Remember, Poland's currency is the Złoty. It takes roughly 4 Złoty to equal 1 Euro. It's essential to keep that in mind if you want to travel in Western Europe.
But no worries. Poland has PLENTY to offer. It has beautiful nature, bustling cities, engaging culture, tasty cuisine, and fascinating history. On top of this, the people are just as intriguing, if you give them a chance.


Does this sound good to you? Then start looking for TEFL jobs in Poland. If not, then make sure to visit Poland when you get the chance. You are truly missing out on an underestimated gem if you don't.

So what am I up to now?

Hello everyone!

So it's been almost 3 months since I returned to the States. I obviously haven't posted anything new here for a while, and I think it's time I close this blog with a "what am I doing now?" post.



I've been occupied with a few things here and there.

1. First, I looked for teaching positions abroad. Either there wasn't any that I wanted, or there was one that I wanted but it was either too late or sketchy. I still hope to teach abroad again, but in the meantime, I'll settle for #2. . .


2. I started teaching English online through SkimaTalk. It's a platform / "marketplace" where English teachers and English students can meet and arrange to take classes. Here are a few things about SkimaTalk:

- All the English teachers are native speakers and citizens from one of there 7 countries: Canada, UK, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, & USA.

- Native English speakers DO NOT have to have teaching experience to sign up--but of course, it helps.

- YOU pick as many/few sessions as you want to teach (1 session = 25 min). This is the most flexible scheduling I have ever seen--and yes, it's by half-hour. You set your time zone when you make your profile, but no worries: the system does the conversion for you and your booked sessions are shown according to the time zone you chose.

- To be accepted, you have to set up your profile--include a professional-ish looking picture of you (must see your entire face and you must be alone in the picture--think passport pic or portrait) AND a short video (30 - 90 sec.) where you introduce yourself to your potential students. You also need to take a test which is ridiculously easy. You submit everything to the SkimaTalk team and they will decide if you make the cut or not.
It doesn't say on their website, but when you're going through the process, it states that they accept about 10% of the applications they receive. Don't let that stop you! Just show them how interesting you are (be enthusiastic, speak Japanese, etc.) in your profile and especially in your video intro. and you'll most likely be accepted.

- One thing you might not like, is that you will not get paid for your first 3 classes. This is like an orientation to the system by testing the waters with an actual student (all students will know whether you're a new teacher or not. Your profile keeps a public record of how many sessions you've taught in the system). But once you've taught your first 3 classes, you'll automatically start getting paid the average $8 USD per session (yeap, session = half hr., so you can potentially make $16 USD /hr!).

- As far as pay, there are different types of classes and the pay ranges from $8 - $14 USD per session. In order to get paid, you need to set up a PayPal account. Around the 10th of the following month is when they pay you (i.e. I got paid Sept. 9 for the classes I taught in Aug.). SkimaTalk will take a cut (you'll get $6.40 from $8) and PayPal will take another short cut.
For example, I got about $40.80 from SkimaTalk, and by the time it arrived to my PayPal account, it was $38.something (after SkimaTalk & PayPal deductions).

- Don't get into it thinking you can work there full-time (unless you have some magical secret weapon) because I'm basically free all day, and I had 9 or 10 sessions in 1 month. Hey, I'm not complaining (better than nothing), just keep in mind that this is better as an "on-the-side" kind of gig to get some pocket money.

SkimaTalk is perfect for me right now. It gives one of the most flexible scheduling options (you can teach all-day everyday, or 1 session once a week. Completely up to you) I've ever seen. So far, all of my students have been Japanese (I believe it's an American company with 80%+ Japanese clientele--but don't quote me on that, 'cause I honestly don't know).
Of course, there is so much more I can say (like how your schedule automatically disappears after a certain period of time--which could be bad (reopen sessions) and good (oh, something came up, no students? Yes, I'm free!)), but it's best if you check it out for yourself by clicking: SkimaTalk.

The main reason SkimaTalk is perfect for me is because of #3 . . .



3. I've been working on another of my Dad's books.

In case you don't know, my dad is a struggling author. He works as a truck-driver to pay the bills, but his dream is to be a full-time author. In faith, he has already written over 40 books; he just needs to get them presentable for the readers.

He writes in Spanish, so by default, I'm the one who translates them to English. I've translated about 5 of his books so far (yeap, I have a LONG way to go), but only 1 is really up for sale (there are 2 others, but those publishing companies turned out to be scams, so they don't really count, sales-wise).

The one we've got up so far is called "Achor" in English and "Acor" in Spanish. We published them ourselves and you can find them on Amazon (Australia, France, UK, Mexico, India, Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Canada, Italy, Japan, Brazil, China, and the US).

Feel free to take a look at this book. You will get a closer glimpse into my family (each member).

It's about one man's journey and discovery through an archaeological dig site, but in the most unusual way--yet very real way.

For more info about the books, click on their titles in the previous few paragraphs.


I'm currently working on another--actually, updating one I translated before. It's part of a series (I think dad changed the number of books in said series) all about one boy with supernatural abilities and how he becomes the most important, powerful ruler in the world. To some, he is like a savior, messiah, what have you; but to others . . . well, if you said "the Son of the Devil", you're actually right. What's scarier, you haven't exaggerated at all . . .

Seriously, there are parts in that book that scares me--and this is the first book, that is; the nice, tame, " not scary" one!


So here it is. This is what's keeping me busy: dad's books and SkimaTalk English lessons.

I have no idea when I'll go overseas again, but I'll go gladly and excitedly. Who knows? Maybe I won't go as an English teacher, but as my dad's assistant on his book tours . . .

Journey back to the States (23. June)

The day had come to leave. Best be off, considering I had a long way to go with many stops.

It all started the morning of June 23rd--at 4:30 am. I had to catch that train (the 1st one of the day) to make it to Warszawa Centralna station. I could've used the train, but the bus seemed to be the better option at the moment.

Train stops from Podkowa Lesna - Waszawa Centralna

After arriving at the airport and given a final patience crash-course (new person took a long time to figure out if my excess bag should be charged for being extra or overweight (it was both).

I made it to my gate just in time for boarding.

Quick pic before going to my gate to board.

Do widzenia Polska . . .  Hallo, Duesseldorf . . . .

Yeap, caught my attention.

(The main idea) Taller: "Always a nose length ahead."  Shorter: "We have a good scent for deals"

Remember the suicide-murder flight

I actually don't remember this event.

Memorial room for those who need to meditate.

Oh yeah, some info about the memorial room.

Observation deck

Off she goes!

Here she comes!

This is where it's at. For 2.50 Euros, you can enjoy it too!

My plane that brought me back to the States.

Auf Wiedersehen Europa, . . . 'Sup, States . . .

Arrived at Newark for the 1st time in my life (same with Duesseldorf). I noticed major differences in architecture and overall "vibe" between major American airports from those in  Europe. It's like day and night.

My flight was slightly delayed and I was exhausted. On the plane back to Jacksonville, I. Was. Out.

I woke up just before the plane landed. After getting my bags and hugging my parents, we went out to the car.
Oh my word, I forgot how hot it gets in Florida. Imagine experiencing hot, humid, suffocating weather--at 1 AM!!!

Welcome to Florida

Apologies

Hi all,

I just wanted to apologize for a few things:

1. I apologize for not posting anything in weeks. I enjoyed my time in Warszawa and I had quite the adventure returning to the States. I've been back for almost 2 weeks now. Between family errands, job searches, and adjusting to Floridian summer, I've been quite busy.

2. I apologize for not posting anything now, that I'm here. My computer actually has some issues that prevents me from saving pictures from my camera to my computer. I don't get it. I know I need to get a new computer soon, so maybe the time has just about come. I can try other round-about ways, but that will just make things more complicated.

I'm really sorry, but the last 2 "chapters" of Poland (1. 2nd day of exploring Warszawa and 2. journey back Stateside) will have to wait until something is fixed.

Oh technology, how we love you when you work and hate you when you don't . . .

Last Sabbath in Poland (18. June)

My time in Poland is drawing to a close. Before I leave, I'll try to post as much as I can from my last week in Poland.

I'll start with my last Sabbath.

After finishing the CELTA course in Kraków on Thursday (June 16th), I left the following day with a couple of friends I made at church to the Adventist Theological Seminary in Podkowa Leśna (about a 40 min. train ride from Warszawa). This was very generous of them, since they helped me with my luggage. 

I really felt bad for the guy: as we were walking from my place to the main train station in Kraków, it started to POUR on us--and we weren't even half-way there! We had a bit of a time constraint, so we needed to continue. We were both thoroughly soaked. Considering how hot it was, getting soaked actually felt good--but I'm really sorry this guy had to get soaked thanks to me. We can safely say that I am so much more motivated to pack light next time!

Anyway, a 4 hr. train ride, another 38 min. train ride, a couple of stops at 2 grocery stores and a 10 min. walk later, we finally arrived on campus. We got settled in. The girl who traveled with me is an alumnus of this school, so she was trying to meet as many familiar faces as she could. I was able to meet a couple familiar faces myself (I was here during this time).

On Sabbath, we went to church.

I think I'll actually miss going to a church service completely in Polish, needing someone to interpret for me, just to get the gist.

We had lunch together, then we decided to go for a walk--especially since this girl wanted to see if her favorite horse was still around.

The photographer told me to pose, so I did.

L: Old radio station, R: where Agnieszka & I were staying

Oh, there's a choir concert Sabbath evening? Wow, excellent timing! Let's go! Too bad Agnieszka had to return to Kraków that night.

Thank you so much for coming along! Really, your presence meant a lot.

The choir sitting during a long pause.

The flyer

As much as I love to sing, I don't like all-female choirs. All-men choirs are my favorite (with a strong bass section, I'm a very happy girl). However, I can honestly say these ladies impressed me. I don't like all-female choirs, but I liked this one. That's saying something. 

Afterwards, since it was still light outside, my friend and I decide to go for a walk.

Wait, I know that bird call . . . is that really a peacock?

Lo and behold, a white peacock indeed!

The seal of Podkowa Leśna. I was told this means "wooden horseshoe"?

The park right across from the train station.

Same park (couldn't find the name on Google Maps)

Peacocks on trees . . . in Poland . . .

You gotta love the unexpected randomness that comes from exploring different parts of the world!

CELTA moments (18. May - 16. June)

The CELTA course, what a ride that was!

I've kept a mostly-daily diary here, but I'll say this much: I've learned a ton of information and put a lot of it into practice in my 8 observed (and 2 unobserved) teaching practice lessons with real EFL students. It felt like the course would never end, but alas, the end came upon us so suddenly. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to everyone. I really liked my fellow course-mates, as well as our tutors. They really made the course and the experience wonderful.

Let me share a few snapshots of this course:

Birthday cake for our own James (courtesy of "The Mexican" Restaurant)

Happy 30th! Stay happy!

Alright, dig in.

Clock Tower on Rynek Główny

 Feruza (a girl from the course) and I went up to the top (or as high up as we were allowed to). This was on a Monday--there's an entrance fee, but it's free on Mondays, hence why we decided to go then.

Let's go up to the top!

Whoa, steep, narrow, and slightly dark stairs.

View of the Bazylika Mariacka.

View of Wawel Castle in the distance.

Looking back where I climbed (and where I had to return).

Best view from the highest point. I can even see the British Council too!

Coming out of the tower. My thighs burned for 3 days after that.

The last day of the course. Everything was turned in. Now, time to celebrate the end together.

 

Declan bringing out the torts. Patryk can already taste them.

Wow, someone is excited for torts.

Two of our lovely tutors: Magda and Barbara.

Feruza and Joanna paying attention, while enjoying their torts.

This is it: Trainees in the back, Trainers in the front

1st Sabbath in Kraków (21. May)

Thanks to a friend, I found a church I could go to while in Kraków. Too bad he and another friend were going to bike to Italy . . . or so I thought.

Imagine my surprise when I get to church and see the very same guys there at church too! I thought they had already left! Well, alright, this suits me perfectly. The 3 of us hung out the entire day. It was great.

 

The SDA church is the 1st door you get to as soon as you enter.

Close-up of the door.

Close-up of the sign.

In the afternoon, there was a baptism. Twin (identical) sisters were baptized that Sabbath afternoon behind the church. I don't know them (other than their names are Monika & Karolina--very common names in Poland).

It was a nice day.

Some of the church members watching from the church.

The baptism.

Thanks guys, for walking me most of the way to my place. You guys really made my 1st Sabbath in Kraków a blessing. Thanks Marcin for being willing to interpret for me all the time. Thank you, Andres, for interpreting in Spanish when Marcin needed a break! It was indeed a blessing. Enjoy peddling through Italy!

Marcin, Andres, and yours truly.

Last days in Kołobrzeg (until 16. May)

Yeah, I should start working on my CELTA assignments, but let me publish this post with my last pictures in Kołobrzeg. Sometime later (hopefully not too much later), I'll post my pictures while in Kraków. My CELTA course will be documented on my mother blog, whereas I'll post my pictures of Kraków here.

To keep things rolling, let's continue with the title of this post: My last days in Kołobrzeg . . . 

I knew this day would come, but of course, not like it did.

Even though I didn't leave the apartment much, I did take a few last-time walks around Kołobrzeg. I also took a few pics for my memories.

From the "Empty Beach" and park that runs parallel to it:

Empty beach, lighthouse side.

Empty beach, the infinite side.

An old German cemetery from before the war.

From the "American Embassy":

 (I can't believe I haven't taken a picture of this until now. I've visited a few times. For my Złoty (PLN)-earning-self, this place was too expensive for me.

If you've never traveled abroad, you don't know how nice and elegant McDonalds can be. 

Not all have Drive-thrus!

Front-ish view

This recycling system is actually quite simple.

My favorite feature of this McDonalds:

You can order and/or pay here! In English too!

How does this menu compare with your local McDonalds?

Finally trying out some of the local food that I've wanted to try all year long and haven't--until now!:

Zapiekanka! See it's size? And it's cheap! (7 PLN!)

Where I got said zapiekanka.

Chili (spicy) kebab. It was legit Korean+level spicy! I was impressed!

Where I got the legit-spicy kebab.

The "Touristy Beach":

Swans on waves

A park beside one part of said beach

Two roads diverged in a green wood .  . .

The church family in Kołobrzeg:

It was truly sad saying "goodbye" to this church. Oh the day, when we'll all be reunited in Heaven, never to separate again . . .

Bittersweet. I must return and visit.

Last trip outside of Kołobrzeg: to Ustronie Morskie, to have lunch with a student & her family and say goodbye to them too. I taught the girl and Danielle taught her little brother. Hence, both of us went.

Wow, the yellow Rape-seed flowers, reminds me of Korea a bit.

Being blown away at the beach/pier at Ustronie Morskie.

Restaurant/cafe at the end of an extremely short pier in Ustronie Morskie.

"Penguin swimmers", as I call them. This water is cold all-year-round.

And finally, the many huskies of Kołobrzeg:

Finally got a better picture! I love these dogs!

That's it.
Thank you Kołobrzeg for being my home in Poland for over 8 months. Thanks for all the memories and the lessons--both given and received. This is a place I'm already planning to visit. Kołobrzeg has a small piece of my heart. Like in every stage of life, it's time to move on . . .

. . . on to Kraków.