It's a big/small world

Volunteer English teacher in developing countries

For a decade, until the pandemic, I was gifted the opportunity to teach English as a volunteer in developing countries. The ability to live in a community for 3-4 weeks a year gave me information about the people really living with the political headlines we read and some insights into what some of the world thinks of the US.

I taught everything from preschool to adult learners who mostly wanted to know how to talk on Facebook. In addition to sharing grammar and vocabulary, I hope I showed everyone what a real American looks like, who is not in Hollywood or magazines. I was in China as it opened up in 2008, and at that time, the only American movies they had seen were Gone with the Wind, Titanic, and Sex in the City. I did not fit any of those stereotypes.

Here are the places I taught:

Dharmsala, India

Lima, Peru

Yaroslav, Russia

Rabat, Morocco

Xian, China

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Bangkok, Thailand

Syrian resettlement camp on the coast of Greece

Moshi, Tanzania

Umphumulo, South Africa

Jingdezhen, China (pictured below)