21 August 2001

Recently I was asked why I live abroad by choice. Below was my response.

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People often as me why I live abroad. It’s not an easy question to answer, but it is one that I get asked often when people find out that I live in Poland. My quick and simple answer is "I live there because I like it," which is the truth.

I visited Poland for a month when I spent a year traveling and LOVED it. There was a lot to see and the people were friendly. I knew that I wanted to live there even before I decided to move abroad.

After traveling, I returned to the USA and rejoined corporate America. I wasn’t happy as I was only doing a job. I wanted to find something more meaningful to do with my life, and the easiest thing to do was to get certified to teach English as a second language. I could have gone anywhere in the world to teach, but I knew that I wanted to live in Poland, so I found a job there.

I feel that I am doing a lot of good there as I have seen my students make a lot of progress in learning English. Many of my students have gone from barely speaking English to speaking very good English, some of my students have passed proficiency exams, etc. Teaching is a lot of work, but it’s a very rewarding experience, and I have the summers off to travel.

One of the questions I get asked a lot is why I don’t teach in the USA. First of all, I know what the USA is like. Living in Poland, I get to experience a new culture, learn more about the people, learn a new language and live in a country that has a lot to see. Secondly, I don’t drive and the USA is not well equipped for non-drivers (with the exception of expensive cities like Philadelphia, NYC, SF, etc). Most of the rest of the world has excellent public transportation. Thirdly, teachers are not paid well in the USA. Living abroad, I can easily afford to live and also spend the summers traveling. Fourth, students are a lot more respectful towards students in other countries than they are in the USA (there’s no chance of getting shot either).

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