Help me make the move abroad!

Morgan Mallek Start Date: Nov 10, 2023 - End Date: Aug 9, 2024

My Travel Story

by: Morgan Mallek Start Date: Nov 10, 2023 - End Date: Aug 9, 2024
Growing up with both my parents being teachers, I always told myself that I would never be a teacher. My junior year of university changed it all.

In the summer of 2022, I began in Ecuador working with young students in the mountains outside of Quito. I did not speak their language- at the time my Spanish was very elementary, yet they were so kind and always excited to see me. I began to feel that teaching might not be so bad after all.

A month later I embarked on a journey on the opposite side of the globe to spend my fall semester in Ostrava, Czechia. I wanted to get some sort of job here in order to help pay for living costs as well as get to know the place better. I ended up finding a position for an english language lecturer. My first day in the classroom, I had no idea what to expect and not a clue what I was doing, but I soon became more and more comfortable with that. I loved making connections with students, answering their questions, and building their confidence to translate past language learning. While in Czechia, I also was able to travel across Europe and expand my own worldview- a luxury I never thought could could be afforded to one in the teaching profession.

In the spring, I returned to South America, this time in Chile, working with local students in Patagonia and on the island of Rapa Nui as an intern for an educational outreach nonprofit. Here, my Spanish was much improved, and although I was not teaching or speaking in my native language, I still enjoyed every minute of my time with the students. 

Now I am back in the states to complete my degree from Northern Arizona University in Geography and GIS. Once my studies conclude, I plan to travel back to the Czech Republic to get my TEFL certificate at The Language House in Prague. I am curious and excited to see how education specific to teaching will improve my skills in the classroom. I am not one to set things in stone, but ideally I will teach online for some time to offset expenses while I continue traveling around the world. Ultimately though, I think I have found a home in the Czech Republic and can't wait to return.

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