Teaching English in Czechia

Christopher Saulnier Start Date: Nov 4, 2019 - End Date: Jan 2, 2020

My Travel Story

by: Christopher Saulnier Start Date: Nov 4, 2019 - End Date: Jan 2, 2020
Hi there! My name is Chris Saulnier, I'm a 22 year old marketing student from Liverpool, Nova Scotia. I'm graduating from Acadia University in December and then traveling to Prague for 6 months where I will gain my TEFL certificate and begin teaching English to children as a second language. I've never been outside of Canada before, so this will be a brand new and exciting experience for me!

Why I Chose This Journey
Coming close to finishing my undergraduate degree, I've realized that I'm still not sure exactly what it is I want to do with my life, but I know that I want to help people and I want to do something that will get me out of my comfort zone. That's why I chose this as the next step in my life. Through my experience volunteering with children with varying disabilities, I've realized that working with children is something I'm good at and something that I enjoy doing.

Why I'm Fundraising
There are a few reasons why I have decided to fundraise for my trip. I have lived with ADHD my entire life. A requirement for being able to live a normal life with this mental health disorder has been to take daily medication. While the disorder itself, and the need for medication have always been obstacles for me, I've been fortunate enough to have had the expenses of my medication covered for me because I was living in foster care. Once I started university I was able to use my school's insurance to help cover most of the cost of my medication. However, once I graduate I am no longer covered by any insurance, and the regulations for my medication in the country I'm traveling to are complicated. So, I'm unfortunately left to pay for 6 months worth of my medication out of my own pocket in Canada and bring it with me while I am away.

I had originally saved up a fair amount of money to help me to finance this journey; however, unfortunately my initial plans had to change when I got into a small car accident that ended up being more expensive than I expected. My original financial plan after that was to just live off of my credit card until I start work in Prague, but after finding out about this website, I've decided to leave that as a last resort.

(Also, this website takes a percentage of the money that you donate to me, so if you'd like, feel free to e-transfer me instead at christopher.saulnier23@gmail.com)

I will be leaving for Prague on January 2nd, and while I know that might not be enough time to reach my financial goal, that's okay because anything helps!