What's new in my life

I haven't written in a while and although I have plenty of time and plenty of thoughts to write about I feel this holds me back. There is a transition I haven't really announced (at least in a blogging world) and it feels strange to continue writing without acknowledging the change. In the end of May I moved to California, US to be with my family.

So it's been already 2 months and I finally started feeling more or less settled. So a quick update on what I've been up to:

• Took up volunteering at a local IRC - an organisation that helps refugees from all over the world to settle in the states. I volunteer in the ESL program twice week and I have a small group of students from the Middle East (and recently one person from Ukraine). That's a development I'm really happy about since my biggest concern coming here was my job and continuing teaching and I was and still am worried about job opportunities for me here (hello NNESTs!). But the important thing is that for now I can at least continue teaching which feels great. It is also my first experience teaching without knowing students' L1! I'll definitely write more about that.

• Continuing my skype lessons. I started working with italki website and I managed to find a few students through it, which is, again, a completely new experience for me. I have many more online classes than I had before so there is a big learning curve here as well. I've also been thinking more and more about developing my own thing online, which requires me to put my businesswoman hat :) I'm not sure if I'm made for it but trying it is surely fun.

mingling with the locals

• Writing esl articles. I started writing for a Russian website after E-merging forum. It's a website for a local bookshop in Saint-Petersburg where I've contributed  couple of articles (in Russian). Here is one on observation, professional development and 2015 changes in Cambridge exams. Be sure to check out the store if you're in St. Petersburg!

•  Signed up for CATESOL . I've never been a part of an esl organisation, but for some reason I was compelled to join California branch of TESOL. So far it is a trial membership which means I basically only get a newsletter, but I hope it will allow me to get in contact with esl teachers over here.

food is still my biggest priority

• Exploring and discovering. It still feels a little bit like a holiday (hot weather doesn't help) and everything is fairly new to me. That's why we're trying to take advantage of all that California has to offer - food, travelling, entertainment. I don't know exactly when it'll wear out, but most of the time I have a feeling I'm on a big anthropological expedition watching people, their language and their behaviour, sorry, behavior.