Many people grow up in a relatively closed-in environment. Sure, there may be family vacations to the beach or to the mountains, depending on where you live. But, most families have certain routines. While there’s nothing wrong with these routines, it can create an urge in certain people to experience more outside their boxes. And, for some, this means teaching abroad for the wonderful adventures that it brings.
In the past decade even, the opportunities to teach have grown tremendously, opening the door for people to branch out and experience life in a completely new light. Is this something you’re thinking of embarking upon? If so, the following areas are just a taste of what you might experience.
Sites to See
One of the first attractions to embracing a TESOL journey is the sites that can be seen and visited. The thought of actually standing in front of the pictures most people only see in history books is mind-blowing! From the Eiffel Tower to the ruins of the Great Wall of China – these types of attractions could become reality.
Culture
Cultures vary no matter where you go. Businesses even set a particular culture. Google, for instance, strives to maintain the innovative edge that led to its greatness of now being a search and advertising giant. Similar to this, countries have cultures as well as cities. In other words, there is a whole lot more to life than what most of us are exposed to on a day-to-day basis.
In the United States, the typical greeting is with a handshake. In other cultures, this introduction could be an embrace, a kiss on the cheek, a bow, and more.
Culture, however, goes well beyond greetings and environments. It involves eating habits, routines, conversations, work days, and so much more. Just think, there are actually people that don’t have supper every night at 6 PM!
Each country, and even city, has a sense of normalcy, which is what sets it apart from the rest of the world.
Life Perspective
Another somewhat lesser talked about area that goes along with teaching abroad is the outlook it provides to life. Most of us living in the United States or Canada have been fortunate enough to experience life in abundance. This is not to say that everyone is rich and that no one has life struggles. But, the truth of the matter is, life is very different in other countries, especially third-world countries. And, working in a classroom environment with children of all ages showcases this perspective in a very big way.
Wherever you are from, there are certain things you take for granted from water to shower pressure to transportation, and the list goes on and on. Teaching abroad gives people the opportunity to see these areas in a new light, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
Due to the nature of working with children and seeing how they react to these areas is impactful. Children from a small age to even high school levels provide a sense of honesty that adults just cannot mimic. For this reason, individuals who teach abroad get to see life differently, and the majority of them attest to how these experiences make them a better person as a result.
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