Jul 292010
 
Jeremy's Article: Acting Stupid in Beautiful Singapore

Article #9 in the ESL Student Life Story Project, by Jeremy from China, age 20.

When I finished high  school in China, I went to Singapore to keep studying because I felt there were too many high school graduates like me in China, and I wouldn’t get into a good school there.

Living in beautiful Singapore was a huge challenge for me because I wanted to learn English well, so [...Read More!]

Jul 262010
 
5 Facts on Teaching ESL… and my Blogiversary!

First: today my info-packed article, “5 Facts About TEFL Courses and Teaching ESL” was published on The Expeditioner.  Check it out for handy tips about teaching English to speakers of other languages!

Second, let us pause to celebrate a milestone.

Exactly 365 days ago on this date, I clicked a button labeled “Create New Blog,” trembling slightly with the nervousness that comes from embarking on something utterly foreign.

A blog?  I had barely thought [...Read More!]

Jul 192010
 
My Photo Essay About Laos on Boston.com!

As you likely know, I spent the nine months from August of 2009 to May of 2010 traveling around the world, and one of my favorite countries on the journey was Laos.

Now, by clicking on the link below, you can see the deliciousness that is Laos whittled into a colorful photo essay for Boston.com !

Exciting!

I hope you enjoy the piece, forward it far and wide, and then go back and read [...Read More!]

Jul 182010
 
Maryam’s Article: “Grey’s Anatomy” in Saudi Arabia

Article #9 in the ESL Student Life Story Project, by Maryam from Saudi Arabia, age 25.

Waiting, waiting, waiting… waiting for the new episode of the new season to be downloaded!  So exited and so curious what will happen next!

I was in my pink “girl” room  on my heavenly bed surrounded by pillows, freezing under my blanket, somehow unable to lower the air conditioning. Popcorn smell was all over the room [...Read More!]

Jul 162010
 
How to Save Mad Money... and Get a New Wardrobe!

Yes, that IS a woman passed out in euphoric exhaustion on a four-foot-tall heap of clothing.  Want to know why? Read on.

Saving money to do awesome things like travel is often a matter of making small sacrifices (or put more positively, “alterations”) in your budget that add up over the long term.

One such alteration that can save you thousands of dollars a year is this: instead of buying new clothes, hold [...Read More!]

Jul 142010
 
Mayuka's Article: An American Football Coach in Japan

Article #8 in the ESL Student Life Story Project, by Mayuka from Japan, age 25.

In our lives, we have keys that can change everything for us.  Maybe these keys are key words, or key points, or key people we meet, but many keys are not realized at the moment we first see them.  Keys are often realized later, and whether we are aware of it or not, they guide us [...Read More!]

Jul 132010
 
Andy's Article: When the Video Game Dream Awakes

Article #7 in the ESL Student Life Story Project, by Andy from China, age 20.

The light passed through the window near my bed and fell on my face.  The weakness of the sun woke me, and I opened my eyes.  My view through the window saw a dim scene, and I suddenly realized something was wrong.

Before going to sleep, I had been playing an online game called  World of [...Read More!]

Jul 132010
 
An Update on this Educational Travel Blog Empire

Yes, you read that right: I just referred to all this as an Educational Travel Blog EMPIRE.  And I am one happy Empress.

Ambition, folks, ambition!  Mark my words: this whole thing will get bigger and bigger, so climb aboard early!

Here is an update on what’s shakin’ on this end:

1. My first ever video interview was just published on NY1 (click for the link!) regarding TBEX10, the world travel blogging conference, and [...Read More!]

Jul 122010
 
Meaad's Article: The Best Art Exhibition Ever

Article #6 in the ESL Student Life Stories Project, by Meaad from Saudi Arabia, age 23.

When the day came, we were worried and excited at the same time.  We held each others’ hands tightly, because we had worked so hard as a team to make our first exhibition a successful one.  And that night was the night when the world would see our creative efforts!

My name is Meaad, and [...Read More!]

Jul 092010
 
Eileen's Article: An Italian Hand on my Korean Arm

Article #5 in the ESL Student Life Stories Project, by Eileen from Korea, age 20.

“Don’t do that!” I screamed.

His hand was on my arm, squeezing and rubbing it.  He replied to me, “Your arms are so soft, I want to touch them!”

His name was Romano and he was from Italy.  I met him the third week after I came to the USA from my home country of Korea, at an English [...Read More!]