Teach English in Dengzhuang Zhen - Linfen Shi

I was born and raised in Albania, a small, but charming country situated in the Western Balkans, in Southeast Europe. As a result of one of the harshest communist regimes in Europe, which lasted for almost 50 years, the place was almost completely isolated from the rest of the world. After the collapse of the regime in 1990, democracy came, and Albania had to speed up its pace, in both economical and socio-political aspects and quickly start moving towards the standards of the so-longed-for Western societies. Thus, while growing up, I perceived English as “the” universal language, one you could utilize everywhere to communicate with almost anybody in the world, and I became fascinated by it. I received my FCE at 15, and enrolled in the Professional High School of Foreign Languages and Later Faculty, where I received a Bachelor’s Degree in “British and American Studies” and a MSc. in “Translation and Interpreting”. In all those years of thinking, writing and speaking, perceiving and projecting only in English, one could think that at some point, the whole thing would become rather dull and unstimulating, but that never happened, not once, not even for a split second. It was thrilling to learn so much about another country’s culture, history, wars and martyrs, famous writers, musicians, hear songs on the radio and be happy to understand what they meant. Learning English was like diving into another captivating and absorbing world, which had no end and always kept unfolding. Putting effort into studying English for many years and becoming quite good at it gave me the first official job opportunity in my life: become a professor and teach English as a second language in the same Faculty I studied. It was there, as a teacher, that I learned one of the most important lessons in my life- no matter how good of a student you are-or have been- teaching is a whole new story. I remember that one of the main challenges I faced in the beginning was how to be able to take all the information I already had, acquired through years and years of learning, and somehow take it outside, utter it in a way that would be easy to comprehend and absorb. Slowly, I developed a new toolbox, new skills which helped me in the classroom, from getting to know my students, to using pictures and role-plays in order to make the lesson more interesting and relatable. It made me appreciate teachers and their role as educators and tutors even more. During that time, I traveled a lot, both with my parents and with my friends. I had the opportunity to visit places, which were close to home and some very far away. As I eagerly explored new cultures, enchanting histories and delicious food, there was one thing that made these experiences unforgettable- English. It was spoken everywhere, almost by anyone, at schools, on trains and buses, in the streets. It helped me to meet a wide variety of people and forge lifelong friendships. It made me feel like I was part of a much bigger world, made me global citizen, and a better listener and partner. I am now a diplomat, living and working in Brussels. I can confidently assure you that this time too, English had a lot to do with it, both in helping me get the job and exceed at it. Nearly any communication I have daily is in English, documents I read and report upon are in English, my son speaks English in his multilingual kindergarten. This is my story. I am not saying or implying that it is a success story, but whatever you call it, please know that English made it better, easier and much more beautiful!