Beginnings

Throughout the last eight years I have relied on a skill that my parents made huge sacrifices for me to acquire. I was fortunate to start my academic journey at a bilingual institution in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I clearly remember protesting at a young age how much I hated the English language and that I practiced it enough at during school and should not be forced to speak it at home. Thankfully, my parents thought different and made it a daily task for me to practice. I would have never guessed what to me felt like a chore would in turn become my career.
By the time I reached 3rd grade I had mastered both English and Spanish. (well as far as third graders go at least.) I excelled in all my classes and was I might add an honor roll student. ( Too bad this didn't stuck!) At the end of my third grade my parents decided to move to Chicago. I thought how cool I get to live in a place where there is snow. ( Boy, I had no idea how much I would come to hate winter!)
Now coming from a Spanish speaking country many of you probably think that once I started school I'd end up in one of those ESL classes right? If you thought that let me just say you haven't read this correctly I told you had mastered both English and Spanish by third grade. So, I went straight to a normal fourth grade class at a Catholic School in Chicago. The transition went very well except for the fact that I was the new foreign kid but you know I managed my way through. I must thank my parents for really insisting on my English learning. Who knows how the story would have ended up otherwise.
Years went by I graduated Junior High and High School in Chicago and then at 19 after a year and half of college classes I decided to move back to Honduras. ( Seems really crazy but it was the best decision I've ever made!) I spent my first getting to know my family, adapting and I also took college courses and turns out my Spanish was not bad for a third grade level.
At 20, I found myself needing a job but what job could I possibly hold in Honduras without a college degree?! In countries like Honduras the job market is dominated by college graduates. Basically almost no one holds a job till they have a college degree. This has been changing in the last few years but mind you this was almost 10 years ago. ( Time goes by so fast.) As I was searching for a job I came across the fact that I had something that many Hondurans pay lots of money for. Can you guess what it is?! That's right I'm practically a native English speaker. ( I wasn't born in the States so I can't be a native really.)
I will never forget the day I went in for my first English teaching position interview. Reuben Colon sat down with me and asked many questions in English and said, "great when can you start?", I said right way. Never in a million years did I expect to start that very same day. Reuben gave me the opportunity to start my career without even knowing it. Though he did throw me straight into a lion's cage I enjoyed every single minute. come to think about it I haven't stopped teaching since.
I guess sometimes we don't realize how simple skills we learn in our youth can be used to our advantages. Today I live in Fengjie, Chongqing, China. I am an English teacher at a public middle school. I've had the opportunity to teach in Honduras, Costa Rica and with my online teaching I pretty much teach people all over the globe. These are my stories and adventures hope you enjoy them!