A South African Teacher's Adventures In & Out of the Global Classroom
Losing your job is always traumatic no matter where you are; but losing your job abroad is somewhat more perplexing because it means that soon you may have nowhere to live! Expats know that their jobs are not forever; foreign laws change frequently, companies close…
Whenever people hear that I have a blog (a piece of information usually revealed by someone in my company and not myself), it’s almost always followed by the remark: “Oh! How glamorous!” I never how to respond to that because of two reasons: -Being a…
I’ve been at school for the past 4 weeks and since I began teaching, my most requested topic has become, “Panda please write about your school experience! Tell us how you feel now that you have started teaching! What is teaching in Abu Dhabi like?”…
As I ease into my new life here in Abu Dhabi, I’m slowly getting out and about to begin exploring. The scorching temperatures at this time of year coupled with unparalleled humidity means that life moves at a slower pace here. Honestly, it’s a real…
There are hordes of articles online about how to make friends when you move to a new country. Its a funny thing isn’t it? You can live your whole life in a place and not even think about ‘how to make friends’- it just happens. I…
Last year on this date I publicly launched this blog. Can you believe its only been a year? I really can’t. When I think back to a year ago, I honestly never would have thought Expat Panda would be where it is today. I’m…
For those of my readers who have been living under the proverbial rock, I left Kuwait amidst a flurry of chaos and after a short holiday, packed up my life again in preparation for my new job. I accepted a job with the Abu Dhabi…
I don’t know about you, but I am so tired of hearing the same boring statements from people we left behind to pursue a better life in a new country. When my friend Shardale and I were on Skype one afternoon (her in Macau and…
You cannot tell where my home is by looking at me. It isn’t reflected in my language, my accent, my words, the features on my face, the texture of my hair or even the nondescript colour of my passport. As I grow, I am learning…
Whenever I tell people that I teach abroad, they look at me like I’ve struck gold. And in some ways I have. Teaching abroad can offer a wonderful package for teachers enabling them to pay off debt in their home countries, live comfortably in their…