It’s hard for me to believe that we are already halfway through March.
This past month has been busy with moving out of my old apartment and settling into the new one. Fortunately everything has gone pretty smoothly, and I am very grateful for the friends that have helped me not only move but also build the new furniture for the new apartment.
I look back at my old apartment with mixed feelings. I moved there quite hastily to get out of an unsafe situation. The building was actually red-tagged during the 2010 earthquake, and I didn’t like how dark the apartment was. Even though I turned in the apartment in pristine condition, I’m getting the sense that the owner is going to find reasons to not return the security deposit to me. Unfortunately that is common here in Chile, but given our previous communication I was under the impression that wouldn’t happen.
Despite that, I have many fond memories from the four years there. The building staff were always kind and helpful, and the apartment was the location of potlucks, game nights, and birthday celebrations. There was also a cat that lived in the building that would explore the common areas, and over time I got to know him. From time to time I would sit with him and pet him, and it made me take a break from whatever was going on and just live in the moment.
With the new beginning with the new apartment, I’m regaining my self-confidence. I was invited as a guest for the Teacher Talk Series that Volkan Iner runs, and it was a great experience. It took place on Instagram Live, and we talked about my experience with teaching, the pandemic in Chile, my teaching philosophy, and more.
After the experience with business acceleration program from last year, I felt like I was an idiot that didn’t know what he was doing. I felt like giving up and that there was no point in trying to build a business or help people anymore; I was obviously doing everything wrong. The Teacher Talk Series really helped me see that I do have valuable insight to offer, and it really helped me to start taking steps towards my goals and dreams.
If you’d like to watch the replay on YouTube, here it is:
If you’d like to see the other Teacher Talks that Volkan has conducted, you can subscribe to his YouTube channel and follow him on Instagram at creativeenglish18.
As Brené Brown says, going after your dreams involves being in the arena, taking risks, and dealing with failure and imperfection. I’m not going to accept the criticism or feedback of people that aren’t interested in seeing me grow and do better, especially if they aren’t in the ELT arena.
Thanks Volkan for having me as a guest and helping me move forward, and thanks to everyone reading this and that watches the talk. I hope this inspires you to take imperfect action towards your goals.
