We are a married couple. Mike is from the US and Yuliya is from Russia.
This is us getting married in Siberia in winter
We started this blog when we went to New Zealand, Mike – to get his MA in TESOL, Yulia – her CELTA certification. Everything in New Zealand was new and exciting for us – so some matters we blogged about might seem trivial but we hope you will find something interesting to read! After a brief return to Siberia, we spent 3.5 years in Kayseri, Turkey, where we were both working as English Instructors at English Prep Program, although in two different universities.
One reason for this blog is to keep in touch with friends and family and tell them about what life is like here (wherever here might be) , but even if you don`t know us, it might give you some insight into life in New Zealand, Russia and Turkey (and our future destinations!)
Our life abroad 
Thanks for the ‘follow’ – much appreciated. My blog is still relatively new and unknown, so my early readers are very special 🙂
Hope you enjoy my posts, varied as they are.
I’m just checking out your blog too – well written, thanks for sharing.
Uncle Spike.
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Very interesting, I’m American married to a Russian myself. Best thing I’ve ever done. Currently living in Kazan, Russia and loving it. will come back and explore. When I saw the mountains where you live I must admit became a bit jealous, miss the mountains of the northwest. Anyway, will be back to explore more. Come on over and check out what I’m doing. Blogging is great.
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Hey, thank you for reading the blog. You are welcome to visit and explore the area for yourself! Come in spring though, it’s a bit smoggy now as coal is still widely used for heating.
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Thank you for a wonderful blog! I live in Ankara and find your insights very, very accurate. I particularly loved the point about being called ‘teacher.’ It is so true! I came across your blog because I am applying to work at AGU. I would love to get in touch with you and hear your impressions. All the best and thanks for the excellent writing! Kate
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My daugher, Kathryn Stewart, will be joining AGU in August. She sent me a link to your blog to learn more about life in Kayseri! We fell in love with Turkey when we visited her while she as living in Ankara and teaching at Bilkent. Thank you for sharing your life and experiences in Kayseri! I loved your blog about going home to visit!
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Hey Yulia, private message – I sent you a note on FB. Its probably in your other folder. Saw you went to Istanbul for NY. Wanted to know what the celebrations were like. Chat soon. xx
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Well I’m back, read your last post and loved it. Oh the holidays in Russia are grand, aren’t they? So you got your Celta, being thinking of doing the same in Latvia. Do you think it was worth it? I just got my TEFL Cert. and want to work on a second soon, probably in business since I owned and ran several companies in the states. Which state is your husband from? Myself, the last place I lived was Oregon before coming to Russia. Anyway love your blog.
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CELTA was totally worth getting. So practical and intense and fun. Even if you have teaching experience, it’s super informative and will give you all kinds of ideas for teaching. I got mine after 5 years of teaching and learned lots. I`m now working on the next step, preparing for DELTA Module 1 exam.
Last place my husband lived is Tennessee. I`ve always wanted to visit Oregon! Hopefully we`ll make it to the US and Oregon next year.
Thank you for reading the blog, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment!
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My understanding is with the CELTA it means possibility to work anywhere in the world. Out of curiosity did it help you get your present job? I also read about the DELTA, thinking it would be smart to have as well. I have a great friend in Tennessee, you will find Oregon one of the most beautiful states in America.
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Yes, it will definitely help you. I mean, it depends on the country and the institution, some places will want you to have an MA or DELTA (mostly universities), some will be happy with CELTA. It indeed helped me get my present job. If you are thinking of doing DELTA, CELTA is the necessary first step – not in terms of official requirements but in terms of how much it’ll help you. And let me tell you, DELTA isn’t easy. It consists of 3 modules, I`m currently working on Module 1 which is a written exam, 2 papers, for which you have to a) read very widely on a variety of subjects – history of ELT, second language acquisition, testing and assessment, grammar etc. b) enroll in a preparation course to learn the exam strategies and requirements of which there are many.
To help you decide, I suggest looking at some job ads, maybe on Dave’s ESL cafe and see what qualifications they ask for.
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Hi Guys, Did you miss me? Just kidding 🙂 Anyway I nominated your blog – Very Inspiring Blogger Award – Hope you accept it. Love your blog. By the way looks like you must be busy haven’t seen any new post in a while.
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Thank you so much for thinking of me! I`d be honoured! I only just got done with my DELTA module 1 exam and I`m working on a post about that – couldn’t really post before.
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Understand, sorry about the late reply, just now figuring out how they have set up the new comment section here. Don’t like it. If you have any questions please let me know.
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I’m delighted I came across your site and was wondering if you or any of your readers can give me some advice about recruitment in Turkey. I’m working for a company that is looking to expand into multiple cities acorss Turkey and was wondering if anyone had any advice on the best places to advertise locally. We are looking for English speaking businessmanagers so any advice would be greatly appreciated. We’ve advertised on Linkedin and Monster.com but haven’t had much luck attracting the right applicants.
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I couldn’t say really as teachers of English usually find jobs through professional organizations such as TESOL. You could try http://www.sahibinden.com/
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Hello, I will be happy to help you if you are still interested for recruitment in Kayseri Turkey
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Hi
My name is Joyce, I am a marketing executive at expatfinder.com which is a leading expat information and services website.
I saw on your blog that you are and expat. I wish to interview you to further share some of your tips. The questions are mainly about the housing, the daily life etc.
It just takes 5 minutes (or more depending if you have lots to say 🙂
Of course, if you accept we can add a link to your blog or some of your website.
If you are interested to participate at this project, please send me an email at interview@expatfinder.com.
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