anmaoueslati, Colombian expatriate in the USA

Ángela María

I am an expatriate.

I am Colombian, and I am now living in the USA. I am currently in Charlotte, NC.

My path

About me

I'm a Colombian happily married to a Tunisian citizen! Después de graduarme de mi Lic. en Lenguas Modernas, decidí que la mejor manera de mejorar el nivel oral en inglés y francés era salir de Colombia. Tengo tres maestrías y me preparo académicamente para estudiar un doctorado. Viví en los Estados Unidos enseñando inglés y español hasta que conocí a mi esposo tunecino. Vivimos en Túnez por más de un año, y regresamos a los Estados Unidos hace unos meses. No fue fácil vivir en Túnez porque no hay suficientes oportunidades de trabajo y estudio para los extranjeros sin relaciones diplomáticas (especialmente los doctorados); pero comprendo que los mismos ciudadanos sufren el desempleo también, así que no me quejo. Me gustó la tranquilidad de ese hermoso país, sin embargo, mi futuro está en otra parte en donde pueda seguir trabajando y ahorrando lo suficiente para vivir cómodamente. After graduating, I decided to leave Colombia to improve my oral skills in English and French. I had lived in the United States where I worked as an ESL and Spanish teacher about 6 years until I met my Tunisian husband, we lived in Tunis for more than a year and, then we moved back to the USA, job opportunities were not good enough for us in Tunis.

I can speak English, français, español, ena nahki chwaya arbi

My birthday is on 31 October, I was born in 1980

Interests

drawing, foreign films, languages, learning, reading, teaching, traveling

User activity on the board

Title: Active member

Posts: 41
Last post: 2013-06-10 22:22:17
Registered: 2012-03-02

USA
Charlotte

I am currently living in the USA since August 2012

My life & projects in this location:

Teaching Spanish at a local school.

My occupation:

Spanish teacher.

What I like about this destination:

There are so many things to do, places to go, more diversity than rural areas.

What I don't like about this destination:

Traffic is a nightmare sometimes, and crime has increased quite a bit. Gas prices, rent and tazes are more expensive in Charlotte than in Martinsville, VA...so I need to get used to that.

Tunisia
Tunis

I am currently living in Tunisia since February 2011

My life & projects in this location:

I came here with the idea of having some teaching experience in this country and to learn Arabic.

My occupation:

Unemployed Spanish/English teacher... The law doesn't let any school hire me if there aren't Tunisians qualified for the job. There are many teachers here so...is not a good place for foreign teachers from countries without diplomatic relationships.

What I like about this destination:

It has beautiful places, kind people, history, culture, languages, how the Islam is practiced on a free country is fantastic! I love the fact that women don't need to show everything to look nice, and I admire the respect for family values and for women here.

What I don't like about this destination:

Trash in many places, the smoking on public places including taxis, the employment of foreign people is very complicated and even impossible for some people. I DEFINITIVELY HATE THE SHOOTING OF STRAY DOGS!!! I can't stand it! It's overwhelming and sad. There should be a better way (refuges, sterilization, penalties to people for abandoning their pets, the injection instead of GUN SHOTS)

USA
Virginia

I lived in the USA from August 2005 to February 2011

My life & projects in this location:

I went to teach, learn, travel, and save $

My occupation:

I taught ESL and Spanish in Elementary and High Schools of North Carolina and Virginia.

What I liked about this destination:

I love the organization, the discipline and consciousness of most people, the salary and the cost of living are coherent. In the United States, you can work, buy a car, travel anywhere, and you'll still have enough money to save. I like how the system works, it's organized! The driving is great compared to Colombia and Tunisia. The streets are clean and you can see people respecting lines, and your personal space. You can find food from many countries and talk to people from everywhere. I love the diversity!

What I didn't like about this destination:

Health care plans and premiums are extremely expensive, there are lots of racial issues and tensions in some areas. In the places I lived, racism and discrimination scenes take place everyday. I hated the way students treated each other for their color of the skin, their origins, accents, income, etc,. There is little tolerance and respect towards teachers in some high schools. But the worst for me was the racial tension, students questioning your education and credentials for belonging to the ethnic group "Hispanic".

Colombia
Cali

I lived in Colombia from October 1980 to July 2005

My life & projects in this location:

I studied at a catholic school "San José" where my brain couldn't be washed but inspired to discover more about the world. I studied Modern Languages at the Universidad del Valle.

My occupation:

English, Spanish, and French Teacher. But I haven't teach French yet; I love it but I prefer to teach English and Spanish.

What I liked about this destination:

It's a beautiful country! It has all seasons 365 days of the year in different regions. We have different scenarios in the same country: the Caribbean, the Andean Mountains, Amazons, the Pacific Ocean. cosmopolitan cities, and little towns. A wide variety of fruits and vegetables, restaurants, dancing, cultural events all year...!!! ¡Colombia es hermosa! Tiene frutas, verduras, paisajes incomparables. El clima es fantástico; se puede tener frío todo el año, calor todo el año...no tener estaciones es muy interesante. Lo que más me gusta es mi familia :)

What I didn't like about this destination:

You must be careful with your belongings at all times, the government is very corrupted, education is very expensive, many people don't do their best at their jobs, lots of indiscipline, there is no punctuality. Many Colombians are superficial, the physical appearance is very important...being skinny or slim is a must in some cities to fit the "beauty" standards. La inseguridad, la corrupción de los gobernantes, la conchudez de alguna gente para no trabajar ni hacer las cosas al 100%, hay mucha pereza, irresponsabilidad, incumplimiento por parte de algunos...no me gusta esa vida indisciplinada. Lo que menos me gusta es que en Colombia se da mucha importancia al aspecto físico de las personas, se critica mucho a los demás por el "cómo se ven".