Blog #1: Personality

Hi, my name is Anna. I'm an English language Instructor at Ozyegin University in Istanbul. I grew up in Los Angeles, California. I attended the University of California, Los Angeles majoring in English and European Studies. My most memorable experience during my university years was my participation in a Study Abroad Program in Italy. As part of my European Studies major, I spent 3 months studying at the university of Siena, and then 2 years at the University of Bologna, located in Central Italy.

As far as my personality, I think I'm somewhere between a Type A and Type B. According to the online MSNBC quiz, I'm between an A- and B+. I agree with the results of the quiz, I usually take my work seriously and try my best, yet I'm not a workaholic. I rarely take work home with me, and I like to relax and enjoy life on the weekends. I can be ambitious, energetic, and assertive when faced with an interesting challenge, yet I can also be easy-going and layed-back when hanging out with friends and family.

I think a teaching career matches my personality, because teaching is challenging, yet not extremely stressful. Also, I do not think that achieving excessive wealth and luxury is the most important definition of success. My definition of success if overall well-being, which includes a balance between my professional and personal life.

I spent the last two years working at the Academy of Languages in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. I ended up in Kazakhstan after winning an English Language Fellowship. The English Language Fellow Program is a highly competitive fellowship sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Initially, I was going to serve in Beirut, Lebanon. I was looking forward to the warm weather, beautiful beaches, and lively nightlife. However, right when I was going to leave, in the summer of 2006, Israel started bombing Lebanon, and the project was cancelled. Thus, I was sent to Kazakhstan, a cold and harsh country located in Central Asia, because I speak Russian. After California, where I hadn't seen snow in over 15 years, I was shocked to discover how cold -20 C can feel!

Americans have a saying, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Perhaps surviving Kazakhstan's winters has made me stronger. But more importantly, it has helped me appreciate the simple pleasures in life, like eating at a nice restaurant, enjoying a beautiful view of the Bosphorous, or taking a leisurely walk on a warm sunny day.