Magda, Angloville: Hello Sava. To start with, please tell us something about yourself – what do you do on a daily basis? What is your hobby?
Sava: I’m from Bulgaria, I’m 28, and I am currently a teaching assistant (grade 4) at the Anglo-American School of Sofia. I am on vacation now – we have two months of vacation, one is left, so I have more time for different activities such as books and TV series.
Magda, Angloville: How did you find out about Angloville?
Sava: I found out about Angloville on one of the websites I check frequently – “Dave’s cafe” but it was a long time ago. Later on, I still remembered about Angloville so I decided to apply for this year’s (2020) programme taking place in February.
Magda, Angloville: Where did you complete your AV programme?
Sava: I did one Angloville programme at Lipowy Most hotel.
Magda, Angloville: What did this programme give you?
Sava: This programme was amazing. It was the first time I did something like this. Even though I work with kids at an international school, I wanted to get a different experience. The programme was really nice and teachers had full stay covered. The venue was also very beautiful. The programme as a whole was really amazing and I think it gave me different perspectives (different approached to students, a glimpse of the Polish way of teaching English and showed me how a conversation based programme works). Working with kids at Angloville is different from teaching at a normal school – it’s more interactive and there are more games. It was really fun. Even though it was February and the weather was “so so”, it was still great for me 🙂
Magda, Angloville: Lipowy Most is located in Podlasie region. Did you manage to visit other parts of Poland as well?
Sava: I visited Warsaw and it was amazing. I didn’t expect to like it that much. Obviously I did some research before coming there. The city has some American vibe – it’s very modern. I was really impressed.
Magda, Angloville: I am happy you liked Warsaw. What kind of people did you meet on a programme?
Sava: I shared my room with two other Mentors – one from Scotland and one from the USA. We are still in touch on Facebook and Instagram, we follow each other’s activities and talk from time to time. I also met some Mentors from England and others from the USA at the programme – as a non-native speaker, I felt very honoured to work with them.
Magda, Angloville: What topics did you talk about during your conversations with the Participants?
Sava: Every day the coordinators used to give us materials with different topics to talk about – city life, space, family etc, so the base for conversations was provided. Apart from that, we could talk about things like everyday life and hobbies. At Angloville you are allowed to talk about what you like.
Magda, Angloville: I know that right now it is hard to make plans but do you have any for the nearest future?
Sava: I am currently working on my TEFL programme fo which I applied just before joining Angloville (I signed up in December). It was supposed to be in Spain now but I am doing the course online.
Magda, Angloville: Would you recommend Angloville to others?
Sava: Definitely. It’s a great place to interact with others. Other Participants come from different backgrounds which gives a great mix. You can experience another country’s culture, like Poland, which I have never planned to visit before. I really enjoyed it. The programme is nice – every day there is something new going on. It enriches you and you can introduce new teaching techniques to your current job. You can meet more people. During these difficult times, it is even more important to be closer with each other.
Magda, Angloville: What is your most memorable experience from the programme?
Sava: What I liked, apart from working with kids, was the last night with all the Mentors and our coordinator. We all gathered together and it quickly turned out tht all of them, except from me maybe (laugh) can sing. We sang a lot of songs together. It was a pretty nice way to wrap the entire stay up and say goodbye. I was impressed with all the Mentors, the Polish teachers that were taking great care of the Mentees and our coordinator – Louise! I learned a lot from them and I am glad I met so many wonderful people there!
Our last day with the kids, the ceremony with certificates, was very emotional. Kids got attached to us. That’s why I love to work with them – to help them grow, make a difference, and to make their life better.
Magda, Angloville: Thank you Sava for this interview. It was a pleasure.
Sava: Thank you.
