Caralyn Bushey, Moscow 2006

"My name is Caralyn Bushey and I was an English Language Fellow in 2006 when I served in Moscow.

"This opportunity just was perfect because I was able to not only teach in a classroom at university level but I was involved with curriculum design, helping to develop a national test of English, lots of teacher training, so it was just a great opportunity to engage in all aspects of the profession.

"Let's face it, living in another country where you may or may not have any capability in the local language and the challenges that that offers is also incredibly rewarding. At a minimum, you are reminded about the challenges that your students are facing when you're suddenly the person who has difficulty communicating in the local language and I think that little bit of humbling is a good thing for a teacher to constantly be reminded of the challenges that our students face."

"I also helped with summer camp out in Ulan-Ude which is bruyat republic, where we were teaching middle school and high school students not only English but also american culture and among the things included was our baseball tutorials. We actually brought baseballs, we brought wiffle balls, we taught the kids how to play baseball and I think if they remember nothing else it was how to play baseball."

"I think the English Language Fellow program is so incredibly beneficial because it's people-to-people at the most grassroots of its level."

"I really do feel like a made a difference in my students' lives. Interacting with students has a profound impact on both sides and is mutually beneficially because again its a way to reach out and realize we're a big world but at the end of the day we all have the same goals, we all have the same challenges, we all have the same desires and honestly I think education is the single most important way to share what we have and to learn what others have."