Hello World!

I am currently teaching 3rd grade at Seoul International School in Seoul Korea. Living in Seoul for 4 years was the last thing I thought I would ever do, but the kids and parents make teaching here a truly rewarding experience.

I was born in the Philippines but spent most of my life in Canada with a few years in New York and New Jersey during my late elementary and middle school years. Moving around during these formative years was difficult but I beleive that those experiences had a great impact on the international life that I chose to live. As soon as I turned 24, I wanted to venture out to other countries to live, work and be immersed in the unknown. Before graduating from teacher's college, I spent a month long internship at Brent International School in Manila and I was truly hooked. I worked as a 2nd grade teacher in Toronto but all I could think of was where in the world should I teach next year? One year later, I made my way to Thailand and found a job at the Early Learning Centre, a Reggio inspired school in Bangkok. The following year, I taught a multi-age primary classroom at Escuela de las Americas in Puerta La Cruz, Venezuela and then moved out to Seoul and I have been here since.

My husband, Jesse is the 8th grade Language Arts teacher at SIS and together, we are passionate about teaching, traveling to new places and meeting new people. In the last 4 years, we have traveled to Thailand, the Philippines, Canada, The United States, Turkey, and Singapore. As international teachers, we hope to continue this lifestyle and become immersed in the culture of the places we choose to live in. We feel fortunate to have these rich experiences that some only dare to dream.

During my free time, I enjoy reading, jewelry making, exercising, and dancing. Just last year, I began making my own jewelry and started creating my own line called EresDesigns. With all of our travel opportunities, my husband and I both get the chance to dabble in photography. During our last spring break (2007), we took a 3 day photography course with a friend of ours in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Since then, we have been overly meticulous with our photographs to the point that we never really get a chance to develop any of them.

One of the benefits of being an SIS teacher is being around very fit staff members. If you walk into the school fitness room, especially on Mondays, there will be teachers in the cardio machines and various smaller groups of teachers working out in unison. When I can find the time, I try to join one of these groups and let them put me to shame.