Living in NY or Georgetown (suggestions, please) Thread poster: Teresa Duran-Sanchez
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I´ve been offered a grant to teach Spanish in NY or Georgetown for a year. I´m not too interested because I am a translator, not a teacher, and I´ve already had bad experiences teaching in Secondary Schools in England (those little b******* in the classroom, Gosh, they managed to put me off ever having children of my own! 
Anyway, you guys across the Ocean, which city is better to live in? Which University is better in case ... See more I´ve been offered a grant to teach Spanish in NY or Georgetown for a year. I´m not too interested because I am a translator, not a teacher, and I´ve already had bad experiences teaching in Secondary Schools in England (those little b******* in the classroom, Gosh, they managed to put me off ever having children of my own!
Anyway, you guys across the Ocean, which city is better to live in? Which University is better in case I want to use my spare time to get some extra studies? I have to apologise for using the forum to ask such trivialities... But I don´t know anybody from the USA!
Thank you! ▲ Collapse
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cotasur
Chile
Local time: 07:40
Spanish to English
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| Do you mean Georgetown University in (Washington D.C.) ? | Apr 12, 2002 |
Good morning:
If you are talking about Georgetown Univ. in Wash. D.C., go to Georgetown for sure! I was raised in the Wash. D.C. area and I can tell you it\'s a wonderful city and Georgetown is one of the best universities in the States (really). If the Georgetown you tell us about is another, please never mind... it´s just that I am a big fan of Washington.
Best wishes to you,
Constanza
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Bill Greendyk 
United States
Local time: 07:40
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
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| Depends which school in NY, Cid. | Apr 12, 2002 |
Hi Cid! I\'m from New York originally, and I studied there (Columbia, NYU, Pace), so I\'d be somewhat biased and say New York, of course! However, it does really depend, in my opinion, on which school you could teach at in New York. Georgetown is an excellent school, no question about that. As far as culture, I\'d still go with New York over Washington, and I believe that would be more than just a biased opinion. Send me a mail if you\'d like... See more Hi Cid! I\'m from New York originally, and I studied there (Columbia, NYU, Pace), so I\'d be somewhat biased and say New York, of course! However, it does really depend, in my opinion, on which school you could teach at in New York. Georgetown is an excellent school, no question about that. As far as culture, I\'d still go with New York over Washington, and I believe that would be more than just a biased opinion. Send me a mail if you\'d like, and I can fill you in at least on New York - I lived there 29 years. ▲ Collapse
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I just had to laugh at your description of teaching in England - I thought I would love teaching English (in Austria), but I hated it. The worst were the 16 year olds I had!! That said, I do have a child of my own.
I am from the Midwest (Chicago) and have never lived on the East Coast. By NY, do you mean NY City? Where is Georgetown? There is a university/neighborhood in Washington DC called Georgetown. When I looked up \"cit... See more I just had to laugh at your description of teaching in England - I thought I would love teaching English (in Austria), but I hated it. The worst were the 16 year olds I had!! That said, I do have a child of my own.
I am from the Midwest (Chicago) and have never lived on the East Coast. By NY, do you mean NY City? Where is Georgetown? There is a university/neighborhood in Washington DC called Georgetown. When I looked up \"cities\" called Georgetown on Google, I found that there is one in Kentucky, one in Illinois, and one in Delaware (and probably others.) Can you specify which one it is?
In general, I would say that it makes a big difference whether you end up in an urban or a rural area and which of those you prefer.
Cheers,
Daina ▲ Collapse
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Werner George Patels, M.A., C.Tran.(ATIO) (X)
Local time: 07:40
German to English
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| William is right: it all depends on the neighbourhood | Apr 12, 2002 |
But I\'d be careful: they have a tremendous shortage of good teachers in the US, and I have heard of many bad stories of teachers from Europe who were lured to the US and ended up teaching in schools in really bad neighbourhoods (gangs and drug dealers on school property, shootings, etc.).
Many US teachers refuse to work at those schools (they have absconded to the suburbs), and now the school boards are trying to bring in foreign teachers to make up for that shortfall.
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Patricia Myers
United States
Local time: 04:40
English to Catalan
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I would pick Georgetown, it\'s a good university and they used to have a translation and interpretation program, I think they don\'t have it anymore but I\'m not sure. Although, NY is a nice place too. My aunt lives there and she loves it. Good luck!!! And welcome to the USA
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Stephen Franke
United States
Local time: 04:40
English to Arabic
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| For either city, bring money for "start-up/get settled" costs | Apr 12, 2002 |
Good day.
For living in New York: bring a hefy amount of money for initial costs. Have fun and enjoy that dynamic and vibrant city.
For living in Georgetown and the adjacent area (Arlington, Virginia or Maryland): bring more money than for NYC.
Washington is an enjoyable \"company town\" and the US Government is the \"company,\" so cultural and social stimulations tend to be very different.
Watch out... See more Good day.
For living in New York: bring a hefy amount of money for initial costs. Have fun and enjoy that dynamic and vibrant city.
For living in Georgetown and the adjacent area (Arlington, Virginia or Maryland): bring more money than for NYC.
Washington is an enjoyable \"company town\" and the US Government is the \"company,\" so cultural and social stimulations tend to be very different.
Watch out for attacks of terminal boredom, as you can visit the district\'s historical monuments and art galleries only so many times.
HTH. May you enjoy good luck and happy time wherever you choose.
Regards from Los Angeles,
S. H. Franke
(Years in Washinton and Georgetown) ▲ Collapse
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Stephen Franke
United States
Local time: 04:40
English to Arabic
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| For either city, bring money for "start-up/get settled" costs | Apr 12, 2002 |
Good day.
For living in New York: bring a hefy amount of money for initial costs. Have fun and enjoy that dynamic and vibrant city.
For living in Georgetown and the adjacent area (Arlington, Virginia or Maryland): bring more money than for NYC.
Washington is an enjoyable \"company town\" and the US Government is the \"company,\" so cultural and social stimulations tend to be very different.
Watch out... See more Good day.
For living in New York: bring a hefy amount of money for initial costs. Have fun and enjoy that dynamic and vibrant city.
For living in Georgetown and the adjacent area (Arlington, Virginia or Maryland): bring more money than for NYC.
Washington is an enjoyable \"company town\" and the US Government is the \"company,\" so cultural and social stimulations tend to be very different.
Watch out for attacks of terminal boredom, as you can visit the district\'s historical monuments and art galleries only so many times.
HTH. May you enjoy good luck and happy time wherever you choose.
Regards from Los Angeles,
S. H. Franke
(Years in Washington and Georgetown) ▲ Collapse
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| Though this is not what you asked... | Apr 12, 2002 |
...I would say that if you feel you are not a teacher, then don\'t do it.
I was a teacher for many years and I believe that students have the right to have a teacher that feels she is a teacher and not somebody who will get pissed off any time they misbehave, which happens all too often.
I don\'t think you would benefit either. Do YOU? 
<... See more ...I would say that if you feel you are not a teacher, then don\'t do it.
I was a teacher for many years and I believe that students have the right to have a teacher that feels she is a teacher and not somebody who will get pissed off any time they misbehave, which happens all too often.
I don\'t think you would benefit either. Do YOU?
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| Thanks to everybody! | Apr 12, 2002 |
Thanks for your valuable information! As I said, I don\'t feel too much like taking the grant, to be honest. If I did it, it\'d be to see other \"horizons\". I only know Europe and God knows I love Spain, Germany, Italy... (the only country I don\'t like is the one I\'m living in!), but it\'s high time I saw other spots on the planet.
I think I\'ll toss a coin and see what fate has for me. Don\'t welcome me to the USA too soon!
I\'d rather visit some fri... See more Thanks for your valuable information! As I said, I don\'t feel too much like taking the grant, to be honest. If I did it, it\'d be to see other \"horizons\". I only know Europe and God knows I love Spain, Germany, Italy... (the only country I don\'t like is the one I\'m living in!), but it\'s high time I saw other spots on the planet.
I think I\'ll toss a coin and see what fate has for me. Don\'t welcome me to the USA too soon!
I\'d rather visit some friends I have in Colombia, Perú and Argentina.
Qué grande es el mundo... ▲ Collapse
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bunnie
United States
Local time: 07:40
English to Spanish
Cid, tal vez mi experiencia te sirva. Yo vine a Nueva York hace más de un año forzada por las circunstancias... me casé con un norteamericano que aguantó en Madrid lo justo para cubrir el expediente y poder decir \"lo he intentado, pero no me adapto\". Total, me tocó desmontar mi vida en España y traérmela en barco a NY. La verdad es que ahora, a toro pasado, no me arrepiento. Me está sirviendo para ampliar mis horizontes, aprender muchas cosas de otras culturas y ponerme sombreros que h... See more Cid, tal vez mi experiencia te sirva. Yo vine a Nueva York hace más de un año forzada por las circunstancias... me casé con un norteamericano que aguantó en Madrid lo justo para cubrir el expediente y poder decir \"lo he intentado, pero no me adapto\". Total, me tocó desmontar mi vida en España y traérmela en barco a NY. La verdad es que ahora, a toro pasado, no me arrepiento. Me está sirviendo para ampliar mis horizontes, aprender muchas cosas de otras culturas y ponerme sombreros que hacía mucho que no me ponía: por ejemplo, el de profesora de español.
Yo fui profesora de español e inglés durante los años es que estudiaba la carrera y nunca pensé que volvería a la docencia, pero así ha sido y estoy contenta. Aquí hay un gran interés por lo español y lo hispano, más todavía si tenemos en cuenta que es el segmento de población que está creciendo con más rapidez. Hay mucha demanda de profesores de español para todo tipo de alumnado (y empieza a haber una fortísima demanda de intérpretes y traductores). Es verdad que, como ha dicho alguien, algunos barrios son malos, la paga en la enseñanza no es maravillosa, y vivir en NY es muuuuy caro... pero es una experiencia que te aconsejo de corazón, sobre todo si en tu horizonte está el volver a España. Será un año bien empleado, te lo aseguro.
Conozco DC y me gusta mucho, pero, desde mi propia experiencia como española, creo que te sentirás más cómoda en NY, sobre todo si vienes con ganas de aprovechar las oportunidades culturales y académicas que existen.
Si te decides a venir o si quieres preguntarme más cosas, no dejes de ponerte en contacto conmigo por correo. Espero poder ayudarte...
Un saludo y suerte,
B. ▲ Collapse
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Rick Henry
United States
Local time: 06:40
Italian to English
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| Along the same lines... | Apr 12, 2002 |
Many years ago, when I lived in MX, I was a teacher, not so much because I wanted to be a teacher, but because I wanted to live there, I needed to earn a living. Had I had the chance to teach students who truly wanted to learn English, it may have been different, but many of my students where there to fulfill a requirement. It was no fun teaching under those circumstances.
I really can appreciate teachers after such an experience.
If you\'ve never taught before, you\'ll eit... See more Many years ago, when I lived in MX, I was a teacher, not so much because I wanted to be a teacher, but because I wanted to live there, I needed to earn a living. Had I had the chance to teach students who truly wanted to learn English, it may have been different, but many of my students where there to fulfill a requirement. It was no fun teaching under those circumstances.
I really can appreciate teachers after such an experience.
If you\'ve never taught before, you\'ll either find out you have no patience, or aqcuire some very quickly
R.
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Quote:
On 2002-04-12 17:39, Bertha wrote:
...I would say that if you feel you are not a teacher, then don\'t do it.
I was a teacher for many years and I believe that students have the right to have a teacher that feels she is a teacher and not somebody who will get pissed off any time they misbehave, which happens all too often.
I don\'t think you would benefit either. Do YOU?
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| I say thanks again | Apr 13, 2002 |
My last posting hasn\'t appeared yet, maybe it got lost in the cyberspace.
Thanks for the advice about teaching, but all I wanted was advice on both cities I mentioned.
I am actually a qualified teacher and I\'ve taught for a while in the UK. They called me and paid me as a vulgar \"Language assistant\" but the truth is that the teacher of Spanish resigned soon after I started (depression, stress, chronic sore throats -tough job, that of a teacher) and ... See more My last posting hasn\'t appeared yet, maybe it got lost in the cyberspace.
Thanks for the advice about teaching, but all I wanted was advice on both cities I mentioned.
I am actually a qualified teacher and I\'ve taught for a while in the UK. They called me and paid me as a vulgar \"Language assistant\" but the truth is that the teacher of Spanish resigned soon after I started (depression, stress, chronic sore throats -tough job, that of a teacher) and I was the Spanish teacher for six months (kind of \"illegally\", as I was getting my qualification at the time). I was quite good at teaching and I coped quite well with discipline because the kids liked someone a bit younger and especially someone foreign to tell them stuff about Spain... But I didn\'t enjoy the job. My colleagues couldn\'t cope well with the fact that I always seemed to have a hat full of new ideas. They never backed me when I tried to organize activities like theatre, Christmas carol contests, etc. I can\'t blame them: most of them hated their job, they were underpaid and had to cope with unruly children and even more unruly parents: the last thing they wanted was to put even some more extra hours in the job.
My Mum, my Dad, and two of my five brothers are teachers; I guess it runs in the family! For me nevertheless the experience was a disappointment and I prefer translation, a solitary job but so much intellectually (and financially) rewarding! There\'s no day in which I don\'t learn something through my translations.
To be honest with you, I\'m not particularly interested in working in the USA. I\'d rather be there as a tourist. If I don\'t like living in the UK I\'d have to be mad to go to the USA. I\'d be \"salir de la sartén para caer en las brasas\". Don\'t take it personal, I believe there are wonderful places to live over there, it\'s just that I don\'t seem to fit in the British or American way of life, I\'m Mediterranean to the bone and I\'ll end up living happily (poor, but happy) in Spain, where I belong after all.
When I toss the coin, if I\'m doomed to live in the USA, I\'ll let you know!
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| Special thanks to Bunnie | Apr 14, 2002 |
Perdona, tu mensaje no estaba al escribir el mío y quiero expresar mis disculpas a ti y a los estadounidenses que lean este rinconcito del foro por precipitarme en mi juicio de los Estados Unidos. Siempre he considerado el Reino Unido como un estadio intermedio entre Europa y los EE.UU. y en cierto modo lo es, es un puente de tránsito de lo bueno y lo malo. Como no me gusta nada vivir en Inglaterra, estoy cometiendo el error de prejuzgar los Estados Unidos (que imagino con un estilo de vida ig... See more Perdona, tu mensaje no estaba al escribir el mío y quiero expresar mis disculpas a ti y a los estadounidenses que lean este rinconcito del foro por precipitarme en mi juicio de los Estados Unidos. Siempre he considerado el Reino Unido como un estadio intermedio entre Europa y los EE.UU. y en cierto modo lo es, es un puente de tránsito de lo bueno y lo malo. Como no me gusta nada vivir en Inglaterra, estoy cometiendo el error de prejuzgar los Estados Unidos (que imagino con un estilo de vida igual de anodino, si no incluso peor) y me temo que mis prejuicios me van a costar un par de amigos que había hecho por aquí y la beca, porque acabaré rechazándola.
No tengo experiencias personales en que apoyarme, sólo cuento con la de amigos que lo han pasado muy mal en los Estados Unidos, pero también es verdad que no conocían bien el idioma o llevaban en los bolsillos escasa o nula preparación académica. Sería injusto juzgar una nación tan grande basándose sólo en la opinion de unos cuantos, por eso publiqué esta pregunta con la sana intención de obtener otras opiniones sin dejar translucir la mía. Me temo que al final he cometido el error de ser transparente y comunicar el rechazo que siento hacia lo anglosajón, ya sea a un lado del océano o al otro. Lo siento.
Es irónico... Durante el poco tiempo que llevo por aquí se me ha visto participar en el KudoZ y en trabajos con el par EN>SP, cómo es que ahora voy y digo que no me gusta lo anglosajón. La verdad es que soy germanófila perdida y me muero por vivir en Alemania, donde tengo a mis amigos más entrañables. Pero, y en cierto modo hay un paralelismo entre tu historia y la mía, cometí el error de enamorarme de un inglés y he aguantado aquí 3 años. No sé cuánto más aguantaré. En el fondo soy feliz y me quejo por vicio, no os preocupéis...
Me ha gustado mucho tu (vuestra) contribución y me lo voy a pensar dos o tres veces antes de rechazar la beca. La verdad es que me he jurado recorrer el mundo antes de los 30 así que no sé a qué espero!
Un abrazo cibernético a todos! ▲ Collapse
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There is actually a private school called Georgetown something or other in the D.C. or Maryland area, in a semi-rural section. Obtaining a teaching or faculty position at Georgetown University is very tough, I would think. That said, it should be added that Georgetown U\'s record is not at all that stellar, as you may be led to believe from the contributions here. There were periods in the eighties of lackluster and uninspired performances by the faculty in some departments, e.g., the languag... See more There is actually a private school called Georgetown something or other in the D.C. or Maryland area, in a semi-rural section. Obtaining a teaching or faculty position at Georgetown University is very tough, I would think. That said, it should be added that Georgetown U\'s record is not at all that stellar, as you may be led to believe from the contributions here. There were periods in the eighties of lackluster and uninspired performances by the faculty in some departments, e.g., the languages and linguistics departments and other related problems, which were reported also in the Washington Post.
Maybe I ought to tone down the above message and just mention that one article in the WP in the mid to late nineties, as I recall, contained somewhat critical comments on GU. Actually teaching 16-year olds was my favorite age group, when I taught. Seems to be the most exciting and impressionable age in any person\'s life.
[ This Message was edited by: on 2002-04-26 13:44 ] ▲ Collapse
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