Introduce Yourself

Hi, my name is Elizabeth Vlachoulis and I live in Whyalla, South Australia. I was born in Manila, Philippines in 1983 to both Filipino parents. Prior to coming to Australia in 2010, I was juggling two jobs at the same time: one, working as a public high school teacher during the day, from 1PM to 7PM; and, two, doing graveyard shifts in a BPO (business process outsourcing) industry, from 9PM to 6AM. I literally used to have only 1-2 hours of sleep every day during that period. At that time, I didn't even have a family, and people were wondering why I was doing that to myself. I didn't even have children to feed, but why did I let myself go through that ordeal. Well, because I love teaching, always have, however, at that time, I was not happy where my career was going. I did not want to give up my BPO job, as I earned more from it. You might not even know it but let me tell you, teachers in the Philippines are under compensated.

Because of my previous career experiences, I am so appreciative and grateful for the blessing and the privilege of being able to work here in Australia as an educator and a teacher. I am currently employed in a Christian private primary school here in Whyalla, and have worked in the same school since 2014. I have had the opportunity to explore different positions in the school, such as relief teacher, Out-of-School-Hours Coordinator, Library teacher and presently, as a teacher/educator in the Early Learning Centre. Even though it is not a full-time position, I am still thankful for this huge blessing, because I get to work in a positive and healthy work environment with fellow teachers and staff who are very supportive and encouraging.

By the way, I would like to thank my sister @sarahdandridge for introducing Steemit to me. She said that I loved writing, and maybe this would interest me. So far, I like what I'm seeing, plus the fact that I could get to support my sister in her writing, which seems like becoming more of her hobby now. I'm so proud of her!

This photo of myself and Sarah was taken in 2012, and hopefully not the last time to see her in person, as I am planning to go to the United States within the next 5 years. Of course, I can't go by myself, I will have to bring my husband with me, so we both could meet my brother-in-law, and finally get to hold my nieces and nephew. I miss them so much!!!

I said, that within the next five years, I will go to Chicago, Illinois (because that's where my sister lives). Right now, because of the demands of my work and I am currently studying as well, I can't just leave my responsibilities behind and go to places where I want to. My visit to the US in the future requires thorough and careful planning, a lot of saving and finding a trustworthy person to care for my two precious cats.

Cheers for now!