An interview with Jeremy Yeaton - English teacher and linguistics enthusiast

Jeremy is a Fulbright - America for Bulgaria English Teaching Assistant at the school this year. His program is funded by the United States Department of State and by the America for Bulgaria Foundation.

• What’s the major difference between Bulgarians and Americans?

• It’s hard to pin down only one thing. As a main difference I would say that Bulgarians tend to look back in history, they are more aware of it and take great pride in it, which plays a vital role in establishing the overall image of your culture. Ancientness, if I could say so, carries a lot of weight in this society. Whereas history tends not to play much of a role in modern American society.

• Could you share with us some conclusions you came to regarding the Bulgarians’ behavior?

• Bulgarians are quite understanding and helpful when I try to improve my Bulgarian speaking skills, even if it makes their job harder. Their general attitude can be summed up to: “You’re interested in our culture, we’re definitely going to help!”

• How are you going to remember this experience?

• I had the opportunity to learn about the Balkans, Bulgaria, teaching, and myself. Also, I now feel the USA more like my home; you could say that being far away from it actually strengthened the bond between us.

• What are your plans for the future?

• In the long term, I would like to become a university professor and do some research work on language, as well as language processing. In fact, I have applied to do researches at a couple of institutions in the USA. In a nutshell, I know where I want to be. However, I’m still not sure how to get there.

• Describe your teaching experience here in six words!

• Two sentences come to mind:

“Why doesn’t anyone listen to me?”

“Bulgaria could really be my home.”

• What do you think are your best qualities and flaws?

• When it comes to my flaws, I don’t consider myself to be a person who plans very far in advance. I’m also a bit impatient. I would name being fairly enthusiastic and occasionally amusing as some of my strengths. Also, having quite a bit of interest in learning languages myself was a big help this year. I benefited from my experience by trying to present students with lessons I thought I would learn from.

• Did you set up any goals at the beginning of the year and how many of them did you manage to achieve?

• Well, I had one personal goal, which consisted of me being able to hold a conversation in Bulgarian. The results are relatively satisfying. As for any goals regarding my work as a teacher… My primary intention was to make the students enjoy and feel comfortable speaking English. Again, the results can vary.

• How do you think Bulgarians could benefit from the American way of thinking?

• Some Bulgarians have a tendency to complain about things, but they don’t really put any effort into changing what’s bothering them. Moreover, Bulgarians could benefit from Americans’ competitive spirit, gain more confidence and tackle problems with the type of mindset Americans have: “I’m going to do this! I’m going to make myself better! This is just a hurdle I need to overcome in order to reach my final destination!”

• Do you know anything special about Bulgarian traditions?

• My favorite ones would have to be Baba Marta, the Rose Festival and especially the Alphabet Day! Again, it amazes me how proud you guys are! In America no one really cares about the Latin alphabet, for example.

• Do you have a favorite word or phrase in Bulgarian?

• The letter “ж” is by far my favorite, I just like how it sounds! So, any word with “ж”would fit the requirements. Oh, and also “споко”. As for a favorite sentence: “Можеш ли да говориш английски?” and “Споко, брат!”. People laugh every time I say the second one.

• What is the most beautiful place in Bulgaria in your opinion?

• It may sound strange, but I would have to pick the drive between Haskovo and Sofia. It’s like a cross section of all the beautiful sights Bulgaria has to offer: the mountains, the fields, the forests… as a whole, the captivating nature.

• If you had the opportunity to come here again, would you?

• Definitely! Coming back to Bulgaria and staying here for a couple of years is something I plan on doing!

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