How one 23-year-old’s decision to teach English in Indonesia led him to an unexpectedly life-changing love affair
When 23-year-old Robert Clarke left his dead-end office job in London behind to teach English in Indonesia last March, he never thought it would be the start of a life-changing adventure that would see him falling desperately in love.
But, just three weeks into his new life abroad, Robert found himself nervously waiting for Astrid Citralokam, a course consultant at the school where he teaches, to finish work so they could watch a movie together.
They may have missed the first 15 minutes of Monsters Vs Aliens, but the rest, as they say in the movies, was history. Twenty-two-year-old Astrid thought Robert, who is originally from the small village of South Normanton in Derbyshire, was “funny, friendly and a little romantic” and the couple have now been seeing one another for nine months.
“My family are happy for me,” Robert explains. “They hoped it would settle me down a little and my mum was pleased to know that there was someone to look out for me, as she always worries when I travel abroad.”
Robert and Astrid together
The duo are so dedicated to one another that Astrid, who is now a teacher herself, is taking an online TEFL course with TEFL specialists i-to-i so she can join Robert on the next step of his TEFL adventure when he moves to China in March.
“I want to do the course and teach in China so I can learn, while seeing the world and being with my boyfriend,” she says.
“It opens better opportunities for me to improve my English and Mandarin, as well as earning a better salary than if I were to stay in Indonesia.”
It’s not all plain sailing though – the couple could be apart for up to a year before Astrid, who has Chinese family, can move to China. And, with a traditional family in the background, she will need to make some big decisions about her future if she is to join Robert in Dongguan in southern China. “Being apart when Robert first moves to China will be the time for me to think about my decisions,” she explains, “because if I do go to China it means I will have to be his wife, as my family are very traditional.”
Robert remains resolutely optimistic about things, predicting a long and happy future with Astrid: “I know that I will miss Astrid tremendously when I move to China, but modern technology should make it easy to stay in touch and we both have MSN on our phones, so we won’t be stopped by huge phone bills.”
So, just as teaching English abroad has seen Robert gain a deeper understanding of Indonesian culture than he would as a tourist, his love affair with Astrid has turned into something much deeper than a holiday romance: “I suppose I hoped I would meet some when I moved to Indonesia,” says Robert, “but I never thought that if I did that I would meet someone as fantastic as Astrid.”
While i-to-i can’t guarantee the kind of life-changing romance that Robert and Astrid have experienced, their TEFL courses do offer people the opportunity to find paid teaching jobs abroad, everywhere from China to Chile. Those wanting more information about TEFL courses and teaching jobs abroad should visit http://www.onlinetefl.com or call one of i-to-i’s TEFL experts on 0800 093 2552.
Robert and Astrid are both really active on Chalkboard - you can check out their blogs, photos and videos here:
Robert: http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/robertclarke
Astrid: http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/astridc
Have you got a good TEFL love story to tell? Tell us all about it!
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Thanks Emma!
Awww congratulations Robert!!!
Thanks Dean, I will check that place out! I'm not coming from Dongguan, I am on my way to Dongguan from Indonesia, I will be there from 29th March (Evening) until maybe the 1st or 2nd, Maybe you want to meet up for a few beers?
@ Emma: Yeah, We have just got engaged too, It happened on Valentines day!
Awww cute story! Indeed all is fair in love and TEFL!!! I have tons of friends who have found love abroad....one has just gotten engaged!
Cheap in Hong Kong? Mm, check out Chungking Mansion in Tsim Sha Tsui. How long will you be down from Dongguan? I am thinking of heading to Dongguan next opportunity I get, but I just came back from Beijing, so not these CNY holidays.
Congrats Robert :)
My name's Denise and me and my boyfriend are looking to complete a tefl in the next few months and teach in Indonesia or anywhere in SE Asia really. We are both British citizens but we don't hold degrees in teaching. What do you reckon our chances are in finding work?
Thanks :)
That would be great Dean, thanks. You know anywhere cheap/nice to stay in Hong Kong? I will be visiting for a few days before heading to Dongguan.
Dongguan, fantastic. If you want to know an English speaking community in Dongguan I could hook you up, I go there sometimes to from Hong Kong (around 2 hours to there from my house).
@ dean: I have spoken to my DOS in china about her coming to work at the school and he has told me as long as her spoken English is of a good enough standard then there shouldn't be a problem. She is also teaching English already in Jakarta. We are heading to Dongguan in south China
Very cute story. Astrid might have trouble with only a TEFL certificate being from Indonesia though. She might get some private tutoring work or a job as a TA with Robert. I guess it depends which part of China they go.
This is so cute! Really nice to hear a story like that. Good luck with everything (: x
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