About Me — Alex Garrow
A new chapter of the story
When this photo was taken, I was 29 years old, engaged and eyeing up the final few weeks of the 24/25 academic year. As a teacher, this is a joyous time. Here I was blissfully unaware of the type summer I was about to embark upon. One that would completely change my outlook on life, my ambitions for the future and give me the kick up the a*&e I so desperately needed.
Where to start?
Growing up in the leafy suburbs of north Liverpool, UK, gave me the privilege of a guaranteed meal and a roof over my head. Where I sit now writing this article, at my classroom desk in a top-tier Istanbul school is a testament to the privilege of which I speak. My mother and father worked very hard to give me an upbringing that was comfortable and stress free. I owe a lot of what I have to them and like many others, have not had the chance to rightly thank them. From primary school, through to university studies, I had the emotional and financial support needed to help me excel. Whether I did excel or not is another story.
Floating through
When I look back, and think honestly, I come to this conclusion: I floated through most of my formative years. I was never truly in control. I didn’t take enough time or apply enough effort to anything really. I am not saying my twenties were not successful, or that I wasted them. If I could go back now I would do it the same way. I met my closest friends during this time. I decided to move abroad. I visited over 30 countries. I also, and most importantly, met the love of my life and my now wife. What I am saying is, from 20 to 30, I never really had a goal. Something I was aspiring to. Something to really work for. I was floating through life.
Teaching and learning…
In 2018, I graduated as a primary teacher. It was one of the few times in my twenties that I had decided on something and worked towards it. For a year I applied myself like never before. For those of you who may not know, studying to become a teacher is incredibly difficult and easily the hardest thing I have ever done.
Also during this time, I broke up with (or more accurately, I was dumped by) my girlfriend of ten years. I was understandably heartbroken. But with every cloud, comes the silver lining. This particular silver lining propelled me into the international lifestyle, and will forever be the best thing to happen to me.
A month after being dumped, I accepted a teaching role in a British international school in Budapest, Hungary. I went from nefarious nights out in Liverpool with my mates to sophisticated dinners in a beautiful European city. It was a shock. But just the shock I needed. I grew up, and did it quickly. I became a professional who attended meetings and had other professionals depending on me, as well as 25 children.
Where east meets west
After four wonderful years teaching in Budapest, my wife (also a teacher) and I moved to Istanbul, a truly electric city. Home to 20 million people, it offers a fast-paced lifestyle which cannot be denied. I grew up in Formby, a small village of 25,000. Then moved to Budapest of about 2 million. So the jump to the megacity of Istanbul was one I found difficult. Constant hustle and bustle, car horns that just never stop and trash scattered throughout the city was a contrast to Budapest. This is not to say that Istanbul is a horrible place to live. The views around the Bosporus are truly breathtaking at sunset. The stories that seep out of every brick in the historical center of Fatih are unique and stretch back for centuries.
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Yet, undeniably so, for my wife and I, something needed to change. Teaching was and is becoming less and less fulfilling and more and more tiring. Teacher burn out is a real problem for the industry. On average, teachers quit the profession after around 6.7 years. Which leads me to why this article is being written. Why there is need for change. Why stagnation has become inspiration.
Stagnation becomes Inspiration
You might be saying, ‘but it all sounds good so far. You have a steady job, a new wife and you live in a cool city.’ Well, it’s more about where I want to be. Those things are all great and wonderful but I don’t want to be a teacher for the rest of my life. Waking up at 6 in the morning and not getting home until 5:30. I don’t want to have to report to my boss when I am sick. I want something else for my life. And so does my wife for hers. I think we both felt we were stagnating in our roles. We both felt like there was something else out there and we couldn’t have had a better summer to kick start our new life.
The summer of long lasting change
During this summer a number of things happened which I believe have had a huge effect on our outlook on life and our goals for the future.
- My wife got a promotion and received a small pay increase. Not exactly a strong incentive.
- We got married!!
- We both read Rich Dad, Poor Dad and became financially aware.
- I turned 30.
Each of these things provided me with a sense of urgency. A sense that something needed to change. A sense that I could be doing things differently and getting better results. I began to look into methods of using writing (something that has always been a passion) as a means of an income.
Signing on
And this is where you find me. Not signing off, rather signing on. Logging on. Switching on.
An imaginary switch has been flicked in my brain and the light it has turned on is shining brightly.
I am here to write about turning 30, my journey to becoming a writer and everything that comes between.
I hope that if you have read this far (and thank you if you have) that you resonate with this message.
Alex
P.s. this is my first article. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.
