As a Muskie Fellow, I graduated from CIE in 2005 and returned to Uzbekistan to start a teaching position at a public school.
While at CIE, I developed an interest in HIV/AIDS and health education, and with great enthusiasm I started teaching health education classes to high school students. This was a great experience, starting with developing my own curriculum to seeing how my students were developing confidence in discussing various health issues.
Additionally, I was working with elementary school students on their conversational English skills, which was also a wonderful experience. I couldn’t stop admiring how easily little kids picked up every new language unit and how grateful they were for every new thing they learned.
I then accepted a new teaching position at the English language teacher training department of the university in my hometown. Besides teaching, I am working closely with students applying to various exchange programs, advising on the program choices, working on their writing skills for academic purposes, preparing for TOEFL and other tests.
Together with my colleagues we received and implemented a grant for a workshop on research-based education for educational professionals in the health education sector, targeting exchange program alumni in Uzbekistan. In all the work I do, I am using the tools and experiences I received during my years at CIE, which I am very grateful for. [6-08]
In 2008 I moved from Uzbekistan to Ukraine to join my husband and there I continued to teach English to working professionals and students. In 2009 my husband and I moved to the UK for his degree and we have lived in England ever since.
For various reasons, I have had to change my focus from education and explore new pastures. I currently work at Thames Water which is a private water company servicing around 15 million customers in England. I have worked at Thames Water for just under 10 years in various positions and in the last couple of years I have been managing a team of data analysts in the StreetWorks department analyzing complex financial and performance data to provide insights for the business.
We have two children, Arthur (11) and Olivia (5). We enjoy a good time together whether it is visiting a park or playing a board game. In the very little spare time I have, I love a good DIY home improvement project and this has been my hobby in the last couple of years. [12-22]
Email: cfiruza_gafurova@yahoo.com