Ren Powers laughs as she explains that sometimes she feels she has more than two feet, with each foot in several different countries at one time. At one point, she taught English in Germany, Russia, Serbia, the Netherlands and Canada.
Powers grew up in Michigan and studied abroad in Germany before teaching English in Russia for four years. A graduate of literature studies, she pivoted into teaching serendipitously, she said, after an internship connected her with the world of teaching, one she enjoyed.
In Moscow, the school she taught English at specialized in test preparation. She taught English to adults getting ready to apply for visas or immigrate. She also coincidentally met her husband, Kendrick Gilmour, who happened to start teaching at the same school on the same day. As such, they spent much time together and later adopted their beloved cat, Murby.
Gilmour, however, realized teaching wasn’t for him and headed back to his home country to become an air traffic controller in Williams Lake. Once the pandemic struck, Powers returned to Detroit, spending that summer of 2020 with her parents. Gilmour joined, and a few months later, the couple headed up to Williams Lake that fall.
“What a time to move anywhere,” Powers said of her experience moving to a small town during the pandemic.
She was quick to point out that she knew her experience wasn’t representative of what the community was like. As it was for many during the pandemic, the move for her was lonely. Her social circle was largely with the students she taught abroad online, waking up as early as 5 a.m. to juggle the differing time zones.
Eventually, she found community by volunteering with the Cariboo-Chilcotin Partners for Literacy Society (CCPL) while awaiting her permanent residency. Once a resident, she was hired on by CCPL, describing the opportunity as one that was so closely related to her interests and background.
“I was so incredibly privileged to move here and get a job in my field.”
Now, she works as an English teacher for newcomers to Canada while still teaching online here and there. She loves what she does and enjoys taking her students into the community. Recently, the group spent time with the Williams Lake Spinners, Weavers and Fibre Artists Guild. Afterward, a few newcomers joined the guild.
“It’s really cool because not only are you a language instructor, but you also get to introduce people to opportunities for socializing in the community.”
As a newcomer to Canada herself, she can relate to her students and the experience is more collaborative, with everyone sharing things they’ve learned since moving to Canada.
“I’m still learning things. It helps us all build a rapport as a group because we all have that in common.”
Powers noted the many friendships formed because of the group she teaches, especially in a smaller town where many people already know one another. The power of being in a group makes making friends less intimidating, she said.
Between working with CCPL and teaching online, she’s found time to volunteer with the Daybreak Rotary Club. Having been an exchange student in Germany, a natural curiosity led her to the club, along with a co-worker inviting her to one of the club’s meetings. Before she knew it, she began helping with the club’s satellite division. Recently, she helped organize a book sale. The next one is happening in October.
When she isn’t teaching or volunteering, she’s busy reading, writing or working with her Dad on their YouTube podcast, Books In Sight, where they discuss books. She also enjoys writing fan fiction online or hiking with her husband. They recently were in Cape Town for their long-overdue Honeymoon.
Next up, the couple is heading to Thailand, where they’ll be taking a language course. Powers said it will be her first time as a language student in a while, and she hopes to use her experience as a student to help improve her ability to teach beginners.
She’s a lifelong learner, no doubt, with curiosities leading her here and there. While her major was in literature, her minor was in astronomy.
“The world is so fascinating to me, and I’m constantly finding something else to learn about and expand those horizons … It’s part of why I love being a teacher … It’s never a static thing. You don’t know who is going to come into your classroom.”
Powers, her cat and her love for clothes and books can be found at instagram.com/millennialdandy.
@kimakimberlin
kim.kimberlin@blackpress.ca
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