ASSIGNMENT 1: INTRODUCTION

[Demi Williams]

Hi everyone! My name is Demi. I’m almost 20 years old, and I’m from Wales. I’ve just finished my second year in University of South Wales doing Criminology, Criminal justice with Psychology. I wanted to be able to take part in this opportunity because I thought it would be fun to travel and meet new people, and not only that but learning something new.
I want to be able to challenge myself and learn so much more in these weeks to come, one of my main problems will be that I am type one diabetic but that won’t stop me!
I cannot wait to learn about the culture and history of Thailand and hopefully make life long friends on the way.

[Lara Onar]

Hi, my name is Lara I’m Turkish and Azerbaijani and have lived in both London and Norfolk. I am currently studying History at King’s College London and have just completed my first year. My interest in participating in this programme stems from my desire to explore Asia, as it is a continent I am yet to explore. I feel that this experience will open my eyes to new cultures and ways of life which are different to that of Europe, whilst also giving me the opportunity to meet people from many unique backgrounds. I feel that the main challenge will be adapting to Thai culture, especially the food as I can be quite picky, but this is a challenge I look forward to embracing as it will give me the chance to step out of my comfort zone. I hope to gain new memories and friends which I will cherish for a lifetime whilst also returning to England with a clearer view of Asia and its culture.

[Gemma Hucker]

Hi, my name is Gemma I have lived near Bath in the UK and now I’m living in Bristol after just completing my first year studying sociology at the University of Bristol. I decided to apply to volunteer teaching English in Thailand because I have always been eager to travel to new places and experience different cultures and meet new people. This opportunity is very exciting for me because it is like nothing I have ventured to do before and I’m looking forward to learning about Thai history and culture whilst gaining teaching experience. Not only will this experience award a teacher training qualification as an aiding stepping stone to my journey of becoming a teacher, but it will no doubt be extremely enriching and I can’t wait to see the beauty of Thailand and the people who live there.

[Gemma Hucker]

Hi Connor!
Nice to hear that there is somebody else studying at Bristol going on this course! I agree that the language barrier is potentially going to be the biggest challenge during this experience and I’m looking forward to learning some Thai to help with this. See you soon!

[Jessica Fotheringham]

Hi everyone. I’m Jess. I was born in England but grew up in South Africa which is where my family is originally from. However, we moved to Geneva, Switzerland when I was ten years old. I have just finished my first year at Cardiff University studying English Literature and Creative Writing. Due to having lived in different countries, travelling and learning languages are two of my biggest passions and I can’t wait to experience this in Thailand. In addition, I have always considered teaching as a potential profession, so am looking forward to experiencing and learning more about this field. I am sure one challenge I will face will be learning to adjust to a new climate, but it is a challenge I am ready and excited to face.

[Jessica Fotheringham]

Hi Pierrette!
It is really cool to know that there is another South African coming to Thailand. I am sure you will be able to give everyone advice and pointers when it comes to teaching due to your degree, and I look forward to learning a thing or two from you. I remember my first time leaving Africa like it was yesterday, and look forward to being apart of your experience.
Travel safe !

• This reply was modified 2 years, 11 months ago by Jessica Fotheringham.

[Anne Moesha Snoek]

HI everyone!!
I’m Moesha, a second year history student at the university of York. However, I grew up in the Netherlands and still go home every break I can. The friends I made at university come from a wide range of backgrounds and when starting to think about what I wanted to do for summer, GOTOCO spoke to me. Beside having travelled a lot in my life, both with and without parents, I would love to be a teacher in the future, this program therefore combines two things that are very important to me.
I’m really existed to go to Thailand, but one of the major difference that probably would be a obstacle for me is the cultural difference, having travelled before but never emerging in a culture as much as I will do this summer, it is going to be a challenge I’m existed to take on. Beside the language difference there is also a huge difference of forms of interaction, regarding politeness and respect that is different from what we are used too, and I’m hoping not offending anyone while there.
I’m hoping to learn a lot about myself and the world during this program. Working with young children will hopefully let me learn more about my dream job and Thailand will hopefully teach me something about the world and smiles! 🙂
See you soon!!

[Sonia Mann]

Hi everyone! My name is Sonia, and I am from the UK. I studied Business Management in London. I have worked in the employment field supporting people into work which has been really rewarding, but now I am looking for my next challenge. I have always worked at playschemes with children and would like to have a positive, inspiring impact on children’s lives. I have wanted to teach in Thailand for a while now, but the timing has not been quite right. However, I am finally ready to embark on this exciting adventure! I have chosen Thailand as it seems like an amazing place full of culture and it’s called the Land of Smiles, so who wouldn’t want to move there!😊I expect to face challenges such as the language barrier, but it will be a learning curve that I cannot wait to experience. I will overcome this challenge by practising speaking the Thai language with as many people as possible. I hope to meet people from different walks of life, learn new skills, and become a better version of myself. Can’t wait to meet you all!

[Sonia Mann]

Hi Lara, I agree, it will be so nice to meet people from other backgrounds that you probably wouldn’t otherwise meet. See you in Thailand! 🙂

[Jeshin Murugiah]

Hey everyone! My name is Jeshin and I’m currently a first year studying Economics and Management at Oxford. I’ve lived In London all my life, but my parents are both originally from Sri Lanka so I’m a first-generation immigrant here. I’m travelling to Thailand this summer to take part in a programme that allows us to teach kids in rural communities from all over the country, which is really exciting! Although I have experience in education through mentoring and assisting in classes, I have never done anything on this scale before so I think that there will be many challenges for me to overcome. But I am not scared of new experiences, and I believe that adversity of any kind is always something to learn and grow from – nothing worth anything in life is easy and so, working hard to be successful in life is something that I completely understand. I really want to make an impact on the communities in Thailand and to give back as much as I know that I’m going to gain from the experience of living in Thailand for the summer!
I’m excited to read everyone else’s stories!
Jeshin

[Jeshin Murugiah]

Hello Jess!
I think that it’s really cool that you’ve travelled to a lot of different countries and like to learn languages – it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and I’m glad that I’m not alone in being passionate about it. As a fellow first-year, I’m sure that you will be up to the challenge of adjusting to the climate and you’ll feel right at home in Thailand in no time!

Looking forward to seeing you there!

[Jake Youngman]

Hi! I’m Jake, I’m 22, and I’ve just completed my final year of History and International Relations at Lancaster University. I live in the tropical, exotic city of Manchester now.
My cousin reccomended Gotoco as she is currently teaching in Columbia and her stories sounded amazing, not to mention being able to experience teaching in a new country sounds awesome so I had to apply.
I look forward to meeting new people and I am determined to have a full conversation with a local in Thai without failure.
I look forward to see you all there!

[Issy Lucas]

Hi, my name is Issy and I am in my second year of studying biomedical studies at Cardiff Uni, with the hope of one day studying medicine in the future! I decided to take part on this programme because I love travelling and really immersing myself in different cultures, especially Asian ones. I was supposed to teach English a few years ago but because of COVID I wasn’t able to so when the email popped up I thought it was a no-brainer! I spent last summer backpacking around Thailand and Vietnam and so I would really love to be able to do this again but this time actually give back to the community! I think the challenges will be adapting to a whole different culture and learning to communicate with the Thai children but I am excited to learn and meet new people along the way.

[Jake Youngman]

Hey Jeshin,

I agree, teaching kid’s from more rural areas from all over Thailand is super exciting. Its good that you have some prior experience through mentoring and assisting in class, that should help you acclimatise with the process better. I know who I’ll be asking for tips early on!
Can’t wait to meet you all!

[Deyaanjali Deb]

Hi! My name is Deya, I’m almost 20 and I’m from England. I’m a 3rd year medic studying at Oxford uni and decided to get involved with the programme because I’m hoping to work abroad in the future, in the field of tropical diseases, and think this would be a great opportunity to immerse myself into a different culture! I love travelling and learning about new cultures and languages and am a fan of both eating and cooking Thai food as well, so am very excited to embark on this journey.
Of course, language will be a significant challenge but I’m hoping that interacting with local people and my own personal efforts in learning will help me improve my skills. As someone who’s been to South Asia before, I hope that helps me adapt to the culture more smoothly but as I’ve never travelled solo beyond Europe before, I expect that adjusting will take some time.
However, I wouldn’t have applied if I didn’t want to move beyond my comfort zone so I’m willing to overcome and face my challenges. All in all, I hope to gain a lot of independence, resourcefulness and skills for life from this experience. I look forward to meeting new people, travelling and making many memories from this trip.

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