ASSIGNMENT 1: INTRODUCTION

[Joshua Miller]

Hello! My name is Josh, I’m from Florida in the United States, and I’m 24 years old. I graduated from Florida State University with a degree in international affairs, so I have a lot of interest in topics such as anthropology, politics, and sociology. After high school, I took a gap year to Europe where I lived in Germany for 1 month, then in Spain for 6 months. It was the best time of my life and I hope to have a similar experience in Thailand. I chose Thailand because I love Buddhist philosophy, and Thailand seems like a wonderful place to learn about it. Also, I’m very interested in learning more about Thai culture as well as the minority cultures within Thailand. I expect some challenges like language barriers and cultural differences and I think the best way to overcome these challenges would be by learning some basic Thai and studying the culture more so I don’t embarrass myself. In my travels, I hope to help the people of Thailand learn English and meet a bunch of lifelong friends like I met in Europe. I also hope to gain experience in education which would help me in my future career in government or media.

[Kafi Wharton-Baum]

Hi everyone,
My name is Kafi (pronounced Kay-fi) and I am 21 from Yorkshire in England. My name is Swahili, as my Dad was born in South Africa and my Mum was born in Germany so it is safe to say I have travelling engrained in my bones! I have very recently completed a BA (Hons) degree in Primary Education and have a clear passion and love for teaching as I can see the difference I can make in a child’s life both academically and pastorally. As well as teaching in many English schools, I taught in Romania last summer teaching English as well as recreational activities as part of a British Summer Camp and loved it!
I am going to Thailand to teach children, by combining my two loves of travelling and teaching I can immerse myself in a completely new culture and lifestyle while giving back to Thailand and supporting children to develop their English language skills and confidence,
I think the main challenge for me will be living and working in a completely new and alien environment by myself. Hence by completing this course, I will be able to better understand Thailand’s customs and expectations as well as hopefully learning as much Thai as possible!
I really hope that by travelling to Thailand I will be able to meet lots of amazing people and make many special, life-long memories. But from my previous travelling and teaching experiences, my confidence has really grown which has been a main target for me since I was little, I have always lacked confidence and I am hoping Thailand will continue to help this grow.
Thanks for reading,
Kafi

[Leon Heavens]

Hi my name is Leon and I am currently an accountant born and raised in London. I have decided to move to Thailand as I want to experience a new culture and language. I have always thought about teaching and I will be able to be a teacher and live in a different country. Challenges I expect to face are culture shock. Being from a western country I am sure there will be differences where I will need to adjust and adapt but I look forward to a new culture. I think the language barrier will be a big challenge especially if I move to a rural place but learning the language is important to me so I relish the challenge. I hope to learn more about the culture in Thailand and gain valuable life experiences which will guide me through life.

[Alexander Bavington]

Hi Everyone,
My name is Alex and I am born and raised in Reading, England. I am 25 years old and have a degree in Applied Criminal Justice Studies from University of Northampton. I have always wanted to travel and initially planned to go travelling in 2020 around Europe but then Covid hit and that was halted in its tracks. When I found the opportunity to travel to another country and teach I decided to jump at it. I have never been to Asia and thought that it would be an interesting and utterly different experience for me, it is one which I want to experience whilst I was still relatively young and without commitments back in the UK. Although I have no formal training in teaching, I have done some sports coaching and helped out in classrooms at my local primary school where my Mum works. My enjoyment of those experiences as well as the wish to travel and experience new cultures make this an ideal opportunity for me. As with all big changes there are going to be a number of challenges that I and many other who take this opportunity, will face. The two biggest challenges for me will be missing my family and adapting to the new culture. Although I’m sure I will miss my family a lot, I know that I will preserve through the difficulties. I hope to immerse myself in the culture and gain a understand and appreciation for the how different or similar life is not only outside the UK but also outside the western world. I hope to be able to use my experience’s I have gained through my life to have a positive impact on the children that I will be teaching.

[Neamh O’Donoghue]

Hello Everyone!
My name is Néamh and I am from Ireland. I have been working since I was 16 and up until now the most rewarding and enjoyable job I had was when I was as a teaching assistant in a Musical Theatre stage school. This is when I discovered how impactful teachers can be to students. I am now 24 and have finally found the opportunity to pursue teaching in a more in depth and meaningful way. I have never travelled outside of Ireland so I am excited to experience a different culture and way of life. I believe having not travelled previous to this will inevitably lead to homesickness. However I think stepping out of my comfort zone and making an effort to make friends and immersing myself in this experience will help ease any homesickness. Another challenge will of course be the language barrier which I plan to combat by learning as much as I can and being open to all learning experiences. I am excited to visit Thailand as I know it will be a completely different culture than my own and is famous for its beauty and amazing cuisine (which I can’t wait to try). Through this experience I hope to make new friends and learn more about the differences between the Irish and Thai culture. I believe these cultural differences are what make every country interesting and unique.
I look forward to meeting all of you!

[Philip Nicholson]

Hi! My name is Philip, I’m 23 and I’m from the US. I just finished my bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and decided to take part in this program because I wanted to take the opportunity to travel after finishing my studies. In the spring of my junior year, I studied away in South Africa, where I also volunteered as a tutor at an afterschool program. I fell in love with teaching and teaching in Thailand is an opportunity for me to explore education as a career a little further, but also to travel and have an. adventure. I am excited by the challenges that teaching in an environment where I don’t know the language poses, and am nervous, but also excited about spending time in a new place where I don’t know anyone.

[Leiya Fournier]

Hello, my name is Leiya and I’m from Quebec in Canada. I’m 24 years old and I’m taking a gap year in my Marketing bachelor’s degree at HEC in Montreal. I have always been very business oriented, but I really wanted to experience something else and try my hand at teaching. I have two younger siblings that I have tutored myself through high school and cégep, it’s something that brings me a lot of pleasure and it encouraged me to apply to this program. I love to travel and I’ve been to Europe and Central America many times, I`ve wanted to explore Asia for many years and this opportunity to teach in Cambodia is exactly what I’ve been dreaming about for a long time. I want to learn about their culture and be completely immersed in their way of life. It will be a big adjustment and I’m sure I’ll have a difficult time at first to be so far from home, but I see it more as a challenge. I consider myself a shy person and sometimes it’s hard to put myself out there. I believe that opening myself to people over there will help in making me feel more adjusted. Teaching will be a challenge in itself, I can’t wait to learn all about it in my TESOL classes. I want this trip to help me learn more about myself, but also more about the world around me. I hope to meet wonderful people and create long-lasting bonds with them. I can’t wait to embark on this new journey! 🙂
Leiya Fournier

[Olivia Douglas]

Hi!

I’m Olivia Douglas. I grew up in rural Bootheel Missouri, United States. I went to the University of Missouri and got a Bachelor’s degree in English, with an emphasis in Creative Writing, and a minor in French. I have done some traveling, mostly to Europe and South America, and I’ve visited a good portion of the states. I am an unfortunate bookmanaic, as my sister likes to say, but I also like to draw and write!

I decided to move to Thailand because I have always wanted to live abroad for the cultural expansion of my own world view. But also, I love to help people equip themselves with skills they need in order to move on with the next step in their life. And to me, giving them a foundation in English is one way to do that. It is one of the major spoken languages, but also learning a language can allow you to build life skills. What do you do when you don’t know what to say? How should you consider your actions/speech when you are speaking to someone culturally/nationally different than you? How can you develop steps in your own habits that allow you to address fears of speaking in front of others or taking on something where you don’t feel equipped or feel underprepared? I think a lot can go into learning a language, and if I can be a small part in helping students prepare themselves for the next step they plan to take, that would mean a lot to me.

I expect to face classroom challenges a lot. I have taught on small scales, with older kids. I’ve never had to manage a classroom or dictate classroom rules. Learning when to be compassionate, but also when to push them harder, is something I expect to have the challenge of facing. But also how to efficiently handle a classroom. I expect to overcome these with my own support system, as I know a number of people and am friends/related to a number, who are or were teachers. I also expect to make connections while teaching many of you, and learn from you guys!

In this experience, I hope to get out a new way of thinking and more skills that I probably have no way of predicting. Coming from the States, I’m constantly surrounded by very particular ways of thinking and seeing the world. I want a chance to push that. I want to really go outside my comfort zone (because I am certainly an introvert) and do things that allow me to experience Thailand as someone who is a part of it, not as a tourist.

Looking forward to meeting you guys soon!

Olivia

[Kerry Cook]

Hi, my name is Kerry, I’m 30 years old and from Lancaster in the North West of England. I recently graduated from a Masters in English Literary Studies and my undergrad degree is in Film and English Literature. I’ve spent all my working life in the hospitality industry, working part time during university and then progressing to management roles since graduating, so this move to Thailand to teach English marks a very new and different chapter in my life!

I spent 3 weeks travelling all over Thailand with a group of friends in 2022 and fell in love with the country’s culture and beautiful architecture and scenery; I have always considered teaching as a possibility for a career and this felt like the perfect opportunity to return to Thailand and learn and see more about it whilst also pursuing my interest in teaching.

I expect to find homesickness to be one of my biggest challenges initially as I have lived in my hometown for most of my life and am very used to the comforts of home. I also expect to face challenges of adapting to a new culture and language. However, I have chosen to make this move in order to challenge myself and I am hopeful that although difficult, I will grow in confidence and independence as a result of these challenges.

[Rachelle Flambard]

Hello, I’m Rachelle.
I am originally from Jersey but now live and work in the Cardiff, UK.
I have a passion for teaching and helping other people to learn from what I know. I have got a job in Thailand teaching science, PE and English. I am excited to learn about another culture and live an work amongst the Thai locals.
My initial challenges will be adapting to a whole new way of life that differs to Western culture but that is what also makes me excited to learn.
I hope to grow as a person and meet some amazing people along the journey.

[Emily Hoover]

Hello everyone! My name is Emily. I recently graduated college and have been taking the time afterward to explore seasonal work. I have never been to Asia and have been told by many people that Thailand is a great place to visit and explore, especially as a young person. I know there will definitely be some moments of culture shock but overall I am excited for the new experiences. Most nervous for accidentally ordering a really spicy dish and crying from the heat. Super excited to be immersed in a new culture and learn from the locals. Cannot wait to meet new people and gain new skills.

[Mia Kerrigan]

My name is Mia, I am 23 years old and I come from Yorkshire in the UK. I have recently graduated with a degree in English Literature and I am moving to Thailand to explore a career as an English teacher. I was fortunate to spend a significant time at University studying abroad (I completed a semester exchange in Canada, a full year exchange in Hungary and a summer in Singapore) which really ignited my love for travel and inspired me to love abroad after graduation. For the past two years I have worked as an English tutor online and I have also spent this summer working with children in Poland. My goal moving to Thailand is to build upon my experience working with children whilst embracing my love for travel. I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the culture of Thailand; I visited the country as a tourist in summer 2022 and fell in love with the welcoming, vibrant culture (and the food!). I am also interested to learn more about the Buddhist faith.
One of the main challenges I expect to face is feeling overwhelmed by the differences between the UK and Thailand, for example the difference in language . I am also expecting to struggle with the heat as the weather will definitely be very different to the UK! Another challenge I anticipate is transitioning from being a part time tutor to a full time English teacher as although I love working with children I know there will be a lot more work/responsibility. To overcome these issues I plan to focus on myself and acknowledge my emotions, for example I plan to start a journal to work through my feelings and responses to the new culture/career. I will also try to focus on the things I expect to love about Thailand (food, culture, landscape etc) as I am sure these will outweigh the negatives.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Mia Kerrigan.
• This reply was modified 2 years, 8 months ago by Mia Kerrigan.

[Aoife Hutchinson]

Hi my name is Aoife, I’m 20 and I’m from Ireland. I have grown up in a city called waterford which is full of culture and history.
I have decided to move to Thailand as I have always wanted to travel and Thailand just seemed to call out to me. From what I have heard from anyone who has visited the country, there is so much culture to experience and the people are lovely.
The biggest challenge I expect to face is homesickness, however I plan to overcome this through making friends and going on adventures. Hopefully this will keep me distracted!
I hope to make life long friends and experience as much of the Thai culture as possible

[Oliver Sharpe]

Hi! I’m Oliver, I’m 21 and I’m from Cambridge in the UK. I’ve just finished my degree in animation, and I’ve never travelled too much in the adventurous kind of way I’m looking to do now. Going straight through education with no breaks I thought I would be cool to get out into the world for a good while before kicking off a career in animation and what better way to get immersed in somewhere new is there than teaching? Originally, I was going to teach in Japan, but I got the opportunity to go to Thailand first which I couldn’t pass up! I’m a huge fan of Thai food and I love to cook which really drew me in and I don’t really know too much about the country which is a bit of a positive to me as I really like to go somewhere and discover it from within. I think a challenge for me would be the language as picking up a new language isn’t something I’ve done before I’m also a little bit anxious about stuff like disease but I’m just going to load up on vaccines and try to not be so worrisome. I’m hoping to get some fulfilment out of the teaching, I think working with students to teach them something that can expand their lives will be super cool and I’m hoping to I guess expand my life out of my small town origins and get some adventure and life experience under my belt.

[Patrick Higgins]

Hello.
My name is Patrick. When I was younger, I trained to be a PE and Health teacher through a university in Australia.
I love exercise and many sports especially rugby, basketball and cricket. I also did a Health Science degree because of my interest in helping people.
I went on a working holiday to England and mostly taught Primary School age children. I then decided to travel some more and I taught English and a little PE in South Korea and China which was quite a different experience.
I am travelling to Thailand because I’ve had good reports about the country and I heard that the people/students are polite and well-behaved. I have been there twice on short holidays, and I enjoyed the weather and being able to swim in the ocean.
When I was in South Korea and China I had communication problems, but I overcame them by getting help when I needed and working on my own communication skills. Another challenge was the culture, however, I found if you showed respect and obeyed/conformed to their way of living then that went a long way to fitting in.
I hope to have a rewarding and enjoyable experience by helping young people learn and develop their English skills and abilities, as well as be a role model of good manners and behaviour.

[Author]

Posts