ASSIGNMENT 1: INTRODUCTION

[Molly Brown]

Hello everyone! My name is Molly and I am from Syracuse, New York. I am 22 years old, and in May I graduated from college with a bachelors degree in International Relations and Sustainability Studies. I love to travel and learn about different cultures and regions in an immersive way, so I am excited for this opportunity to experience Thailand as an English teacher and to meet all of you! I enjoy photography, running, hiking, exploring new places, and more recently Yoga! I also love to try new foods, which I am very excited for in Thailand as I have heard the food is incredible!

I have decided to travel to Thailand because a few friends of mine have spent time in Thailand teaching English and have loved their experience! I really enjoy meeting new people and being immersed in different cultures. I also love to explore new places, and I feel that this opportunity will help me to grow as a person!

I expect and accept that moving to Thailand will not be the easiest adjustment and I will be faced with many different challenges. I understand that I will likely face challenges involving being homesick, feeling uncomfortable in new atmospheres, and making mistakes. I understand that the culture, language and lifestyle in Thailand may not be similar to what I am used to, but by keeping a growth mindset while also preparing myself in advance, I hope to handle these challenges as best I can. I also hope to create relationships with other people in Thailand, as I believe these challenges are faced best with a good support system.

During my time living as an expat in Thailand, I hope to meet lots of new people and learn about a culture different from my own. I think that living in Thailand presents me with an opportunity to grow as a person, and to feel more confident when facing new experiences. I hope to have a positive impact on the community I am immersed in as well, and to create friendships with other people.

Excited to meet you all!
Molly

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Molly Brown.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Molly Brown.
• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Molly Brown.

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[Alyssa Johnstone]

Hi Everyone! My name is Alyssa and I am from New Hampshire. I studied finance and have been working at a bank this past year after I graduated. I quickly got bored of sitting behind a desk and after researching some other options this seemed to align with what I wanted. I have always loved traveling and trying new things. I choose Thailand because I have heard so many wonderful things and it has been on my bucket list for a while now. There are many potential barriers and the biggest ones for me is my paperwork being delayed and the language. I’m hoping that they both come with time and that exposure helps me learn the language faster. Going in to this I don’t really have expectations but all I’m hoping to get out of it is a new experience and to see a new place.

[Divashan Naidoo]

Hello everyone!

Divashan here; I am 25 years old and from Johannesburg, South Africa! Born and raised in sunny South Africa, I completed my undergraduate Bachelor of Arts majoring in English and Psychology in 2020, and then moved on to complete my postgraduate Bachelor of Social Science with Honours in Psychology in 2021.

Since graduating I have done work in different sectors, between 2020-2023 throughout my different occupations there were many outreach programmes, youth-centred educational workshops and other community-focused and driven initiatives. These experiences have not only broadened my perspective but have also shown me the significance of having compassionate, community-oriented leaders who are dedicated to the betterment of all. Though my career path has been varied, with experience in psychometrics, environmentalism, and even agriculture, one constant has been my love of
teaching. Throughout these different industries, tutoring and teaching have always been a key aspect of my work. These experiences have shown me that while I have found success in various fields, it is teaching that truly fulfills me and allows me to create a lasting impact.

I suppose the reasons for my choice to move to Thailand would be purely for experience. To enhance my own life, whilst having the opportunity to be able to create a difference in the lives of others resonates with me on many levels. But mostly it is to do something that truly removes me from my comfort zone and places me in complete foreign circumstances! After graduating in 2020 I was meant to embark on another teaching journey, however the COVID-19 pandemic put that to a stop very abruptly. But that pushed me towards completing my postgrad, and gaining truly valuable work experience! Now that I am a bit more matured and insightful, I feel I am actually ready for this.

I do expect to encounter lots of challenges, mostly missing my life back home and all the comforts! Although, this is also something I am looking forward to funnily enough. My main aim to overcoming these challenges is to remain disciplined and steadfast in my decisions, so sticking to the plan, staying mentally, physically and spiritually fit! I also think that the people I meet along the way will expand my thinking and broaden horizons, so I am really excited to meet all the new people too!

What I hope to get out of this will be an experience that stays with me forever, and to accomplish that sense of self-achievement and self-actualisation in realising we are much more capable of anything than we like to think. Thanks for taking the time out to read all this, looking forward to everything and wish everyone the absolute best in their endeavours!

[Zoe Cotten]

Hi, my name is Zoe and I am from Arkansas (the United States). I graduated from the University of Central Arkansas last December with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art. I also minored in TESOL. I mainly focused on graphic design and ceramics for my school major.

I have always enjoyed exploring new places and meeting new people. During my first semester of college, I met a Thai exchange student. We became really close, and through that friendship my interest in Thailand grew. I am excited to see her again while helping children develop a deeper level of English.

I expect to face a lot of challenges during this journey. While I do love travel and people, I have some difficulties with food. I cannot tolerate spice very well. I also do not eat a lot of meat or seafood. I love fruit! I have challenges with food everywhere, so I plan to wait it out and find things I will love to eat just like anywhere else. I took a 3 week trip to Japan last summer. During my trip I struggled with food. As we were getting ready to leave, I was finally getting adjusted to more of the food there. I am confident that having such a long time in Thailand will give me plenty of time to find things I love.

I know there will be a lot of stress when it comes to completing the process and settling down. I usually like to plan really far ahead, so not having a placement, set accommodation for my entire trip, and other things like those planned is difficult for me. I am really looking forward to overcoming these stressful things. I know that I have XploreAsia to help me with these things, so I know everything will be okay as long as I prepare what I can in advance.

I really hope to have some sort of a leveling up during my time in Thailand. I graduated from university not too long ago, and have not had to do many adult things yet. I am a very serious and responsible person, but I still have a lot to learn in the ways of the world. Throwing myself into the deep end in a very different environment seemed like a great way to learn a lot of those things!

[Paige Winston]

Hello! My name is Paige and I was born and raised in the United States (Texas). I’m twenty-eight years old and have a B.A in English and an M.A in Teaching. I’ve spent the last four years teaching high school (secondary) English Language Arts.

It’s been a dream of mine to teach abroad since it would combine two things I enjoy and would be an opportunity to earn money and contribute to communities I visit. I chose Thailand to be that destination because I heard many great things about the country’s quality of life, the kind people, and delicious food. Not to mention it would be a much needed change of pace for me.

I think the main challenge I’ll face will be the language barrier because Thai is very different from any languages I am familiar with. I know that with time, practice and experience, I will be able to overcome that hurdle since I will be immersed. Aside from that, also the fact that I am a foreigner staying for an extended period of time in an unfamiliar place, I know I might receive mixed feelings about that. I understand that unfamiliarity can be scary for some people and but I will do my best to show the best qualities of myself, so that I may not appear as someone that people must be weary of.

As an English educator, I hope to gain knowledge about ESL teaching and learning, particularly in a setting where English is not the most commonly spoken language. Those skills can be applied to a variety of settings and I believe they’ll make me a better English teacher over all. As a global citizen, Thailand is a new home full of opportunities for me to learn, explore, and enjoy to the fullest while also contributing to communities I will be serving.

[Paige Winston]

Hi Zoe!

I just want to say that I think you’ve already got the right kind of mindset for this kind of experience. Not many people are willing to step out of their comfort zone and find workarounds when things are tough to deal with. I admire that and think you will have an awesome experience because of this.

[Geoffrey Rains]

Hi everyone! I’m Geoff and I’m from Adelaide, Australia but have been living in in Melbourne for the past 10 years. I’m about to turn 50 years old.
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend the last 30 years working in thoroughbred racehorse stables. This has given me the opportunity to travel and live all over Australia and work with world class gallopers. I’m now feeling like it’s a time for a change and time for a new challenge!
Being an avid traveller and having travelled through Asia extensively throughout my life not only as a tourist but in my younger years representing Australia at ice hockey in South Korea, Japan and China. I’ve visited Thailand numerous times and seem to keep coming back!
I think the main challenges for me are primarily doing something completely new and being out of my ‘comfort zone’, although teaching isn’t completely new to me as I’ve coached sports and performed work place inductions and training over the years. Brushing up on my computer skills also poses challenges for me aswell as trying to grasp the local language.
I hope to see more of Thailand, meet new people and gain the skills and experience to be a reasonable English teacher.

[Simal Yilmaz]

Hi, I’m Şimal and I’m 26. I’ve been an English teacher for 4 years now in Turkey. I graduated from Language Teaching and have been working with different age groups since then. I love teaching and becoming a teacher was a childhood dream for me and I’m glad that it brings good opportunities for me. I always wanted to have different experiences and learn while teaching that’s why I wanted to try teaching abroad. When I saw a chance to teach in Thailand I was super excited because I always liked the country and interested in its nature. I know it has so many beautiful natural places as well as rich culture. I want to visit temples and maybe experience the religious and cultural activities.
This will be the first time I’ll be away for such a long time from my city and my family. I think it’ll be hard for me to adapt and I’ll be missing them a lot but I hope to make new friends and meet new communities there. I also think adapting to the food will be harder because it is entirely different when it comes to my countries’ cuisine.
I hope Thailand and teaching there will give me new opportunities to improve myself, I hope to make lots of new friends and experience the unique culture there. Good luck to everyone.

[Zion Omobuwa]

– Hi, my name is Zion. I was born in Nigeria but grew up in the U.S. and I’ve lived in several states throughout my life (New York, Ohio, Texas, and North Carolina). I studied abroad in Costa Rica and Cuba before graduating undergrad and that honestly solidified my desire to live and work abroad.

– I have a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and International Relations, but I actually became a teacher right after graduating. I eventually ventured into other professions when the 2020 quarantine interfered with my plans to complete my last year in grad school. Due to this, I decided to get certified to teach abroad instead because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do and I knew I wanted to continue teaching eventually. Although I was working as a calibration scientist for a German company for almost 3 years, they had global budget cuts and my entire team was laid off. While this might have felt like suffering a blow for others, I saw it as an opportunity to finally pursuing teaching abroad and put my TEFL certificate to use. So here I am now!

– I’ve always been interested in other languages and cultures due to growing up around different people and having a pretty diverse extended family. I have several Asian relatives from different countries but it’ll be my first time in Asia personally, so I’m most excited to learn more about Thai culture, people, and the beautiful language. My hope is that this experience will not only help me build a unique relationship with students while also immersing myself in and learning more about Thai culture and traditions, but also help me gain a sense of community and make lifelong connections. Looking forward to getting to know you all.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Zion Omobuwa.

[Zion Omobuwa]

Whoops editing since I made a new post instead of replying to someone. Disregard this one.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 8 months ago by Zion Omobuwa.

[Zion Omobuwa]

Hi, Şimal! We’re about the same age (I’m 27) and although I’ve been away from my family a few times, this will definitely be the longest and biggest change for me. I think I can understand how you’re feeling but it’s nice to hear from someone who is just as passionate about teaching. Best of luck to you in Thailand.

[Harriet Cross]

Hi Moesha!
I’m Harriet, I’m from West Yorkshire England and have family who live in York; it’s such a lovely city and I hope you’ve enjoyed studying there. You sound very experienced with travelling, which is very impressive. I can understand the anxieties of emerging yourself in a culture and being as respectful as possible as I have similar ones but I’m sure we’ll pick it all up quite quickly. Good luck with your time travelling and teaching!

[Faith Lauinger]

Hello everyone my name is Faith, I am 24 years old from Scottsdale, Arizona in the United States. I have been a teacher since graduating college and now have decided to teach English for the next 6 months in Thailand. Thailand is somewhere I have always wanted to visit because it is absolutely stunning. The culture, beaches, cities and temples look incredible.
The main challenge I predict for myself is navigating the language. I have tried to learn some Thai but really struggle to understand the language. I also think adapting to the culture and way of life could potentially be hard at first since it will be so new and different. I hope this experience helps me grow my independence as well as get to experience a new part of the world and love and embrace every step of the way!

[David Norris]

Hello, my name is David Norris.
For the past 15 years I have lived in Kansas City, MO where I continued raising my two children and working for a railroad as a project manager supporting Engineering with track maintenance, and in sourcing supporting Mechanical with the purchase and maintenance of locomotives and freight cars.
In 2022 after a significant personal experience, the ending of a personal relationship, and dissatisfaction with my professional life, I was prompted to be prepare for and be open for a major change, though I had no idea what that might be nor when.
Many individual experiences over the past two years have led me to this new stage of my life. Service has always been a source of great satisfaction throughout my life; giving to the children of Thailand the skill of communicating in English that may grant them a better future will be very rewarding!

[David Norris]

Zion – Good job viewing your layoff as an opportunity to move forward, instead of as a negative or traumatic experience!

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by David Norris.

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