ASSIGNMENT 1: INTRODUCTION

[Laura Fern]

Hi Everyone!

My name is Laura, I am 22 years old, and I am from Seattle, Washington in the United States. I recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts and a minor in Education. Post grad, I was fortunate enough to work at a preschool in my home town. While I eventually hope to pursue a career more closely related to my degree, my time working with children helped me realize my options are not limited, which brings me to Thailand!

I began looking into teaching English as a foreign language while still in school, and having a family member previously taught in Chiang Mai, my attention was brought to Thailand specifically. I fell in love with the culture and location Thailand had to offer, and look forward to experiencing the community and quite frankly, food, Thailand holds.

I am anticipating the challenge of an initial language barrier. I have traveled to Europe before where most everyone speaks English, even if they do so begrudgingly. Living in a location where they do not even share the same alphabet as I am used to will definitely take some adjusting. However, with patience and an eagerness to learn, I am positive this challenge will be a fun one. Especially being able to teach English throughout my own transition, I know I will take just as much as I give to my class and leave feeling comfortable in my knowledge of Thai.

I hope to gain some perspective from this experience. My favorite part about studying abroad was living with a host family who only spoke German. I often reflect on how we bonded using various methods to communicate. I know I learned more from fully immersing myself into their culture than I would have as a tourist, and I hope to replicate that experience in Thailand.

[Laura Fern]

Hi Zoe! I think it is great you’re aware of the dietary restrictions you may face because acknowledging is a great first step. Let me know if you need a food tasting buddy! I also think you may find a new item you fall in love with and that can be your safe spot! I’m so excited for your journey in Thailand.

[Zion Omobuwa]

Thanks, David! I appreciate the kind words. It sounds like you’ve had a very impactful career already, so I’m sure this experience will expand on that as well.

[Coleman Jones]

Hi Everyone,
My name is Cole and I have been living abroad for the past 8 years. I am originally from Charleston, SC in USA but have most recently lived in Australia for the past 6 years and England and Spain prior to that. I have studied international economics and have a degree in Business and a Masters in Business Admin (MBA) from Bond University in Australia. I have recently resigned as Sales Director for an SME finance company in Australia, specializing in insolvency (very boring) to pursue my travel dreams and to find more purpose outside of finance. I always loved the consulting part of my job and enjoy any growth aspects of a career, especially helping businesses prosper at various stages of their business life cycle. I believe this is what has led me to be interested in teaching, even though it will children this time, rather than adult corporate professionals. I speak a bit of Spanish and enjoy learning any language as I feel it is essential to assimilate in any new culture. I appreciate any live music, local food, and boxing. I have travelled to Thailand a few times and decided to sell everything and move here about a month and a half ago. Thailand stole my heart with the food as I very much love to “travel with my stomach” and I enjoy the art of any combat sport. Muay Thai has been no exception and is also a major reason as to why I have made the transition to Thailand. I love the language as well, though I am realizing the 5 different tones are proving difficult for me to pick up. This is a challenge that excites me and I plan to overcome this through conversations with locals and listening as much as possible. I hope to become conversationally proficient with Thai and to increase my knowledge of Thai culture and the art of Muay Thai. I also am excited to be an integral part of Thai children’s English learning journey.

[Jenna Ebel]

Hello! My name is Jenna and I am 22 and from the United States! I am from the state of Wisconsin. I graduated college in May with my education degree, and I now have my teaching license in Minnesota and Wisconsin. I love to travel, meet new people, and spend time with friends and family. I decided to move to Thailand because I was very interested in the culture, geography, and I felt like I needed a little bit of adventure in my life. Some challenges that I am expecting to face along the way include language barriers, and surprising cultural differences. In order to overcome these challenges, I will be sure to educate myself and be mindful about the different cultures in Thailand. I am hoping this course will help me to understand more of the cultural differences that I may face during my time. I hope to gain valuable skills in the Thai classroom that I can eventually bring back to the US with me in my future classroom. I also hope to gain a lot of awareness about another culture by immersing myself into the culture.

Good luck with the course everyone, and I can’t wait to meet you all!
Jenna

[Joshua King]

Hi! My name is Joshua, I am 24 from Kent, England. I completed university in 2021, and after working in manual labour for a couple of years, I decided to train as a mathematics teacher. Having completed my training and PGCE I have decided that I want to go and gain some more teaching and life experience abroad before continuing my career in education. I have heard a lot about Thailand from my friends and opted, almost on a whim, to come and experience it for myself.
Where I am from is a small seaside town, which is often very quiet, so I am fearful I may become a bit overwhelmed with the hustle and bustle of the Thai culture, but I am also excited to put myself out there and experience as much as I possibly can, perhaps even becoming accustomed and accepted into it.
Out of this experience, I hope to gain lifelong memories, meet new and interesting people, as well as improve my teaching practice. I often worry about what lies ahead, but pushing myself to go abroad and keep moving forward is enough to make myself understand this decision is the correct one for me.

[Ronnie Tash]

Hello everyone! My name is Veronica Tash aka Ronnie. I am 21 and from Ontario Canada. I just graduated this past June from Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario. The program I studied was Architectural Technology where I learned many things such as the foundations of structures, working with various building materials, applying physics, math & environment to residential and industrial buildings and much more.
My friend who I am travelling with was the one who introduced me into the idea of going abroad and teaching. With her, I am going to use this opportunity to explore the wonderful place that God created and also expand my knowledge of different cultures hoping to learn many things about Thailand’s heritage, food, country and ethics. I want to also grow closer with my friend and my faith as well as meet people on the other side of the world and hopefully have many more friends when returning home.
As any person faces difficulty visiting or moving to another country they barely know, the hardest challenge for me will probably be the language barrier and culture shock. To overcome these challenges I plan to immerse myself in every day life of the locals and always asking questions to learn more about them to grow respect whilst always staying kind and collected.
I am humbled at the opportunity to go there and cannot wait to learn many things while also hoping to bring a little bit of myself into my experience with the locals in Thailand and my stay in Cambodia. Cannot wait to meet everyone!

[William Finlayson]

Hello,

My name is William, I’m 22 years old and I’m from Toronto, Canada. I just completed my undergraduate degree here in Toronto where I studied Global Politics. I studied abroad in Stockholm, Sweden last year and continued to travel through Asia after I finished the school term; I found myself in Taiwan for a while and eventually in Thailand for a couple of months. I had an amazing experience there and have wished to go back to teach English ever since; I’m new to teaching but am excited about the prospect of learning. Both my parents are teachers and the idea of teaching in a foreign country like Thailand seems like such an enriching opportunity. Though I’m used to traveling independently for long periods, I’m sure there will be an adjustment period not just because I’m moving to another country but because I’m going to be working in a field I did not study for or think I would be doing. Nevertheless, I’m excited to connect with peers and old friends in Thailand and can’t wait to start learning how to teach English!

[Luyanda Mngadi]

Hello Alyssa, I am pleased to meet you from your introduction. I could say I relate to you as I know how you must have felt having decided to leave your office job to explore more of what the world has to offer, I hope Thailand is kind to you and all your fears about the unknown are quickly put at ease with this life-changing experience. All the best,

[Luyanda Mngadi]

Hello everyone, I am Luyanda from Durban, South Africa. Growing up in a country with 12 official languages, my appreciation for culture, language, and diversity was intriguing. It is something I have grown up with and plays a major role in who I am today. I could say it has ignited a curiosity in other cultures all around the world. I am a qualified foundation phase teacher in my home country and have lived in the city of Denver Colorado USA and managed to visit over 10 states in that time, and that is where I fell in love more with people, at how different we are but all the same. I am currently in corporate working for a UK-based company remotely. At the office every time we have a new trainer come in from the UK for upskill training, I was the girl found bombarding them with questions about the UK as I have never been, I would ask about favorite activities, food the majority enjoyed, and what the general public got on with on their free time, This curiosity gained me a lifelong friend who has just gone back to the UK after being in SA for about 2-months When they were around, I made it my duty to show them around, introducing them to people, and giving suggestions on the food they had to try. My hope as I embark on this journey is to open myself up to learning, I am a student of life and believe that there’s always something to learn. My encounter with Thailand is going to be brief as I will not be based there, but I am excited to absorb as much of the culture as I can, and looking forward to meeting you as you will be a part of my journey.

[Isabelle Willis]

Hey everyone, I’m Isabelle Willis, 25, from West Wales. I used to work in marketing in London before going freelance, but I’ve always had the urge to work abroad in a more interactive role. My sister taught in Thailand 10 years ago, and after visiting her, I knew it was something I wanted to experience for myself. So, I saved up, applied for this course, and here I am in Thailand, travelling around and already feeling like I made the right choice.

I’ve always wanted to get fully immersed in another culture, and Thailand seemed like the perfect place to do that. I’m really keen to learn as much of the Thai language as possible and connect with the local community. Teaching a group of children will be a completely new experience for me, especially with the language barrier, but I’m excited to take on the challenge and learn from it. I hope to grow both personally and professionally through this journey. Looking forward to getting to know everyone here.

[Isabelle Willis]

Hey Joshua!

I can totally relate to what you’re feeling – I’m also from a small seaside town, and even though I lived in London for a while, I ended up moving back before heading to Thailand. I had those same worries about how fast pace and how different everything would be. I’m already traveling around Thailand, and honestly, once you’re here and start embracing the culture bit by bit, it becomes less overwhelming and more of an exciting adventure. The key is to take things at your own pace. You’ve already made a huge step by pushing yourself out of your comfort zone by applying to this course, which is AMAZING! You’ll definitely build some unforgettable memories and connections. Looking forward to meeting you soon 🙂

Isabelle

[Joanna Blackwood]

Hi everyone!

My name is Jo and I live in Merseyside, England with my boyfriend and hamster, Winnie.

I graduated from Liverpool Hope University in 2019 with a Batchelors Degree in Education and Special Educational Needs, a PGCE in Primary Education and a Masters in Developmental Psychology and Disability. I do love to learn.

Prior to this I worked for 10½ years in the NHS, mostly on a busy paediatric ward and I also worked for a charity, supporting young autistic adults, amongst many other jobs. Since graduating, I have taught in both Mainstream and Special Primary Schools, most recently in a Special School.

Whilst at University I was fortunate enough to go to Malawi, in South-East Africa, where I taught for two weeks in a Primary school in an SOS Village. Although I found it hard, with very limited resources, the children were just amazing and I learned so much from them, the people and their culture. I just loved the whole experience.

With many of my friends either teaching and/or visiting Thailand on holiday, I’ve had a particular interest in going myself after hearing all about it. I cannot wait to immerse myself in the culture, meet new people and new friends and play a part in a child’s learning, leaving an impact on them, as the children in Malawi did on me.

Areas where I might find challenging include the language, contrasts in curriculum and teaching, as well as cultural differences. Although I have travelled quite a bit, I am still a little nervous about such disparities. I hope to overcome such barriers by immersing myself in the lifestyle and being patient and open to meeting new people and taking on any bit of advice I get given, so I can fully digest all that Thailand has to offer, whilst teaching and learning myself.

[Autumn Frank]

My name is Autumn and I’m from the United States, North Carolina to be specific. I went to ECU for a BA in art/animation, but left after my first year thanks to the pandemic. I’ve been working as a property manager at a storage facility as well as a social media manager on and off the past few years, but my dream is to have my own animated Tv show! I love to try new and interesting foods and create things! I wanted to move to Thailand because I’ve always wanted to travel the world and see the world from a different perspective. I’m always up for learning new things and welcome new experiences. I was getting too comfortable with my life and my routine, so I had to take a step back and decide to do something. My mother moved to Portugal earlier this year and that just made me begin to think why do I have to stay in America, while my mom is out there living her dream life? Then it hit me…I don’t! So I started to do my research and here I am. Not to mention the glowing review my mom gave me after spending a month in Thailand last year. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about Thailand, but most of all I’m excited to try the food!
I would say the biggest challenges I’m going to face are learning the language and missing my family! I have been practicing Thai non stop but I still can’t help but feel like I don’t sound right when I try to speak the language. I’m confident though that once I get there and am required to speak and converse in Thai more, I will get comfortable quickly. Aside from that I’m leaving behind family in the U.S. While they do plan to come down sometime next year, I’m still going to miss seeing them all the time. I’ll have to be sure to call them until they get annoyed with me!
I Hope to be a good teacher who actually makes a positive difference in a students life, because I didn’t have very good experiences with teachers growing up. This program opens my life up to new experiences and I want to come out of this with a new perspective on the world, as well as a TEFL certification. I can’t wait to meet everyone!

[Nosibabalo Tetani]

Hello, I am Nosibabalo Tetani, 29 years old from South Africa. I graduated from Rhodes University with a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Anthropology, Isixhosa , Journalism and Media Studies. I also have a Postgraduate Certificate in Education also from Rhodes. I have been teaching in South Africa for the past 5 years. I have a teaching license and a 120 TEFL certificate from the International Open Academy. I am passionate about teaching and learning.

I have never travelled abroad, it has always been my dream to see new places and learn about different ways of life. I am specifically interested in travelling to Thailand because of its warm and welcoming people. I want to learn more about the Thailand culture and be part of the community in educating and encouraging children. I wish to share my knowledge, experiences and skills with the Thai community and learn new skills. I wish to educate and encourage the learners, to gain more confidence in learning and speaking the English language. While learning about their amazing Thai culture and history.

The challenges that are expected for someone like me who has never travelled to another country before will be navigating the physical environment. To overcome that challenge, I have to do my research prior to travelling and try to familiarise myself with places that are important and which modes of transport are available. The language will probably create a barrier and make it difficult to communicate clear and correct with locals. I am already interested in learning and pronouncing the Thai Language, I will try and spend more time trying to communicate with local Thai people and always ask how to say something correctly.

Travelling to Thailand will help me achieve my goal which is to play a role in helping children learn and grow. I wish to create classrooms that are inclusive and welcoming to diversity. I want to understand and participate in the Thai culture. Travelling to Thailand will teach me more about the culture and the history, and that is a lifetime experience of being in the environment physically while learning and being part of the community. I hope this experience will help me grow to be able to adopt well to a new environment and communicate well with anyone.

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