Assignment 1: Introduction

Hello everyone!
My name is Vanessa and I am from Ontario, Canada, but have spent the past year travelling and working on Australia’s east coast. I completed university in 2021, graduating with my Bachelor of Physical and Health Education. I worked in rehabilitative healthcare for a year before soon realising it was not where my passions were and that I wanted to see more of the world than the healthcare field permitted.
Thailand has always been on my bucket list, but I knew I wanted to explore it long term, in order to truly experience the Thai culture and way of life. Teaching English in Thailand not only allows me to do so, but also opens new doors in terms of career.
I expect the biggest challenge I will face during my time in Thailand is the language barrier. I would really like to get to know the locals in the area I’ll be working, but know this may be initially challenging. I also plan on taking Thai language lessons during my time in Thailand and would love to be able to have a conversion in Thai before I leave!
From this experience, I hope to adopt new skills that contribute to both my personal and professional growth, be fully immersed in the Thai culture, and explore as much of Thailand as I can.
Looking forward to meeting you all and exploring Thailand soon!

Hi everyone!

My name is Ebehitale (eh-beh-he-tah-lay) but Abby or Hita is fine. I was born in Ireland but moved to the UK a few years ago. I’ve just completed my first year of studying English at Oxford. I decided to travel to Thailand with Gotoco because I love travelling and teaching so it would be killing two birds with one stone.

I think the main challenge for me will be adapting to being almost completely independent abroad for a long period of time. This is my first solo trip and I can be a bit scatterbrained at times, so I’m slightly worried about how well I’ll fare with being organised. I’m making a concerted effort to overcome this, however, by excessively planning beforehand. I still want to leave some room for spontaneity though, cuz what kind of a trip would it be without some?

I’m a massive people watcher and I love getting to know new people. I find it fascinating how everyone has essentially lived a whole life with experiences I’ll never be privy to. This trip will hopefully help me experience new cultures and meet new people, and help me learn about their way of life in a more intimate way. So of course I’m very excited!

Hi my name is Nada Marsal. I am currently studying law and global development at SOAS university in London. I decided to travel to Thailand because I wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone and, hopefully, grow more confident doing so. This programme allows me to explore the world, meet new people, and develop my teaching skills. A challenge I may face along the way is attempting to become entirely accustomed to the new environment and culture in Thailand. I intend to get around this obstacle by seeing as much of it as I can and by getting to know as many people as I can. I hope to learn a lot, meet interesting people who I can learn from, and hopefully improve my teaching skills.

Hello everyone.

My name is Heinrich, I am 27 and I’m from Johannesburg South Africa. I studied Human resources, Entrepreneurship and business management at the University of Potchefstroom. I have several years of experience as an English Homeroom teacher as I lived and worked in China for more than 3 years. Teaching abroad is an opportunity to experience another culture and see the world in a way no tourist can. It’s a chance to meet new people, share ideas, forge lasting friendships and have a positive impact on students’ lives. I have learned in my experience living abroad that there will be language barriers even for the most advanced speakers, immersion in a new culture will stretch your language capabilities. You may feel homesick, most of us are traveling for the first time without our family or friends, and it is a huge step, but you will have a cohort of new friends to keep you company, and remember you can always call home when you need to hear a familiar voice using FaceTime, Skype, Zoom, and so on to virtually connect with your loved ones whenever you want. I believe it is important to prepare yourself mentally before taking this huge step. I hope to not only become a better teacher but also a better person, gain professional experience with different kinds of students, colleagues and school communities. Learn about a new educational system and how to adapt to the way things are done at my school and in the country. This will make me more flexible and tolerant. I’m looking forward to the journey and all it has to offer! Good luck to you all, may your journey be stress free and bring you home safely.

Hello everyone!
My name is Julia and since graduating from the University of Liverpool two years ago with a degree in international business I have been keen to explore possibilities and opportunities available to me. I feel a strong connection to being able to try different things, including places and career paths! And since I don’t have anything holding me back from exploring – such as a degree completion, I think this is the perfect time for me to explore new potential paths. I went to Thailand and Vietnam last summer on a similar teaching adventure and since coming back to the UK afterwards, coming back, trying again in different scenarios and over a potentially longer time frame has been on my mind the whole time! Therefore I am extremely grateful I have this opportunity to stay and teach in Thailand over the next couple months. Since having visited Thailand before I have some basic knowledge and expectations, however, I definitely feel that I need to immerse myself in the whole experience and put myself out there a lot more, since the last time I was here I feel I definitely held myself back. I expect there to be challenges within all aspects of living in a different country – the choice to move is in itself a huge challenge! I am likely to experience challenges with aspects of culture, ie how people communicate in terms of language as well as mannerisms, to combat this I want to learn more Thai and make the effort to use it in simple day to day life, also I would like to spend time around Thai people to really learn about them and their culture. What I mainly hope to get out of this experience is knowledge, both about the country and people and about myself, mainly to maybe figure out is this is something I could do long term, I am excited to see what i learn about myself!

Hi, I’m Grace, I’m 19, and I’ve just finished my first year studying English at the University of Cambridge. I’ve always enjoyed working with children and found it really fulfilling, so applying to Gotoco to get the chance to expand my teaching skills and gain a qualification while immersing myself in a completely different culture seemed like a great way to spend my summer. I’ve grown up in London, so visiting rural areas of Thailand really appealed to me as a big change from what I’m used to, and I’m keen to get more familiar with a country, language and culture I know very little about. I don’t have much experience travelling on my own for such a long time and I expect to face the challenges that might pose, as well as adjusting to a different climate, food and cultural standards. I hope to improve my confidence and learn more about how to teach children in an effective and enjoyable way, increase my independence and self-confidence, and enjoy meeting new people in an exciting and engaging environment!

Hi, I’m Ana, I’m 20 and I’m Spanish. I study at Glasgow university and I’ve just finished my second year.
I would like to teach in Thailand because I’m very interested in the culture and I also think it’s a beautiful country to visit.
I started teaching English in Spain at a young age so I’m real excited to have the opportunity to teach for a few weeks.
Having lived in Europe my whole life I’ll probably experience a culture shock or might struggle with communicating to local people but I feel like you adapt to this over time.
I hope to learn a lot about Thai culture and maybe a bit of the language and hopefully meet lots of people.