Assignment 1: Introduction

Hey Everyone!
I’m Dillon and I’m from the U.S.. I was raised in Oregon and have been living in North Carolina the last several years. I served 5 years in the U.S. Marines then went back to school for my bachelors in Accounting. I am wanting to move to Thailand to experience a new culture and to step out of my comfort zone. I expect the normal challenges of moving to a new place such as meeting new people and finding where you fit in, I also expect language to be a barrier. I plan on overcoming these by going in with an open mind, the ready use of technology, and the determination to have always have fun. I hope to get new friends and and have an adventure!

Hey everyone!!
My name is Caileigh White, and I am 24 years old. I was born and raised in Yarmouth, a small town in Nova Scotia, Canada, and later moved to Halifax, where I completed both my Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Education degrees. I have a passion for sports such as hockey and soccer, enjoy traveling, and have explored destinations in Europe, Cuba, and across North America. I have decided to travel and move to Thailand because I have never been to Asia and want to experience a culture completely different from my own. Friends who live in Thailand often speak highly of the people, the food, and the beautiful environment, which inspires me to see it for myself.
I anticipate challenges such as language barriers, cultural differences, and moments of uncertainty. I plan to overcome these by immersing myself in local communities, making connections, learning the language, and embracing each experience with an open mind. I will also remind myself to ask for help when needed and view challenges as opportunities for growth. Through this experience, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of Thai culture, develop resilience and adaptability, and build meaningful connections. I look forward to broadening my worldview and bringing these new perspectives into my personal life and future teaching career.
Good luck, everyone, and I can’t wait to meet you!!!
Caileigh White

Hi Dannie!

I am so looking forward to meeting you as I will also be starting the program on September 29th! It’s really exciting to hear how many different paths life has taken you down, and it will be awesome to add this experience to the list! I really resonated with you in your curiosity towards Asian culture and being a teacher that embodies and respects our student’s culture. It’s such a wonderful, but privileged, opportunity to be able to come into a new country and teach and I think that moving forth with an open mind to their lifestyle is going to be the best way for us to connect with our students and community. I’m so glad to know there’s someone like you in our cohort and I cannot wait to get to know each other. See you soon!

Hi, My name is Maddie. I am from the UK although I have lived in France for 6 years. I have worked seasonally in Lapland, Italy and France. This was cut short in 2020 as a result of the COVID pandemic. I decided to complete a 168 hr TEFL course on line and found that I really enjoyed the teaching element of this work. During the pandemic I worked as part of a team administering COVID vaccines. Following the pandemic, I decided to spend time travelling and exploring. I have spent the last 2 years travelling in Asia through Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, before finally moving to Australia where I worked for a year. I continued by travels through Japan and Hong Kong before returning to the UK. I really enjoyed exploring the different cultures and meeting people. I have decided that I would like to take up teaching in Thailand as this was one of the favourite countries I visited, and would love to experience living there rather than just visiting. I enjoy the country, the people and the culture.
I am expecting there to be challenges to overcome, especially when it comes to the language barrier and the cultural difference between the UK and Thailand. I hope to learn some Thai so that this challenge will be easier to overcome as well as learning about the culture in Thailand so I have a better understanding of the country’s history. I feel that the rewards will be outweighed by these challenges and I have decided that teaching English in Thailand is something that I really want to experience. I want to prove to myself that I can succeed in this environment and I am hoping that the experience will improve my confidence. I look forward to meeting new people, living in a different culture and using my knowledge to help students.

Hey Everyone,
My name is Kelley Flanagan, you can probably guess from the surname that I’m Irish. Born and raised in Ireland all my life. I’m 33 years of age. I have a Bachelors Hons Degree in Applied Social Studies in Social Care. I graduated in 2016. Since then I’ve worked with marginalised and disadvantaged members of society. I’ve worked in homeless services, addiction services, in disability services and in information and advocacy services for Asylum Seekers and Refugees.
I first visited Thailand in 2024. A very last minute and spontaneous decision. I stayed for four months and I fell in love with it. During my time I travelled to places such as Phuket, Krabi, Pattaya, Bangkok, Pai, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Koh Smaui, Toh and Phangan. As well as Travelling I did some volunteering with a NGO School and also with a charity called Daughters Rising. Due to unfortunate circumstances I had to leave Thailand, but I always knew I would return. I’ve never quiet felt like I belonged anyway until I step foot in Thailand. The people, the scenery, the food, the culture, the language, the Muay Thai, I loved it all. I cannot wait to get back out there, to contribute to society and immerse myself.
I hope this will be the start of a new life for me, I hope to lay down roots and live in Thailand going forward. I’m so excited and I’m happy to be starting my experience with other individuals in the same position 🙂
All the best,

Kelley xxx

• This reply was modified 9 months ago by Kelley Flanagan.

Hello,

My name is Connor, and I am from the United States. I am traveling to Thailand to work as an English Teacher. By going overseas to learn to teach, I am challenging myself to grow. For a long time I have been ok with being afraid of public speaking or being in front of others. But I am not ok with this any longer and am very excited to push past my limits and become comfortable in front of a classroom because I want to help students achieve their educational goals. After visiting Thailand within the last few years, I decided to come back and repay the kindness I was shown by complete strangers throughout the country. This made a profound impact on me personally. I expect to face culture shock and dietary struggles while in Thailand. To overcome culture shock, I will be learning as much as I can about the culture and how and why things are done certain ways. This will help me to adapt my expectations. To overcome any dietary issues, I will be setting up what I need to be able to cook my own food as well as researching exactly what foods are best for me to work into my eating habits. I hope to better understand and respect Thai culture through this experience. And I am looking forward to growing my abilities to teach and give back.

Hi everyone! My name is Samantha Lichtstein. I just graduated this past May from Indiana University with my special and elementary education degree. My entire life I have lived in New Jersey with my parents, dogs and twin sister. I have always had a passion for travelling and seeing the world and was introduced to Thailand about a year ago. While I always knew about it, a friend of mine went with her family and told me how incredible it was which sparked my interest in going there. I decided to take my passion for teaching and combine it with my love for travelling and go on a post college graduation adventure. Some challenges I expect to face while living abroad are not being close to any friends and family and learning how to navigate things alone. I am hoping to meet new people and gain confidence in social interactions while living overseas. Furthermore, I believe that the cultural differences will be a bit of a shock to me at first, but with some patience I will adjust as needed. I will trust both the people with me and my program to help me navigate my challenges. From this experience I hope to not only learn more about the world, but about myself. I want to gain knowledge on how schools differ around the world to help make me a more well-rounded educator. Furthermore, I want to explore as much of the country as possible and learn all the time. I hope this experience will make me a more exposed individual. I am very excited to take on this new adventure!

Hello! My name is Alexis, I’m 24 years old and I live in Georgia but am originally from Florida. My interest in the educational field came to me very recently. I don’t have a degree and have always been indecisive about my career and/or life goals. After speaking to a family member about the opportunities in teaching I decided to get certified as a paraprofessional and soon accepted a job as an assistant teacher at a primary school. During that time I learned a lot about myself and I fell in love with it. Very quickly I started searching for ways to broaden my career in education. I can’t remember when it started but from the time I was young I have always had a connection with the life and culture of Southeast Asia. Ive only ever lived in 2 states; Florida and Georgia, Ive never travelled before, and never even been on a plane but I believe moving abroad to teach English will give me a sense of fulfillment and joy that I’ve never had here in the states. I hope to bring this same sense of accomplishment to the students I will soon be teaching in Thailand. Teaching young students has made me realize that it takes a lot of energy and dedication to fully bring out their undeveloped skills and this is something I think may become a block in the road for me. I am prepared to give my all, understanding that things aren’t always perfect and I will strive to continue on with a “try again” mindset. I am excited to meet many locals who will pour into me the fascinating ways of their world in Thailand (and the amazing food of course!)