After celebrating the new year in paradise it was time to get back to reality. For me that meant teaching in a Thai high school. On that first day I was honestly as nervous as a scared, young freshman entering high school for the first time. Looking back, that seems like a lifetime ago and … Continue reading School Life
After teaching for a week I was taking advantage of the 5 day weekend to travel to Southern Thailand for the New Year. After a 30 minute walk, a 9 hour bus ride, a wild tuktuk ride, an hour and half flight, and a 30 min van drive, I met my friends at our hostel … Continue reading Happy New Beginning
I once again packed up all my possessions into three bags(which was much harder this time since I had done some shopping) and I set off to move to Sisaket. From Hua Hin I took a bus to Bangkok. I met with my agent who represents me at the school and then spent my afternoon … Continue reading Settling into Sisaket
Before I knew it three weeks had gone by and it was time to leave Hua Hin and move to the city where I would be teaching. This had been the plan all along. I had prepared to go on this adventure on my own and face the challenges that were to come. However, I … Continue reading Goodbye Good Friends
It had been a couple weeks since I had hiked to Phraya Nakhon Cave and I was itching to go on another outdoor adventure. So I organized a trip with some friends to hike the Pala-U Waterfall in Kaeng Krachan National Park. We got up early (and hungover) on Saturday and climbed onto the songtaow … Continue reading Where the Magic Happens
Now that the fun orientation week was over it was time to get down to business. Due to the holidays at the end of December and the fact that the Thai semester was already underway, the 120 hour TESOL course was squeezed into two weeks(including one full day Saturday class). It was a lot of … Continue reading Taught to Teach
One of the reasons that my experience here in Thailand has been so special and unique is due to the fact that King Bhumibol just passed away in October. King Bhumibol ruled for 70 years, making him the longest reigning Thai monarch ever. The King was beloved and the Thai people are still in mourning. … Continue reading Remembering Father
After a week of planned events during orientation I was so excited to go out and start exploring during my first free weekend. There was a group of us that had heard about this temple in a cave that you could hike to (ok, we partly knew about it because Jojo and Jordan went there … Continue reading Adventure Time
Now that I have arrived in Thailand I am thrown together with a group of 35 other people that traveled here through the same company as me. We are from all over the world and getting ready to take on teaching without knowing the language. On Monday morning we are all down in the lobby … Continue reading Nice to meet you, Thailand
After three weeks of hopping around the USA it was time to depart. My journey went well for the most part but it was not without a few hiccups. I encountered the first obstacle almost immediately. My sister dropped me off at the airport and there were a few tears but I was ready for … Continue reading From SEA to SEA (Seattle to South East Asia)
Whenever something is planned ahead of time there is that feeling of anticipation as it approaches. Sometimes it's a feeling of excitement or giddy nerves and sometimes it can turn to an anxious feeling of dread. Anticipation is like the beginning of a roller coaster ride when you are buckled in; the car slowly sliding … Continue reading Counting Down the Days
I've lived in the Northeastern US my whole life so when I say I'm going to the west coast I basically mean anywhere on the other side of the Mississippi River. Despite the fact that I lump half the country into one region in my mind, I am in awe of the majesty that exists … Continue reading Westward Bound
The Voyager 