Rewriting My Top 10 Reasons: What a Year in Thailand Taught Me
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Revisiting my First Blog Post
If you scroll through my blog posts, you will find my first post: Why to Teach English in Thailand: My Top 10 Reasons. For anyone who needs a recap, these were it:
- I got the travel bug
- TEFL Certification
- The Food
- Career Sampling
- Immersion in a non-Westernized culture
- Affordable Lifestyle
- Thailand is beautiful
- The people
- Step Foot in Asia
- Teaching is highly respected
Now that my one-year contract has officially ended and I have a year of experience living in Thailand under my belt, I look back on my post and see how my initial reasons for coming to Thailand do not even scratch the surface of the ways that Thailand can change you. I thought of it so much through the eyes of what I have to gain: I can travel in Asia, I can easily afford to live there, and I can sample a career teaching English. In a very self-centered and objective way, I thought about the experiences I could get from Thailand rather than consider the things Thailand could do for me and how it could change me, without my even trying.
Therefore, I am rewriting my list of the top 10 reasons to teach English in Thailand.
1. Changed perspective of education.
The Thai school system is distinct from American schools. To name a few differences, Thailand has a no-fail policy, schedules change at the last minute, and academic cheating is common. You will undoubtedly compare your Thai school with the school system you grew up with, and you will always have a changed perception of what education can look like.
2. You will learn to be a better communicator.
Thailand has very low English proficiency, and your students will likely range in proficiency. You will learn to express ideas better through body language, since spoken language may not always suffice. Language barriers will be a part of the experience, and you will learn to communicate through them.
3. You will become more grateful.
My travel experience before this was primarily in North America and Europe. Once I befriended people from SE Asia, I began to think about my upbringing in the States and feel grateful for my life there. The list is long, but to name a couple, I have passport privilege to travel to most countries, and a degree from the US that is easily transferable and recognized worldwide.
4. Learn about (Southeast) Asian culture.
I learned most about Thailand in the past year, but I also learned a lot about Southeast Asian culture in general. Across the board, in countries like Laos, Cambodia, and the Philippines, the people are generous, upbeat, and joyful. They were kind, loved to sing and dance, and took any event as an excuse for a celebration. There are so many aspects of Southeast Asian culture and values that I love and now try to incorporate into my life and perception of the world.
5. Take a step back from hustle culture.
If there is one thing Thailand is not, it is not a hustle culture. When you live in the US, you don’t even realize how influenced you are by the constant need to achieve and be productive. Considering my strong Type A tendencies, I am especially susceptible to hustle culture. Going to Thailand, everything is so relaxed, and there is rarely a need to do anything frantically. Events run over, students arrive late, and buses and vans get delayed. Inconveniences and interruptions are part of life, and Thai people know and understand that. Coming to Thailand has put into perspective how time-oriented I am in the US and made me realize that sometimes, it’s just not that deep.
6. You will learn to set boundaries.
I worked with kids plenty before coming to Thailand through babysitting, tutoring, and coaching. However, I didn’t receive my degree in education. I never found myself staring at a group of 35 middle-schoolers, realizing I was responsible for them for the next hour. If there is one thing middle school students will do, it is push every boundary. The biggest regret of my first semester was that I wanted my students to like me so much that I didn’t do enough to establish healthy boundaries with what is and is not acceptable behavior in the classroom. During my second semester, classroom management is where I improved the most, and that mainly came from vocalizing boundaries. It was by working with kids and taking responsibility for them that I became better at setting boundaries, both in education and outside of it.
7. Experience the atmosphere and spirit of Thailand.
Everything about being in Thailand feels authentic. In Thailand, you will find the beauty along with the flaws. There will be stunning beaches, but you will also see the chaotic power lines in the streets of Bangkok. You will see the grace of Thai dancing and the disorder of motorbike culture. The best food will often be from food stands you find on corners or at night markets rather than at pristine sit-down restaurants. It is crazy, beautiful, and genuine in a way I do not see in other countries. There is no other place like Thailand.
8. Meet the people.
The people you will meet from Southeast Asia are some of the warmest, most welcoming people you will ever meet. Everyone at your school will be so excited for you to be there (especially the students). Despite the inevitable language barrier you will face in your community, you will find that people will try their best to communicate and put in the effort to learn about you.
9. Thailand has so many experiences to offer.
Thailand is a beautiful country with many places to see and things to do: You can explore national parks, see the most beautiful beaches in the world, eat the spiciest foods you’ll ever taste, feed elephants in a sanctuary, ride a motorbike, and so much more. I’ve ticked off so many experiences on my bucket list that I didn’t even know I had on it!
10. Being a teacher is, by far, the most incredible experience you will have in Thailand.
To piggyback off of my last point, there are dozens of incredible experiences you will have in Thailand that include traveling and meeting people. However, the most incredible part of coming to Thailand is the experience of teaching your students. Traveling will be only a small portion of your experience compared to the time spent at your school with your students. Teaching is by no means boring, and from one day to another, you will flip-flop from feeling overstimulated and exhausted to grateful and energized. There isn’t another experience like it.
Why I Am Rewriting My Top 10 Reasons and Last Piece of Advice
I can not necessarily say I now disagree with my original reasons for coming to Thailand, because I think my points still ring true. As a fresh college graduate, I loved the low cost of living and being able to travel in SE Asia. Yet, I look at these reasons and feel that they were somewhat misguided.
The way I described my initial reasons for teaching abroad read more as a checklist of goals rather than encompassing the reality of the experience. For example, I wanted to step foot in Asia, check! I also wanted to sample teaching English as a career, check!
Now that it is time for me to leave, I see much more clearly how teaching abroad goes far beyond who you are and what you can gain. It is about the exchange of culture from yourself to your host country and knowing you are only one part of the puzzle. It is about realizing the difference you will make in your community. It is about leaning into the differences you will find in your community. And, it is also about allowing those differences to find a home in your way of life.
With that, it's my time to officially sign off as your CIEE Teach in Thailand blogger. If I had to give one piece of advice for teaching abroad, it is this: focus on fostering relationships at your school. Go the extra mile even if you don't have to. Spend time with your students during their recess, lunch, or free period to get to know them better. Ask your co-workers out to dinner. Go to events when you can. Show you care by showing up and you will be rewarded tenfold. There is immeasurable joy that comes from these relationships.
Best of luck to all you prospective, current, and future teachers. Thank you for joining me on my journey in Thailand. <3
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