I moved to Thailand to teach English. It's an avenue to live and work abroad that allows you to travel in your spare time. Anyone can do it as long as English is your native language.
I chose Thailand because it's centrally located in Southeast Asia. There are a million places I want to see on this side of the world, and that just can't happen when you're working for corporate America taking 2 week vacations at a time.
I joined an internship program through SEETEFL off a recommendation from a friend. The program starts with two weeks of training, then hands-on teaching experience for a semester. Once accepted, I quit my job and booked a one-way ticket to Chiang Mai.
Since leaving the states, here's how things have gone down:
It took 36 hours of traveling to get to Chiang Mai, but I finally made it to the "hotel" for the beginning of training. Upon arrival, I had a flashback to my freshman year of college at UGA in Creswell Hall. Hello, dorm life! Not quite what I was expecting, but nothing I can't handle for a few short weeks of training.
Home sweet home.
But, then Day 1 happened... My first reaction: "HOLY #$%&! WHAT AM I DOING?!" I know nothing about teaching English, speaking Thai, or living in rural Thailand. The white board looked like Greek, I was totally out of my comfort zone, and I realized how dumb I actually am. Commence panic attack.
Like, what is that?
I've been at the top of my work-game for so long that it feels a bit strange to go straight back to the bottom. It's a massive dose of humble pie. MASSIVE.
After a few mild heartattacks, I realized 17 other people were in the same boat as I was, and we were all figuring it out together. That doesn't change the fact that I'm 100% clueless. But, it's a much better option than trying to figure it out on my own. Plus, it's a stellar group.
Week 2 of training starts Monday where we actually practice teaching English to Thai children. Like, teaching in a classroom full of Thai kids while we're being graded. If I don't stroke-out before then, would someone please ship me some Xanax?