Category: Travel
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The Good Thing About Getting Lice
I got head lice from my first teaching gig in 2020. It was during Covid-19, when all non-essential businesses were closed and shut down. This meant that I could not seek professional help to eradicate the lice, and I could not get a hair cut either. I purchased every different lice treatment possible, and although…
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Welcome to Term 1
Photo of Jesus in the library. Lord knows I need help with PowerPoint. Having attained a fresh visa I flew back to Thailand and slid immediately into teaching summer school. I was thankful to have remained on Thai-time for the three weeks I taught online in CA, for it allowed me to transition without any…
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Nuthin’ but a G-Thang: Teaching US Black History in Thailand
Third time’s a charm. I almost flew to Mexico. In reaction to consecutive unceremonious conclusions to teaching in Thailand, I had my finger on the “purchase now” button for a one-way ticket to Mexico. It’s close to my home state of California, and I had been reading about lovely tacos and tortas. I reasoned that…
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The Local Life: Chiang Mai
Wandering around Chiang Mai reunites me with kawaii-cuteness, sparks a chocolate tasting, and leads me to reminisce about my dancing queen days…I mean, nights. These little piggies went to Moshi Moshi. Wall of stuffed piglets in Moshi Moshi. They are adorably clad in onesies topped with cow-horns and bear-ears because, why not? Pablo’s heaven Seeing…
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Pfizer Christmas: Getting My Covid-19 Booster in Chiang Mai
Look what I found under the Christmas tree! Let’s get that free booster shot I had recently arrived back into Chiang Mai after terminating my employment and moving out of my toxic-swamp-diarrhea-stank-apartment in Khon Kaen. While getting caught up with local news, scrolling through the expats-of-Chiang-Mai Facebook group, my eyes fell on a post about…
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How to Legalize a TEFL Certificate in Chiang Mai
Legalize it, don’t criticize it (thank you Jimmy Cliff) I completed my TEFL program two years ago at school in Chiang Mai. At the end of the course, each future-EFL-teacher received an official certificate of completion. Since my school is a Ministry of Education affiliated school in Chiang Mai, I am eligible to legalize my…
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Teaching English During Covid-19
Zoom class for P2, 2nd graders. All in; will I succeed? In my previous post, I described how I had flown to Thailand during the height of the country’s Covid-19 crisis, which required much quarantine-time, expense, and faith that my goal to teach English would yield a successful outcome. In absorbing all of the hurdles…
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Korean Kimbab in Khon Kaen
Being new in this town, I decided to go exploring, find out what the locals enjoy, and expand my boundaries by taking a trip to—the local mall. Yes, mall. In fact, I did discover different cultural offerings, evidenced below! Who’s the real OG Kimbab King? The Korean obsession is alive and well on the ground-floor…
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First Impressions: Getting Hired to Teach English in Khon Kaen, Thailand
Typical Khon Kaen-Isaan meal of grilled chicken, somtam (papaya salad), and sticky rice in bamboo containers. The silver bowls—filled with ice water—were not for rinsing greasy fingers, but for drinking out of. Famous last words. In our initial conversation, when I had booked my flight to Khon Kaen, the recruiter insisted on picking me up…
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Chiang Mai in the Pandemic
What a difference a pandemic makes: this road, once packed elbow-to-elbow with tourists, bicycles, motorbikes, bustling cafés and street hawkers—now desolate and empty. Ghost town Directly from my 14-day quarantine, I flew to Chiang Mai. Having booked a room in the center of the city, I immediately went out to have a look at my beloved…