Category: Travel
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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…
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Quarantine in Bangkok
It’s not you, it’s me. No, it’s you. I won’t lie. Seven months of living with uh-muh-ni was six and-a-half months too long. At first, I felt as if I had worn out my welcome. By the end, I believed it was she who had worn out her welcome, in her own home. It was…
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The Dancing Queen In My Room
Sun sets over Bangkok and my time in Thailand I’d been feeling ragged. Chewed up and spit out. Tears would spring out of my eyes in fits and starts. I had canceled my work permit, believing immigration would honor my visa amnesty. They did not. Instead, they gave me seven days to get out of…
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This is What Love Looks Like: Teaching English in Thailand
KISSMAS EVE 7 Across: kissmaseve. Hilariously, this student left the last two squares blank! Christmas cards students wrote to me “im to sun-sang-nim 선생님” = im to Teacher “sa-rang-hae 사랑해” = I love you “Christmas Day” Face mask sporting Santa Clause saying “Get it” with an image of “$5 massage” in a thought bubble, and…
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I STILL Love Teacher: Teaching English in Thailand
“sa-rang-hae 사랑해— I love you”, artwork on student’s desk The New Puppies Term 2 began like the previous term: short-handed since we lost two teachers, scarfing lunch in less than an hour, and sprinting through periods 1-10. By the end of the first week, I was exhausted. However, the adrenaline of meeting new students powered me…
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I Like…YOU! Teaching English in Thailand
“I LOVE TEACHER” Photo of my whiteboard (with a pink filter) Congratulations to me for surviving my first proper first-term gig during which the only consistency was inconsistency. Constantly changing schedules, welcoming new teachers, saying goodbye to other teachers, swapping classes, filling in for other classes, and falling in love with all of my students.…
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“I’m Here for 69”: Teaching English in Thailand
It was my third day on the job. I stood outside my door waiting to meet my students. The first boy approached me and said, “I’m here for 69.” Pause. “I mean, 6/9.” Like a flight attendant introducing passengers to the friendly skies, I said, “Welcome,” and gestured to the classroom. Thus began my initiation into teaching…
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Two Hospitals, Two Ferries, Two Showers
“Are you looking at my bootie?” This cutie chillin’ on the sidewalk in my neighborhood in Chiang Mai. What an amazing hip-opening pose. Appreciating sunlight streaming through these local trees. Covid-19 effects: Chiang Mai looks pretty grim. Many businesses permanently closed down with loss of tourists. Good news, bad news I was offered a job…