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 Chiang Mai. As I passed through familiar neighborhoods, it was devastating to witness the number of closed shops and restaurants. It was a ghost town. I walked into a pharmacy and the owner recognized me. She said most residents in Chiang Mai were vaccinated, and while they hoped to re-open to international travel, they were also very scared of COVID-19.

I walked through an open-air market. An elderly lady recognized me and said hello. She is very sweet; she would give me a double order of coconut-pudding, even though I only ordered a single serving! (I never had the restraint to eat one serving at a time, much to the agony of my ailing guts). In total, I walked for two hours non-stop, and got many surprised stares. A tourist was a shocking sight after a year of closed borders. I was drenched in sweat in the humid heat, but it felt good to move my body and be outside after being locked up for 14 days.

Photo below: A working mom has no choice but to bring her kids to work with her—both sons on top of the ice cream freezer. With schools closed, children stay with their parents all day long.

I went to the dentist for teeth cleaning. Looking at my x-ray, my dentist was impressed that my bones were healthy, all of my crowns and root canals looked good, and she praised me for having good oral hygiene. I did follow her recommendations to make two small fillings for where my gums had receded. The price for teeth cleaning, x-rays, and two fillings was $100!

Korean obsession alive and well in Thailand. This photo studio rents out traditional Korean outfits in which to pose and model for photographs. I didn’t see the uncomfortable rubber slippers-shoes, called “gomo-shin.”

Two interviews, two schools

I ended up landing two interviews, both with private schools to teach primary grades.

The first interview was with a small school in the province of Khon Kaen, which is between Chiang Mai and Bangkok. I spoke with the head teacher, an American man, and the HR manager, a Thai woman. This city is not a tourist magnet such as Bangkok or Chiang Mai—meaning—they get very few expats and tourists. The head teacher told me it has been impossible to hire native English speaking teachers at their school during the pandemic. He was very surprised and happy to receive my resume as a native English speaker. He has had to hire teachers from the Philippines to teach English, which he does not want to do. We chatted for awhile, and then he offered me the job on the spot.

My second interview was with an International school here in Chiang Mai. International schools generally offer better pay and better facilities than government schools (think private vs. public schools) and this school was no exception. They recently moved to a new location with new, sparkling buildings. They boasted brand new furniture, desks, chairs, cafeteria, and swimming pool. I spoke with the HR manager, a British woman, and the head teacher, an Australian woman. They offered me the job on the spot.

Korean obsession: This café, named Seoul-High due to the roof-top bar and dining area.

Although the International school’s offer was enticing, I decided to accept the position with the smaller school in a smaller city, for smaller salary, because I felt they had the bigger need. I would certainly not  make a lot of money, but I wanted to make a decision that would give me the best quality of life, and best teaching situation.

I would move in a week, and fulfill my dream to teach English again in Thailand.