Q1. Where did you move to and when?

I moved back to my small town in America just two months ago (August 2015)

Q2. How long did you work in Thailand?

I was there just short of three years, teaching at a secondary school near the Thai-Malaysian border.

Q3. What was your main reason for moving?

I was coming up to thirty years of age and even though my school was happy for me to stay on for another term, I just didn't have the motivation. I suppose you might say I had fallen out of love with teaching and too many aspects of Thai culture were starting to grind my gears. I had also split up with my Thai partner of two years and suddenly, it felt as if nothing was going right in my life.

I did think about moving to teach in another country in South East Asia. Perhaps a fresh start at a new school with new students and lots of new faces might have given me the kick-start I needed, but I felt America calling me home. And I think deep down the family wanted me home as well. I hadn't been back for a family visit since I moved out to Thailand.

Q4. What are the advantages of working where you are now compared to Thailand?

None whatsoever. My small town in America is exactly how I left it. The same old faces drinking in the same old bars and talking about the same old stuff. It's almost as though everybody was frozen in time. It was great to see the family again but that novelty soon wore off after a couple of weeks and we started getting on each other's nerves again.

At the moment I'm holding down a couple of casual cash-in-hand jobs. I'm helping out an old friend at his auto repair shop during the day and working evenings at a Mexican bar / restaurant. I'm making more than enough to cover my lifestyle but that doesn't mean it's a lifestyle I actually want.

Q5. What do you miss about life in Thailand?

Familiarity breeding contempt is the saddest thing but I really miss the smiles and friendliness of the Thai people. I took those smiles for granted when I lived there and it became the norm. But moving back to America has been such an eye-opener in this regard. You quickly realise that hardly anyone smiles here or has a good word to say about anything. Everyone seems to be merely existing. It's such a sad state of affairs.

I also miss the slower pace of life in Thailand.

It's a country not without its problems but Thailand has so much going for it. Unfortunately, you have to go back home to fully appreciate it.

Q6. Would you advise a new teacher to seek work in Thailand or where you are now?

Oh absolutely! I think if you made a list of all the things that a teacher needs out of a new country - salary, accommodation, friends, food, transportation, etc I think Thailand would score the highest out of any South East Asian country. Sure, the likes of Vietnam or Burma might score higher for certain categories but overall, I think Thailand would come out on top.

Q7. Any plans to return to Thailand one day?

Very difficult to say. I want to try and make a success of things in America even though I have no masterplan at the moment. I wouldn't ever rule out coming back to Thailand to teach but it strikes me as a bit of a desperation measure at the current time.

Q8. Anything else you'd like to add?

I enjoyed most of my three years in Thailand but I got too complacent and stuck in a work-a-day routine. If I returned for a second stint, I would certainly travel more. Can you believe I never once went up north.