Quite literally a lucky career break

Be bold and ask your boss for a career break

Like many of you I work a regular job. For the last 8 years I've been a psychiatric nurse working for the NHS. Life is pretty good, I've never had as much job satisfaction as I do now (I'm not lying, honest!). But the lure of adventure is just too much.

What a long, strange trip it's been

The downsides and the 'rewards' of living life as an independent expatriate

Becoming an "independent" expatriate requires far more self-reliance and ability to adapt than does staying in your home surrounded by family and friends or being a traditional expatriate and being supported by an organizational structure that usually spans both the home country and new location.

Dreams do come true

Gumban's story

Gumban once thought, “Is it love for travel or is it mere coincidence that I am here in Thailand as a teacher? “Is it force of circumstance or matter of choice?” “What has really brought me here?”

Don't sweat the small stuff

Postbox letter from Ralph Sasser

When preparing to come to Thailand, just take things as they come.

Speaking on ESL in Mid-America

Postbox letter from Terry Hawkins

I sure enjoyed speaking about the great 8 years I lived and worked in the place that has become my second home and am looking forward to going back in 2 years to work and be with all my friends again in the exotic tropics

Culture shock

Adjusting to a new life abroad

The transition to life in a new country means adjusting to a foreign culture. But what is culture? What is it that we are confronted with? Culture is a set of shared, accepted behavior patterns, values, assumptions and common experiences. It defines the social structure, the expectations and the norms of communication for a society.

I finally made it

Snapshots of my first month in Thailand

Let’s start with this one, the moment I landed at Don Muang airport and officially changed my status from Gaijin to Farang. Notice the naively enthusiastic smile.

Why I came to Thailand

Let's consider the real reasons

How can life best be lived? Simply by living it. By grabbing life by the balls befo re life grabs yours! I walked into a travel agency and bought myself a one way ticket to Bangkok. I considered it an early birthday present.