Captain Thailand inspired myths
Are certain Thai characteristics often inaccurate and overpraised?
When all is said and done, my school students are among the most engaging, fun-loving characters you could ever wish to meet. Whilst they are predominantly pragmatic in their attitudes towards diversity, they are generally genuine in their beliefs about equality.
Things I miss about Thailand
Sense of community and the pace of life to name just two
I have been living in the US for the past several months, living a peripatetic and nomadic existence that is in many ways far more adventurous than the relatively quotidian and pedestrian life I lived as a teacher in Bangkok.
Moving to Bangkok
What I did right and what I did wrong
When I moved to Bangkok, I wasn't really sure what I was doing. Looking back, I can honestly say that I did some things right and other things I did completely wrong! Maybe you can learn from my mistakes.
No pants (and no brains)
They're coming to a city near you and it could be anytime soon.
Improve Everywhere began taking their attention seeking illness to the subway in New York City in 2002. Since then, the illness has spread to over 60 cities worldwide. It is one thing to celebrate silliness in your own country; but, as a foreigner living and working in Asia, this kind of "silliness" has no place here
Book review
The essential guide to teaching English and living in Thailand
As they neared the end of their first year in Thailand, Michael and Sarah suddenly realized that while chatting with new arrivals, they were answering the same questions over and over again. So they began to compile a guide to help others who might want to give TEFL in Thailand a try.
Watching the pennies in Thailand
Keeping a tight hold of those purse-strings
Before coming to Thailand, I never thought it would be expensive here. After traveling in Vietnam, we arrived and I was aghast at our first night's attempts to find a cheap place to stay and all the while comparing the room prices here to what you would get in Vietnam.
Teaching in an intercultural environment
What are some of the issues facing educators in a foreign land?
Studying culture is no substitute for the practical experience of working and living abroad, however having some mental frameworks in which to analysis experiences could be helpful in adjusting to working and living in a new cultural environment.
English teachers and other independent expatriates
Successfully working in a different cultural environment is a skill
While digging through hundreds of articles, both academic and otherwise, while doing background research for a book on expatriates in Asia, I found most writers and researchers made four key assumptions about expatriates.
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.
