Whinging farangs
Foreigner moans and groans
I have started to realise that a considerable part of the Western community in Thailand thrives on complaining and grumbling about the way things are done in the Kingdom. Is their moaning justified? Do expats have a right to criticise everything they don’t like about Thailand? Do they have any rights at all?
What you may not know about her
Tales from Thai society
The story begins with a new foreigner who came to our village two years ago. He was an Australia man, strong and handsome, not so old, but he spoke no Thai and never smiled. I would see him sometimes, with his wife, at the local noodle shop. She was from the tambon, the small town about fifteen minutes bicycle ride from my farm.
Attractive teacher wanted - must have GSOH
How difficult is the foreign teacher dating game?
In a country brimming with physically attractive people, why shouldn't a foreign teacher seek a loving, happy relationship with one of their own kind?
I am my mother's keeper
Living my mother’s legacy in a world of good and evil.
I tried to look for a teaching position, but my heart just wasn't into it. I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't focus. I had lost my energy, my drive to succeed. I barely functioned at all. I stayed in my hotel and watched the news. I did go out to eat and drink. There were nights when I drank and drank and drank. I tried to forget, but the more I tried to forget the more I remembered.
Rocky but real relationships
thoughts on western entertainment
Western entertainment, when viewed from the perspective of living in the East, is unintentionally hilarious and makes me feel more than a little sad for Westerners. Asia, due to various cultural differences, has a far more fluid attitude to the sharing of pleasures.
What do women want?
A view of relationships
A commonly heard expression in Thailand regarding the local lovelies is: “You can tell when they’re lying- their lips are moving.” And I have found this to be true in more than a few cases.
Delusions of the lowly and mediocre
A letter home from the mad world of an English teacher
Dear Mom and Dad. Just imagine, last year I was getting my B.A. in Sociology, (minor in Leisure Studies), and stacking cat food part-time on the shelves of Wal Mart. And now, bam! I'm a teacher. Glad I refused that job offer at Burger King. If only the guys can see me now.
Eating limes in Disneyland
An hilarious look at the differences between British and American English.
Each day our students are bombarded with English from all directions. The modern EFL student interacts with native speakers from across the globe. British teachers provide one version of English, American lecturers contradict this version, Canadians waver mysteriously between the two, and the Australians and Scottish – well – let’s just be nice and say that they are in a league of their own.
Poverty's paradise
Meeting kindred spirits
All and all, the guys (and gal) at STUC are really great. We share our hopes and dreams, our humiliation and shame, and sometimes tips on schools that will hire even if you can’t afford a necktie for the interview. I don’t think people should make fun or look down on us. I mean, you wouldn’t laugh at someone who had cancer. Being stuck in Thailand is like a disease - nobody chooses it.
Same game
Generalisations and stereotypes
Six months of hindsight have brought about a small epiphany on teaching English as a foreign language – it’s the same game wherever you go. The most striking differences in teaching come with a change in age group or class size, not nationality.
