One Year In Thailand

Collectively after three trips to the land of smiles, I spent about a year living in Thailand. My first trip there was a week long vacation with my sister and best friend. Knowing how much I loved it there and how much I wanted to continue traveling and experiencing other cultures firsthand after I graduated from college, I decided to pack up all of my things and move abroad to follow my dreams of teaching english in a foreign country!

The summer after I graduated, I did a ton of research looking for programs that allowed me to teach abroad. I was already certified through my university, but I felt as though doing a program like this would give me the opportunity to meet other foreigners and guarantee me a job. I came across a program called TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Heaven. This one stood out the most to me because they laid everything out for me, from start to finish. I chose which country I wanted to do my training and teaching in, went through the application process, had an interview, got all of the paperwork together, moved abroad for a three week training course, got placed with an agency who then found me a school to teach in. TEFL Heaven made the entire transition of moving abroad and preparation to teach super easy. They were so helpful from the time I started my application process until the time I finished my teaching term.

My placement was in the small town of Singburi, just two hours north of Bangkok and I absolutely fell in love. I really got the full experience of the Thai culture because my town only had a handful of foreigners/tourists in it. The language barrier was difficult at first but I made friends with some locals who knew enough English to translate and during my training, we had Thai lessons to learn the basics. At school, I was placed to teach in the English program so most of my students already understood and spoke English as well. I seriously couldn’t have asked for a more perfect town or school to be placed in.

Throughout my time in Thailand, if I wasn’t teaching, I was exploring and living like a true local: visiting temples, eating all of the vegetarian Thai food at the street markets, taking Muay Thai and yoga classes, getting lost in nature, being a beach bum, playing with elephants, swimming in waterfalls, and so much more. I could honestly write an entire novel on my time spent in this beautiful country, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves!

Northern Thailand:

Central Thailand:

Southern Thailand:

Thailand is so unapologetically itself. From the mountains up north, to the white sand beaches down south, and everything in between, the beauty of this country is truly breathtaking. I’ve met some of the most kindhearted and down to earth people while living here. Thailand’s famous saying is mai pen rai, which translates to no worries. The lifestyle in Thailand is so laid back, they really enjoy every moment and the longer you visit here, the more you’ll begin to have no worries as well. If things do not go as expected, there’s no reason to stress about it because it is all apart of the journey. We tend to get so caught up in our own lives and worries, that most of the time we miss out on all of the beautiful moments we encounter. My year spent living in Thailand is one I will remember for the rest of my life; truly a life changing experience.

If living and teaching abroad is something you are interested in but not sure where to start, here is a link you can follow to get all of the information about the program I went through. And as always, don’t hesitate to reach out to me about any and all questions you may have!

https://rebrand.ly/EFKayla

I hope after reading this and seeing my pictures, you consider adding Thailand to the top of your list of places to visit if it isn’t already!