Category: World Wanderings

When I was young, I was bit by the travel bug. Since then, I’ve been extremely fortunate to have the ability to not only travel to numerous countries around the world, but also live in foreign countries. These posts include stories about my travels, cultural differences and travel tips.

Election Day Comes with Some Hiccups

February 4, 2014

It was early December and I was stopped over in Bangkok on my way back to my site after a vacation in the South to go diving and visit Khao Sok. I meet up with another Peace Corps volunteer who was also in the city at the time, and we were wandering around Khao San Road when he got a text. It said the prime minister had resigned and was calling new elections. I soon found out that the date for the elections was set for February 2. On Sunday, the voting was scheduled to be open from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m.

more “Election Day Comes with Some Hiccups” …

Comparing Cold Seasons: United States and Thailand

January 31, 2014

The U.S. has been experiencing quite a bit of extreme weather lately. The Polar Vortex is encapsulating swaths of the country and plunging it into sub-zero temperatures. It was even the lead story on a lunchtime news show here in Thailand, with the video showing piles of white powder that my community has never seen in real life and cannot even fathom what such an environment is like. The lady that I always buy pineapple from in the market asked me if it was cold in America, to which I replied, “Ka! Naao mak mak! He-ma dtok leao, loei, ka!” (Yes, very cold, the snow has fallen a lot already!)

more “Comparing Cold Seasons: United States and Thailand” …

A Closer Look at the Architectural Details of Wats

January 26, 2014

Wats, or Buddhist temples, are everywhere in Thailand. And for as many temples as there are, there are just as many different styles. However, many of them share similarities as well. Check out the video of some of the details of Thailand’s temples.

What Happened at the Thailand TESOL Conference

January 24, 2014

Last week I attended the 34th Annual Thailand TESOL International Conference in Chiang Mai. The theme of the conference was “21st Century English Language Education: Towards Global Citizenship.” I was extremely satisfied with the experience and it made me think quite a bit about teaching English, specifically in Thailand, and how I can improve my approaches and to pass those along to my co-teacher.

more “What Happened at the Thailand TESOL Conference” …

Bpai Tiao: One Day Must See Chiang Mai

January 21, 2014

In Thailand, a bpai tiao is a trip of any length. I’ve written about some of my more significant bpai tiaos to tourist destinations here, to be used as travel ideas and tips.

I finally made it up to the northern city of Chiang Mai, a place that other volunteers regularly rave about. But this wasn’t just any bpai tiao, I went to Chiang Mai to attend the 34th Annual Thailand TESOL International Conference along with two other Peace Corps volunteers, my counterpart Kruu Ning and five other counterparts. Kruu Ning had also never been to Chiang Mai, so we arrived early in the morning the day before the conference started to give us a chance to tour around to some of the highlights of the area.

more “Bpai Tiao: One Day Must See Chiang Mai” …

Possibly the Most Thai Video Ever

January 19, 2014

Thailand seems to constantly have music playing. One of the really popular songs right now is called ผมรักเมืองไทย (pom rak mueng thai), which mean “I Love Thailand.” This is not the official music video for this song, but it very much encapsulates Thailand – he ends up dancing in front of a 7-11. Check it out!

Selected Sentences from My First Year in Thailand

January 14, 2014

I’m terrible at journaling. I usually only do it when I’m having a really difficult time and so I rarely have any recording of when I’m feeling really good. But, I bought a Moleskine planner that has lines for each day, not a lot, but enough to write a short paragraph, and set the goal for myself to write at least one sentence or something to sum up each day. I’m proud to say that I was able to do it for the whole last year, and so I looked back over what I wrote as I reflected on my last year in Thailand. I wanted to share some of them here with you, to share with you what a year in Thailand feels like at the end of each day.

more “Selected Sentences from My First Year in Thailand” …