The start of an Asian odyssey – teaching English in Thailand

Posted by Rowan Watt Pringle on 13 December 2010

Explore. Dream. Discover: An Asian Odyssey, Part I

I recently returned from two years working and travelling in South East Asia and during my time spent away from Africa I learned many things; not least to appreciate – I mean really appreciate – some of the things we take for granted as South Africans.

Coming into contact with travellers from all around the world and learning more about different Eastern cultures was part of a series of highly fulfilling experiences – many of which I will be exploring over the coming weeks in a series of blogs about my time in both Thailand and Bali.

For now, though, I’d like to focus on how I ended up in Asia in the first place”¦

Birth of a Traveller

My parents’ philosophy has always been to seize every opportunity that presents itself with both hands. As Mark Twain astutely remarked: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

That is why at 13 I accepted a bursary to go to Oundle School in England for high school, despite having never left Southern Africa before and after the small matter of 3 hours to decide on my future (I was informed of my successful application on deadline day – thanks to the notification being lost between the postal services of South Africa and Botswana).

I had never expected to be chosen: the year was 1995 and considering the widespread political redress that came with the democratic elections of the previous year, it came as something of a shock to me. My mother’s voice over the telephone finally helped to make up my mind: “If you weren’t supposed to go, you wouldn’t have got it. If you don’t try you could regret it for the rest of your life.”

I believe I would have, and the move transformed me from an excessively shy early teen into a pretty outgoing individual (having to find one’s way in a new environment far from home will do that to a person) and presented me with many opportunities I would never otherwise have had – in short, not once have I regretted my decision.

Upheaval: The Father of Change

Even the worst experiences in life can bring about a major shift that otherwise might never have happened – the break-up of my relationship in 2007 (although I didn’t realise it at the time) came to be the catalyst for one of the best periods of my life. I had not been living my own life for almost three years; I was able to reform lost friendships and decided that Johannesburg was not where I truly wanted to live; while I had the chance, I vowed, I would see some more of the world.

Little did I know, when I resigned my position as sub-editor of a transport magazine in Johannesburg in December 2007, that less than three years later I would be returning to Africa as a qualified Divemaster, having spent two years living in Asia.

But I am getting ahead of myself! Struggling to set up a freelancing network to aid with my savings whilst flitting between my parents’ house and the spare rooms of charitable friends, I was searching for something that would enable me to travel and earn money at the same time. I looked into various things, from working on cruise ships to being a ski resort cabin boy, so when my close friend Kerri emailed me and said, “What do you think about teaching English Second Language in Thailand?” it did not take me long to jump onboard.

Indeed, this is something of an understatement, as after just two weeks of visa applications, frantic research, meetings and farewells, we touched down in Bangkok.

Touching Down in Thailand

Things were not as rosy as they had seemed when we left South Africa, though. To cut a very protracted story short, our agent reneged on promises and strung us and four other South Africans along with various stories for three weeks before we cut our losses and signed for another agency.

Asia was actually never high on my list of places to visit and the reality of my teaching experience was a far cry from what I had envisioned. No small town with a huddle of enchanted Thai youngsters for me; instead I was thrown headfirst into a Bangkok inner city all boys high school. Having left Johannesburg to escape the “˜Big City’, I had somehow managed to land slap bang in the middle of 12 million people soaking up the unique chaos that is Bangkok!

A Baptism of Fire

Teaching two age groups – 12-year-olds and 16-year-olds – presented two sets of unique challenges. Classes of up to 60 rowdy youngsters made teaching without a microphone impossible, yet I was forced to do so for two weeks while my agency procured one and not losing my sanity along with my voice became a daily battle. On the opposite end of the spectrum from 12-year-old riot control was the complete lack of interest displayed by any older students that decided to turn up for class. I think that I was only saved by three factors: the short working hours, the Thai penchant for calling off classes at the drop of a hat and the fact that I didn’t know any better.

Looking back, my first six months might have broken me if I was of a mind to take a pessimistic outlook. On top of my tough school environment (I was informed by the head of the foreign teachers that one previous teacher hadn’t even made it through her first 50-minute class before quitting), I didn’t really know anyone in the city, while in January – just two months after my arrival – I had to deal with losing half a month’s salary to a card swiping pickpocket, one of the banes of the Westerner in tourist areas like Khao San Road. As it was, these tribulations only served to strengthen my character and make me appreciate the future upturn in my fortunes all the more.

“I Love You Teacher!”

I had arrived in Thailand for the second of two semesters and mercifully was able to change schools in April for the start of the new school year in May. Further away from the city centre in Phra Khanong, my new school was the polar opposite of the first. Friendly teachers, lovely kids (who would frequently wave and shout “I love you teacher!” as we wandered around campus) and a far more structured English department made the world of difference and led to me extending my year in Thailand by six months so that I could complete a full academic year at the institution.

While in Thailand my teaching salary enabled me to realise a long-standing ambition: to complete my Open Water Scuba Diving course. This simply added to the feeling that had been welling inside of me – that when I set my mind to it I am capable of steering my life in whichever direction I choose, invigorating my spirit in the process.

But that, as they say, is a story for another day”¦

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