“Same, same.” That’s all I have to say when I stop by my neighborhood street vendor. The woman running it already knows my order: pad krapow, a spicy Thai basil stir-fry, topped with a fried egg.
Over the months, she’s gradually nudged up the spice level, and I’ve grown to love it. My broken Thai has become part of the routine, too.
I left the US for Thailand at the end of September, four months after graduating from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in human communication and a minor in sport business management.
I did several internships at large companies throughout college in fields like marketing and talent management, and knew by graduation that I wasn’t drawn to the corporate ladder.
Instead, I wanted to fully immerse myself in an unfamiliar culture and see how differently life is lived outside the US. It felt more feasible to spend a year abroad right after school, in my early 20s, than to try doing so many years down the line.
That’s what led me to step outside my comfort zone and accept a job teaching English at a bilingual school in Bangkok.
I expected to feel like a tourist — instead, I quickly felt like part of the community
When I arrived, I thought I’d feel like a complete outsider, but I’m glad that wasn’t the case. Moving here as a teacher, a highly regarded career in Thailand, has definitely helped.
Some of my most meaningful experiences have come from building relationships with the people in my neighborhood. By returning to the same places day after day, I’ve gradually gone from being a stranger to becoming a familiar face.
After school, I usually stop by my neighbor’s place. Lek, an older Thai woman, has basically taken me in as one of her own. What started as a daily greeting in passing turned into one of the most meaningful relationships I’ve built here.
She invites me into her home, shares fruit from her daily market run, and even helps me scrub the pen and marker stains out of my shirt after a long school day.
When you’re living by yourself on the other side of the world, these feelings of support and comfort are priceless.
On Wednesday evenings, I share dinner with a group of Thai friends before we spend a few hours learning and practicing English together. It’s become the highlight of my week.
What began as a simple language exchange has turned into another reminder that I don’t feel like a visitor anymore — I feel like part of a community.
In just a few months, I’ve grown in ways I didn’t expect
Experiencing Thai culture firsthand has shifted what drives me and motivated me to make changes in my own life. Since I arrived, I’ve been especially inspired by the discipline, respect, and dedication to hard work of those around me.
Street vendors set up before sunrise and remain out long after dark, teachers stay late to grade papers without complaint, and many local shopkeepers keep their doors open seven days a week to support their livelihoods.
That work ethic has started to stick. These days, I try to be the first teacher in the building each morning. It’s also been eye-opening to see how teachers are respected here in a way I never saw back home.
Every morning, students greet teachers with a wai, a simple bow with their hands together. They do it again before and after class to thank educators for the lesson. That kind of respect has pushed me to raise my own standard for the job.
Thailand has also ended up being the place where I’ve become more disciplined about my fitness and nutrition. I already had a routine before I left, but I had to rebuild it from the ground up — adjusting to a new schedule and developing healthier eating habits.
I basically ate off Google Translate for the first few months until I found meals that worked. Papaya salad, which I can order pounded fresh in a mortar right in front of me, has become my go-to. I like that the dish uses fresh, local ingredients.
Navigating these sorts of daily tasks, like ordering food, in a culture I am still learning and a language I am not fluent in, has pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me become more adaptable.
What’s next isn’t a straight line back to the US
Life here isn’t perfect. At times, Bangkok’s air-quality issues make being outdoors challenging and lead to canceled activities at school.
And although the language barrier hasn’t been insurmountable, it requires a lot of patience. Spending three hours at a local store using Google Translate to communicate with a worker to get my Thai phone set up was humbling.
Still, I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything. My original plan was to finish a one-year teaching contract and head home this September. I’m now planning to extend by one term and complete the calendar school year.
There’s also more of Thailand I want to experience beyond Bangkok, a city I’m grateful to call home. Beyond that, I’m curious to see more of Southeast Asia — especially Vietnam. I’ve got a trip planned to ride the Ha Giang Loop, then spend time in Hanoi and Halong Bay.
I can already see how much I’ve grown since I arrived in Thailand, and I know my time means something to the people around me, from my students to my neighbors to the vendors who feed me every day.
All of these things has made rushing back to a conventional career path in the US feel a lot less urgent than it used to. This experience has already provided me with tremendous growth, and I’m ecstatic to see where it takes me next.
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