A Typical Work Day in Thailand

Good morning from Khon Kaen, Thailand! The sun is shining and the roosters and dogs are letting me know it is time to start the day, let's grab a Honey Coffee from Amazon Cafe and get going!

I am very fortunate to be here with my best friend, Mary. Her apartment is right next to mine so we make the short walk to school together. A lot of teachers require a motorbike taxi or taking a songtaow ( a pickup truck “bus”)to get to school each day but we live right across the street. The best part of the walk to school is seeing the Monks accept food donations from the local shops and watching students set world records for how many friends they can fit on their motor bike. 

We teach at a huge high school in Khon Kaen, Thailand with about 4000 students and 250 teachers. The day begins with a lot of “Wai-ing” which means bowing to your coworkers to show greeting and respect. After grabbing some fresh fruit for breakfast we head to our office to plan for the day. We coteach all subjects to two amazing 7th graders in the school's new International Program. 

Class periods usually look like encouraging the students to speak in English as much as possible and creating a balance of lecture to hands-on activity. Kids are still kids wherever you go so there is definitely a lot of laughing and silliness.

At lunch time we either go to one of the two HUGE school canteens (over 60 stalls!!!!) with our students or go to a restaurant nearby. Going to lunch with our Thai coworkers is my favorite because it gives me a chance to practice my Thai and it always turns into a Thai food tasting feast. 

After school I utilize the school's new fitness center or go for a run around the city lake. Once a week we take the Songtaow from school to go to our Thai teacher’s house. In echange for free language lessons we tutor our teacher's son in English. Thai people are so welcoming and making relationships here is so rewarding.

For dinner, I walk to the night market and live my best pad thai or fresh smoothie life. The food choices are plentiful and there are stalls selling whatever you may need; from band aids to Cleveland Caveliers jerseys. The night market almost always has live music or dance performances which provides for some fun evening entertainment. 

After walking home and collapsing into bed, my day comes to an end. Having a daily routine definitely helps being in a foreign country feel “normal” but each day still brings unexpected suprises and things to be learned.