My first abroad experience...

Prior to this trip I had only been out of the country once on a week-long spring break trip to Aruba. It is safe to say that I had a lot of anxiety revolving around my next trip abroad, but I knew it was something I definitely wanted to do before graduating college.

I chose to combine the Thailand 101 program with the Traveling Teacher program and got started raising money to go. I am so thankful to have had this opportunity because even in the short span of a month I had some of the best learning experiences.

Although I loved the Thailand 101 program, the Traveling Teacher program was the best part of my trip. I may be bias as I am pursuing a degree in education, but I truly loved the two weeks I spent with a small group of girls learning how to best teach English as a foreign language. I had no prior experience in teaching English at all, but our group leader helped us and made it a somewhat comfortable, but challenging transition into the classrooms.

The intimacy of this program is so helpful in quickly making friends with both your group members and your volunteer coordinators. I made lifelong friends while on this trip, some from the US and some still in Thailand.

The conditions are VERY rural so if you are not very outdoorsy, this program may not be in your best interest. You will be living in bug spray and may find a large hairy spider on your doorstep, but if you can handle these conditions for two weeks you will be fine. Personally, I found that living in these rural conditions made the trip even more culturally valuable. Also, we spent our weekends in a hotel in the city which was super rewarding and awesome after a week of class!

To sum it up- if you are looking to dive into a different culture while simultaneously taking a TEFL class, this program is for you. You will be completely submerged in culture alongside your peers and you may become frustrated at times as you take the TEFL course, as with any course. At the same time, you will form incredible friendships. I cannot think of a single girl in my group who did not make a friend. You will come to love Thai culture and you will also get to apply what you learn in class to a class full of Thai students! And if you are still unsure, Loop Abroad provides so many opportunities for you to speak to previous participants so I would definitely take advantage of that. Best of luck to you in your program search!