So, my travels (with a Trilby) are over. Or to put it another way, my tour of countries that drive on the left are over. I was gone from January 17th to June 4th. That's a fair while.
I'm now back in England, enjoying her welcoming embrace of constant rain and xenophobia. And to be honest, I don't have any regrets. The best part of five months is a long time. I achieved a lot. I taught at a college, village school and orphanage. I learned passable Thai. I bungee jumped. Attended a cookery course. Completed seventy hours of massage tuition. Saw a lot of the world. Met some great people. Enjoyed Songkran. Was nearly shot. Twice. Considering most gap years boil down to "I went here and got drunk", that's not half bad.
For those considering a gap year in Thailand, Thai Experience is truly excellent. Last year I was very confused about whether or not to trust a small company, as I'd heard next to nothing about it. If you're searching, you can trust them absolutely. They're an excellent company, with lots of experience and very supportive for your needs. The Thai tuition is wonderful, and Nong Khai is a beautiful place which feels like a piece of true Thailand.
In my self-inflated blogger opinion, Thailand was an incredible country to spend my few months. Chiangmai was beautiful, a bustling place with a charming mix of old tradition and new business. I'll try to erase Bangkok from my memory. I'm sure there are some beautiful parts of the city, but what I saw just left a bad taste in my mouth.
I fell in love with Thai culture and language. Both are complex, but astounding. The people are wonderful, and more welcoming than any I've met. The students were very hard working and you could easily see their will to work and drive for success. I wish them all the best.
What made me a little sad was the amount of Westernisation in their culture. Materialism overtaking Buddhism, jeans and a shirt and generic brands dominating the market stalls. The obsession with pale skin frankly sickened me, especially seeing girls literally dousing themselves in chalk to appear whiter. I just felt that Western culture is not that great. Though, I can't blame them. Seeing the Hollywood image of fast cars and every other person is a doctor whilst having more disposable income than a minor country is an attractive proposition. I just wish they'd try to ignore the exploitation, short term profits over long term stability and blatant misogyny. And if that works, I'd also like to stop the tide, and then maybe declare peace in the Middle East. I don't ask for much.
Moving countries, Hong Kong was magnificent. An incredible combination of China and colonial power. It's also nice to see an ex-British colony that's an amazing success, rather than our other ex colonies, which we've spent the past two hundred years ignoring. Though, I feel that with more time and (a lot) more money, I could have had vastly different experience. That Dim Sum shop would be first on my list.
I'm now back in England, enjoying her welcoming embrace of constant rain and xenophobia. And to be honest, I don't have any regrets. The best part of five months is a long time. I achieved a lot. I taught at a college, village school and orphanage. I learned passable Thai. I bungee jumped. Attended a cookery course. Completed seventy hours of massage tuition. Saw a lot of the world. Met some great people. Enjoyed Songkran. Was nearly shot. Twice. Considering most gap years boil down to "I went here and got drunk", that's not half bad.
For those considering a gap year in Thailand, Thai Experience is truly excellent. Last year I was very confused about whether or not to trust a small company, as I'd heard next to nothing about it. If you're searching, you can trust them absolutely. They're an excellent company, with lots of experience and very supportive for your needs. The Thai tuition is wonderful, and Nong Khai is a beautiful place which feels like a piece of true Thailand.
In my self-inflated blogger opinion, Thailand was an incredible country to spend my few months. Chiangmai was beautiful, a bustling place with a charming mix of old tradition and new business. I'll try to erase Bangkok from my memory. I'm sure there are some beautiful parts of the city, but what I saw just left a bad taste in my mouth.
I fell in love with Thai culture and language. Both are complex, but astounding. The people are wonderful, and more welcoming than any I've met. The students were very hard working and you could easily see their will to work and drive for success. I wish them all the best.
What made me a little sad was the amount of Westernisation in their culture. Materialism overtaking Buddhism, jeans and a shirt and generic brands dominating the market stalls. The obsession with pale skin frankly sickened me, especially seeing girls literally dousing themselves in chalk to appear whiter. I just felt that Western culture is not that great. Though, I can't blame them. Seeing the Hollywood image of fast cars and every other person is a doctor whilst having more disposable income than a minor country is an attractive proposition. I just wish they'd try to ignore the exploitation, short term profits over long term stability and blatant misogyny. And if that works, I'd also like to stop the tide, and then maybe declare peace in the Middle East. I don't ask for much.
Moving countries, Hong Kong was magnificent. An incredible combination of China and colonial power. It's also nice to see an ex-British colony that's an amazing success, rather than our other ex colonies, which we've spent the past two hundred years ignoring. Though, I feel that with more time and (a lot) more money, I could have had vastly different experience. That Dim Sum shop would be first on my list.
All in all, my gap year was brilliant. I did something out of the ordinary, and feel I actually achieved something. I’m not going to go all cliché and state I’ve found myself and made a positive impact that’ll last for generations, but, I met some amazing people, helped in many different places and above all emerged a better person.
Yeah, that’ll do.
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