Paige Kocurek - Class of 2015

Tales of Thailand

As graduation was quickly approaching, I was excitedly searching for a thrilling way to begin life following college. A productive trip to my career advisor at the University of St. Thomas led me to looking into teaching abroad. Traveling is one of my greatest passions, so this seemed like the perfect fit! I had studied abroad twice throughout my college career and was itching for another cultural adventure. Through a bit of research, I decided Thailand was where I desired to embark on this new journey. The application process to teach abroad was a whirlwind, and I soon found myself booking tickets to Bangkok, Thailand. I would be teaching six sixth-graders, seven different courses over the next five months.

In preparation for my teaching escapade, I became TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certified in hopes of furthering my skills to be a prepared and knowledgeable teacher. My degree was in Business Communications, so I saw this as an important opportunity to learn some tools for my new position. This certification was accomplished through an intensive online course done throughout second semester of my senior year.

Arriving in Bangkok was extremely exciting. Practically everything was different! The food, the culture, the weather (it was hotter than sitting in a sauna), the transportation, the language! Then I was tossed right into teaching my sixth-graders. It was an exhilarating feeling beginning to immerse myself in such a drastic way.