"Beyond the Classroom Walls"

For two years, I poured my passion into health education, guiding young minds through the importance of wellness, nutrition, and self-awareness. But as fulfilling as the work was, something inside me longed for more than classroom routines and district mandates. I wanted to live my teaching, to feel it pulse through unfamiliar streets, through languages I didn’t yet speak, and in the eyes of students a world away.

One night, while searching for a fresh purpose, I stumbled across an article about teaching English abroad. It wasn’t health education, but it was a path—a bridge to the life I wanted. I remembered the TEFL certification I earned 15 years ago—once just a safety net, now a lifeline. Within months, I updated my resume and sent out applications like digital prayers to the world.

The path wasn’t smooth. Friends smiled politely but didn’t understand. Family offered questions, not encouragement. "Alone?" they asked. "So far away?" But I kept going. I scoured forums, watched videos late into the night, and made plenty of mistakes: a missed deadline, a rejected visa, a housing scam that taught me more than any orientation ever could.

Eventually, one offer stood out—Kuwait.

Kuwait: The Gateway to Change

Kuwait was a contrast in every way: hot, orderly, conservative. The streets were wide and the malls gleamed. I learned to wrap my lessons in cultural sensitivity and to navigate social norms with humility. But it was also in Kuwait that I met Farah, an Egyptian science teacher who introduced me to a growing network of expat educators from Ghana, Canada, the Philippines, and the U.S. They held dinner parties where curries and lesson plans were passed around the table with equal warmth.

That year in Kuwait showed me I wasn’t just surviving abroad—

I was thriving.

Thailand: The Dream Reignited

After returning home briefly, the itch came back stronger. This time, it led me to Thailand.

Thailand was a different rhythm: lush, laid-back, and bursting with color. I lived in a residential area where street vendors recognized me and children bowed respectfully each morning. The curriculum was looser, and the classrooms buzzed with energy and affection. My students were interesting, and I found myself focusing more on my overall health, even going on a 3 day meditation retreat at a monastery in Pai.

Here, I didn’t just meet like-minded educators—I collaborated with them. Together we built a shared camaraderie, we discussed launching a podcast about teaching abroad and starting virtual meetups to support first-time travelers.