Life Is About Trade-offs

There are trade-offs when living and working in different countries. For example, when I moved to Bangkok, I traded clean air for black smoke guzzling out of tailpipes. I exchanged four seasons for tropical weather and sunny skies, clean streets for decaying food waste on street corners and small bugs for bigger ones. Every day...

When You Gotta Go, You Gotta Go

For a long time, I wondered, “Where can I find a bathroom?” It is not a subject anyone wants to talk about and yet it is a fact of life. Over time I became obsessed with seeking out a ‘toilet’ as others called it, the word striking me as crass and uncomfortable as my intestines...

Life Choices

Some little girls dream of the perfect wedding, others dream of finding the perfect partner. I dreamed of traveling to third-world countries and saving the world from itself, one laugh at a time. Before the Internet, I would pour over picture books of children traveling to different countries. When my mother purchased a set of...

Re-Discovering God in The Worst Place on Earth

I always have a plan. It is part of my life. I know what I will be doing tomorrow, next week, and next month. It is what I live for. Planning is the next project, road trip, overseas adventure, or move to another country. With a plan comes a list. I love lists and sticky...

Soulmate

I met my soulmate in Bangkok. The first time I laid eyes on him I felt a distinct yet subtle fluttering in my heart. Having been in love twice before, I knew this was different. My first love was in college. It was equal parts lust and volatility. Over time it fizzled. Three years later...

The Art of Patience

I am slow to anger and quick to forgive, but I was not always like that. In my teens through my late twenties, I would feel my blood boil at the first sign of injustice. This may have only been a slight infraction of someone cutting me in line, or better yet, cutting me off...

Light and Dark

For the first time in my life I am disgusted with myself. Standing in front of the full-length mirror of the mediocre hotel and condo, there is no denying it, no looking away. The last four months have not been kind to me. My once toned body has become soft and flabby. Deep skin folds,...

I Travel, Therefore I Am

When I say to myself, “I could live here,” I know I am in trouble.  A soft tingle starts in my heart and slowly spreads throughout my body. It is the electric buzz of anticipation at what is to come. It may not happen for a few months or even a few years, but it...

What to Consider When Moving Abroad

As an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) teacher who has spent half of her career abroad, I have been fortunate to have had mostly good living and working experiences. The more a person travels, the more ‘street wise’ they become and although there is always something to learn, when considering a job overseas, there are some things to...