It's Sunday, October 21st, and I've returned to Thailand. I wanted to give a little update on my last few days in the Philippines, and the latest news since my return to Bangkok. Ok, the Philippines. Thankfully, the good weather held in Boracay until my departure on Tuesday, October 16. I really enjoyed my time on the island. I connected with a group of Germans (4 university students) when I returned to Dave’s Straw Hat Inn for my last 3 days on Boracay. They were on vacation from their internship in Malaysia, and also staying at Dave’s Straw Hat. Rolf, Jens, [View Full Entry]

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It’s Saturday, October 13, and time for a little update from paradise. The weather has been incredible this last week. So what did I do? I decided to stay on the beautiful island of Boracay for the rest of my vacation in the Philippines. It's hard to beat this. I’ve got a couple more days before I fly to Manila, and then it’s back home to Bangkok. Island life for me has mostly consisted of relaxing on the beach, reading, and eating. However, I've done a few other things. In my last update, I mentioned a boat/snorkeling trip around the island. [View Full Entry]

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The weather on Boracay has taken a dramatic turn. The storms passed, and the rain and high winds have been replaced by calm seas and sunny skies. Let's hope the good weather holds! Tomorrow I head out for a boat trip around the island with snorkeling gear and lunch included (all for under $15). Love it! I'll let the pictures and captions cover these last two days... Look! There goes Dave [View Full Entry]

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The beach has always been a special place for me. From my early years of building sand castles, boogie boarding, and digging up sand crabs on the beaches of Orange County (So Cal, USA) to more recent years of playing volleyball or relaxing on beaches from all over Southern California to the Caribbean to Thailand. I've seen quite a few beaches in my life. Yesterday I arrived at the most popular beach in the Philippines, "White Beach" on the island of Boracay. This beach is often included in top 10 lists of the best beaches in the world. Unfortunately, my first [View Full Entry]

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I wasn’t looking forward to that 4:30 a.m. wake up call, so I got up on my own at 4:20 a.m. I’d do it on my own terms. The taxi was waiting for me (prearranged) by 4:50, and I was off for the LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal outside K.L.) My Air Asia flight was at 7:20 a.m. on October 2 (Tuesday). With no traffic, we made it in less than 1 hour...plenty of time to navigate through the 1000’s of other people at the airport that were also up way too early. I got a good window seat near the [View Full Entry]

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Lots to cover in this update. It’s Monday, October 1, 2007, and I’m sitting in a smoky internet café in a city I am not particularly fond of. Where am I? I’m in the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. For those of you who read my blog during my 9 week adventure to SE Asia in early 2006, you know why I don’t like this city. I was much more prepared for K.L. (Kuala Lumpur) this time, however. No need to relive last year’s problems. Therefore, I’m staying far away from the Pudu Hostel. I know my ATM card won't [View Full Entry]

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A new tact was taken on Tuesday with my job search. My efforts up to that point were focused around the internet and personal contacts. Although I was having some success, I wasn't finding any English teaching job openings at schools nearby. In spite of that, I didn't believe for a second that the schools near me weren't in need of native English speaking teachers. I just needed to go about it differently. Thus, it was time to "pound the pavement". Pounding the pavement in Thailand does offer some challenges. Saai provided some basic info in terms of school locations and [View Full Entry]

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Things are beginning to develop on the job front. I posted my resume on ajarn.com and have been contacted by two schools. Unfortunately, neither of those schools are close. One is not even in Bangkok. That's out of the picture. The other is on the outskirts of Bangkok. I haven't ruled that one out yet, but I'm not sure how to deal with transportation to the school. It pays well and has modern facilities, but the commute isn't too appealing. It's a primary school (open positions in Kindergarden, 4th, & 6th grades), and I would have to teach at least two [View Full Entry]

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My plan was to relax over the weekend, and then jump into the job hunt this week. Unfortunately, I caught a cold (cough, runny nose, blah, blah, blah) and as a result, my initial effort on the job search has been less than inspiring. I have managed to get my resume on ajarn.com (best posting of English teaching jobs in Thailand) and contacted a few people who may have leads to positions at nearby schools. I expect to put a lot more effort into the job search later this week when I’m feeling better. Although there are plenty of teaching jobs [View Full Entry]

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It was a difficult 6 weeks, but today I was rewarded with my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate from Text & Talk Academy here in Bangkok. As I mentioned in my last update, this course requires a lot of work. My blogging (and many other things!) came to a temporary halt in the midst of studying for exams, preparing lesson plans, and completing my evening teaching practices. Thankfully, everyone in my class passed the course. A passing grade of 70% is within reach for almost anyone who puts a reasonable effort into it. The harder part is reaching [View Full Entry]

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