Graduation day: the single most highly anticipated day of a college student’s educational career. Many thoughts go through the excited soon-to-be-graduate’s head, such as:
“What’s next?”
Some paths are more defined than others. Some graduates have always known what they wanted to do, while others are still figuring it out. Regardless of having all the answers or not, some audacious TU graduates are pursuing one thing over all: adventure. More specifically, a post-graduate life abroad.
Bea Baker, Class of 2016, took off after graduation with a one way plane ticket to Thailand to teach English.
“I don’t know where to start. I absolutely love everything about Bangkok: getting lost and finding ornate temples, the food, the deep level of respect embedded in Thai culture, the food…”
But Bea admits that this type of lifestyle change, while an incredible experience, is not always a walk in the park.
“Bangkok is a beautiful city and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to teach here. It has been challenging though. I work 9 hours a day, 10 on Fridays, which makes meeting people hard. I have just moved as far as I can from not only the best four years of my life but everyone I love. It’s challenging, and I’m still in transition, but luckily I’ve lived abroad before when I studied in Cape Town, so I’m optimistic for what is yet to come.”
One of Bea’s fondest memories so far was Teacher Appreciation Day, or “Wai Khru.”
“Wai is the physical expression of the deep level of respect in Thai culture. We had a two hour ceremony in the morning where students presented teachers with flower garlands called phuang malai. Why isn’t every day Teacher Appreciation Day? Funny how this is something I never asked while I was a student…”
To keep up with Bea’s life in Thailand, you can follow her blog: https://beabaker.wordpress.com/