Post Pre-departure Meeting

So I went to the pre-departure meeting on Thursday and it left me feeling..

1. Excited - Being told more about what we are going to be doing in Thailand as an ETA was great. It was interesting to hear from previous ETA's and their experiences and reassurance that we will, in fact, arrive back in one piece! Something else that made me feel this way was learning about how we will spend our weekends. Every weekend is spent travelling around Thailand, seeing all the different sights, like the palaces, temples and islands. Having travelled to Thailand, I saw a fair few tourist attractions however I think it will be great to have 2 months in order to see much more of the beautiful country.
2. Overwhelmed - We were given a huge amount of information; facts about Thai culture, what our role entails as an ETA, what not to do whilst you're there, information from the British Embassy and the Foreign Office and we heard about an ETA's previous experience. 
3. Proud - Being at the meeting made me feel extremely proud to be part of the 'Teaching English in Thailand' scheme. Only 220 students in the UK were selected to teach English to Thai school children out of thousands, thus I realised what a great opportunity I have been given.
4. Motivated - Lastly, the meeting left me feeling motivated. Motivated to start learning Thai, motivated to get organised for my trip and motivated to make sure that I have a great experience and that I truly make the most of it.

Countdown: 18 days to go 

 

'Welcome to the Thailand English Teaching Project 2013'

Those were the words that evoked a whole load of emotions when I saw them in an email from the British Council. It was a mixture of satisfaction as my application was successful, along with nerves and anxiety regarding travelling to a foreign country alone and staying there for two months.

 

So this is my first post. I figured that I would set this blog up seeing as previous ETA's had done in the past and it seems like a great way to keep in contact with family and friends back home, as well as providing my with a virtual diary of my time in Thailand as a teaching assistant.

 

I am travelling to Thailand with the British Council, through a scheme provided by my university, to teach English to school children but also to travel around the gorgeous country and meet lots of new people. 

 

So far, I have filled out the standard travel/visa admin and have sorted out the long list of vaccinations that I need to get in order to stay healthy when I'm out there! I just need to book my flights to Bangkok, which is the exciting part.

 

The plan is to fill this blog with photos and details of how I am spending my time in Thailand, so fingers crossed, it should be interesting to read!

 

At this point in time, I am both excited and anxious, but hopefully once I have sorted flights and been to the induction meeting next week, I will feel ready to embark on my Thai adventure :)