Braving Reality

While being in Thailand there is a sense of being in a bubble. You leave the bustling Western world, full of its deadlines and traffic, and find yourself in this calm haven where the most stressful thing in your life is spicy food and the odd delinquent in your class. There is a sense of being protected from the world, a sense of 'this is pretty perfect'. But sometimes, even here, the reality of the world you left behind can seep in. Bad things can still happen to you, and how you react to them being so far from home leaves you with a very clear view of the type of person that you are.

We all have fears leaving, and I know at the minute there are a number of prospective TEFL teachers reading this blog, and I am sure you all have concerns with leaving your family. One of the popular concerns is 'what if something happens to someone I love and I am so far from them'. I didnt give this one much thought to be honest; partially as a result of other concerns such as food and fear of flying, and partially because I didn't want to scare myself into not going. Well earlier this week, a young cousin of mine died, and I was forced to face every expat's worst nightmare; being away from home during a family disaster. I of course am devastated, but I didnt come here to tell you about all that.

I came here to tell you that if you want to come here, to go anywhere, do not let fear stop you. I have chosen not to return home, and this decision was encouraged by my family.Yes its been a nightmare coping with this so far from home, but I have learnt a lot about how strong I am, and how resolved I am about being here. Fear should never be something that stops you making a life for yourself, and bad things will always happen in life, whether you are sitting on a beach in Thailand, or an office in Dublin. Go out there, grab life and the risks that come with that action, and live it. We only get one chance at things, as corny as that sounds, and letting the fear of possibilities stop you will be the your greatest regret. Bad things will happen while you are here, and there will be weeks where you think of abandoning ship in the middle of the night and getting on the first plane home. But running doesnt fix the bad thing, or make it go away. It just means that you face it in another time zone. So come, travel, live, and face the bad and the scary. You will find that at the end of it all you are stronger, and your appreciation for your family is at an all time high. Life is there to be lived, not feared. Take it from someone who faced the fear and survived it.

Sawatdiikha.