Thailand Tips and Tricks Part One; Before Jetting Off.

I have been getting a lot of emails lately from people who are signing up to be teachers in Thailand in the next coming months, or are already over there and are starting their jobs and are slightly terrified of their classes. I have decided to do a few blogs about simply the little things that I left out of my blogs while I was in Thailand; tips before you go, what to expect, daily life and customs, teaching tips. This one will deal with just the before you go section of things.

So one of the first question I get from people is about what to bring over there that may not be available when you get over. To be honest, a lot of the essentials are available over there, with slight brand variations obviously. But, there are some things you cannot get for love nor money for some unknown ridiculous reason. One is deodorant with antiperspirant. You can get it in the big shopping centres, but if you were like me and you lived in the Thai equivalent of Timbuktoo, it can be very hard to find. I brought over four massive cans of dove antiperspirant and they lasted me a long time. Trust me though, you use a lot over there, especially during dry season (end of October to May). Another thing you should bring is an extension plug. So handy when you only have one adaptor and you want to dry your hair while charging you phone. Also, and this one is for the girlies, for some reason its impossible to get tampons there. If you use them, bring heaps and get your mother to send you over more. Same for normal pads. The ones there are some old fashioned industrial sized things. Lots of 'Always', lots and lots. Also girlies, every product is laden with whitening cream over there, so if you have a moisturiser you like, bring it with you. For the boys, bring the razorheads you use if you are fussy. The brands are very different over there, or so I am told by the man friends. Oh and I was also told by contact lense users to make sure you bring lots of contact lenses and solution over with you. Its apparently very hard to find and the brands aren't reliable. Finally, if you are packing, home comforts are good. I brought a picture of my family, and an Irish teddy, and a box of tea bags. You cant get proper tea bags there at all unless you are in a very touristy place and are willing to pay a good bit for a cuppa.

The main don't with packing is don't overdo the size of the suitcase. Pack clothes to do you for a week or two, and shop when you get there. Nothing is worse than lugging a massive suitcase around if you travel (trust me, hostels have LOTS of stairs) and the clothes are so cheap and suited to the climate there. You could get a whole outfit for the cost of a t-shirt here. Save your money and your back, go backpack and leave the suitcase at home.

Another question I get is 'should I learn Thai before I go over?'. Simply put, Thai is incredibly difficult. I am pretty good at picking up languages, and yes I picked up more than some people I encountered working there, but it took a lot of work. Before you go I would say your best bet is to learn numbers up to 1000. Its not as hard as it sounds. Once you learn 1 to 20, its easy enough after that. They are structured like English numbers. Numbers are essential to everyday life as many things are sold in markets and have no price tags. Also learn simple phrases like how much, hello, thank you, my name is, yes, no and too expensive. When dealing with the students, learn the words for homework, do you understand, and how to recognise questions (questions have the word 'mai (my)' at the end of them)

Now for the slightly teary part; the airport. For me, this was the most difficult part of my entire experience. I dreaded it so much for the few weeks before I left. Expect your mother to cry, no matter how much of a toughie she is. The thing is, you have to be the tough one out of them all. Its so easy to get scared and turn around and just go home, because leaving is scary, I am not going to lie to you. But the trick is to be blunt and quick about it. Get to the gate, don't hang around thinking about it, say quick goodbyes to each of your family members, tell them you love them, and then grab your bag, put one foot in front of the other, and don't look back. All I remember was literally telling my feet to step one in front of the other, otherwise I would have stopped and gone home. When you get through the gate, wander or chat to someone if you are travelling together. Go get a drink. Whatever you do, do not sit and think and worry. You will end up texting your parents to tell them to turn around and take you home.

Finally, yes, you will think you are mad. It personally hit me on the plane to Abu Dhabi when I realised I couldnt turn the plane around, and I was physically sick with fear the whole way over. It is terrifying, you will think 'what the hell have I done', and you will want to give it all up. Don't. The feeling of madness subsides when you realise what you have arrived to. It will genuinely be life changing.

Tomorrow I will do a blog on what to expect from Thailand on a day to day basis.

Slán.