Alumni Interview with Matthew Wilkinson

What inspired you to travel abroad?

My inspiration to go abroad came from a multitude of factors. My primary drive for this experience, though, comes from my never-ending wanderlust that has pervaded my life since I was turned loose on the streets of New Orleans at the age of 14 by my parents during a business trip. The freedom of wandering the street, in a new place and the feeling of pure discovery is something which I live for. I have a strong love for cultural differences; it is something that has fascinated me at every turn of life. I believe an understanding of these differences is the best way to develop oneself and because of this I felt like going abroad and living in another culture was the best way to go about pursuing this passion. Through changing the lives of children, to exploring something completely foreign and unknown to myself, I feel like I can grow as a person.

Why did you choose TravelBud?

I chose this program after a significant amount of deliberation over which organization to go with. TravelBud ended up not only having everything I wanted, guaranteed placement, guaranteed pay, TESOL on site, but was also the most affordable option that I had found at that point in time. In terms of pros and cons, it was the best option I had found.

What was your favorite part about Thailand?

My favorite part about Thailand is simply the people. The culture, every aspect of my day is affected by this and I love it. Coming from America, I was used to a strongly individualistic society, moving to a collectivist society was a radical change in my life. I feel like it pushes me to be more mindful of others. I have changed my approach in just common interactions like walking past someone on the street and I love it. Within my city, my favorite thing is probably the general lack of English, finding a menu in English is possible, but your options become severely limited. I love pushing myself to try my Thai, and to try things I often have little to no idea what they are.

What made your experience abroad extraordinary?

Beginning to grasp Thai language. While this is a currently developing aspect of my life it has already brought about such a change. Each interaction feels like an accomplishment and a joy because of my minuscule ability to do so in Thai. Even just grasping every number that is spoken, or being able to order food and know the name of the food has been wonderful. I love the difference it can make in an interaction when they know you are trying to speak Thai, even if your Thai is awful. Many people are afraid to speak in English so when they see you make countless mistakes it opens a door, and allows them to be more willing to try even if they are shy and afraid of being incorrect. I really am hoping to develop this skill much further, however at this point of taking lessons for about three weeks can already tell a massive difference in people's demeanor when they are unsure.

How did the local program staff support you throughout your program?

The local staff were incredible, they are all teachers at one point or another here in Thailand, or they are Thai. This provides you with a staff full of wonderful people who can answer each and every one of your dire needs to the fullest extent. I felt taken care of, and never once a burden. I also found the assistance with visas, legalizing degrees, and placement to be amazing. Without which I would have been in agony, annoyed, and likely struggled to accomplish the process in time. There is a lot of work spent understanding all of the niche rules, and laws regarding legalizing degrees, and especially the ever-changing visa process that is evolving nearly every other week. Because of this I was incredibly satisfied by the help from TravelBud and the local on site staff.

What's one thing you wish you would have done differently during your time abroad?

I wish that I would have spent more time trying to learn Thai before coming. It is a challenging, and incredibly daunting task before you come to Thailand. Because of this I wish that I had paid money for Skype lessons, they are reasonably cheap and easy, and provide a strong motivation to learn. However now I am taking lessons here in Thailand from my TA at my school and beyond happy. I also wish I had spent less time planning out every aspect. I think just letting go and experiencing everything has been one of the most positive changes to my approach of life since arriving.

Describe what a typical day in your life abroad looked like.

A typical weekday during the school year for me has been waking up, and going to my regular coffee shop. I spend the first hour of my morning interacting with my new found Thai friends. After coffee it is off to school. I don't teach until the last part of the school day so I spend most of my morning planning out the classes. I also spend some time interacting with my fellow Thai teachers as they are a joy to be around. After teaching my first class I typically have lunch. The school offers Thai lunch thankfully for me so I get to try a new meal almost every day! After lunch I typically teach two more classes before the day ends. After school I usually have plenty of free time to meet up with friends, if not that I love to go and explore something new or try out a new restaurant. I have yet to find a restaurant that I despise. I have had a few odd meals, including last night I saw a bottle of red stuff that they put into the soup. It wasn't until the end of the meal that my Thai friend mentioned it was pork blood and it all made so much sense. What can I say though, it was a delicious meal, I never thought I would say something like that about a pork blood soup. After this I typically relax, whether to some local music playing on the walking street, or a movie if there happen to be English showtimes that week and a movie worth seeing, or often it will be a good book while looking out as the sun fades away.

What did you enjoy doing in your free time abroad?

My free time is often spent pursuing my biggest passion, exploration. I love just taking my bike for a ride, driving down new streets or driving out through the rice fields that surround my town and just feeling at one with the greenery. I also love using free time as an opportunity to plan out the next destination of my never-ending journey. I also find free time to be a great opportunity to get ahead with school planning, and simply just embracing a slower pace of life. For example, the other day I was trying to plan out my day, the list got to "go buy a bottle of water" and that was just about it. The rest of the day was simply whatever impulse I felt. It is quite a remarkable feeling to be able to pursue any whim and desire that comes up in the moment.

What type of accommodation did you have? What did you like best about it?

My accommodation was a large apartment complex just on the edge of town. I really like this place because I am on the sixth floor. I have a wonderful view to look out and wake up each morning looking out over a small patch of trees, and a prettier section of town as well as temple a little ways out. I feel like I am located quite nicely to everything. I believe my favorite thing is certainly the view that I get to wake up to each morning. While the other amenities that are provided by the apartment complex are quite nice something about the aesthetic of a wonderful view add a lot to the start and end of a day.

What is one thing every future participant should know about your program before their program begins?

While it sounds like a bad thing to do, I think the best thing to do before the program begins is to lower your expectations to the point of non-existence. A lack of expectations allows every opportunity to be a wonderful experience. I feel as if expectations put you into a place in which you are exposed to the risk of disappointment from a still wonderful thing. Let the negatives just slide off, occasionally bad things happen but look at the big picture. Be prepared to experience culture shock of one form or another was brought up in our introduction to Thailand, and you need to be ready to let it change you. Culture Shock should not be a bad thing but a development that will allow you to get over nearly any hurdle thrown at you in your travels abroad.

Would you recommend TravelBud to others? Why?

I would absolutely recommend my program to others. I feel like it has been wonderful in every facet. I feel well taken care of, I feel as if everything I wanted has come to fruition. I have no complaints, and without TravelBud I am unsure if getting my degree legalized, and my visa abroad sorted out would have ever happened. There is a ton of steps but Travelbud was able to walk me through each step, one by one.

What do you feel is the biggest benefit of traveling abroad?

The impact it has on who you are as a person, often a change into a much more agreeable, and understanding person. I believe that becoming a global citizen is the biggest benefit of traveling abroad. Gaining an understanding of how to survive, operate, and make friends with people even when you have little to no communication method. But more importantly providing one a desire to make new memories, and to experience new things, devoid of routine, but rather controlled chaos.

Now that you're home, how has your time abroad impacted your life?

My time abroad has impacted my life in so many uncountable ways. I think it has given me a much warmer disposition towards new people, I look back and find my previous methods of interacting with new people to be rather cold. I think many of the ways that I will be impacted however are yet to reach me. I am sure for the rest of my life I will constantly be experiencing new things and have newfound realizations at the impacts from this experience.

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

Meaningful travel is any experience outside of your comfort zone that leaves you with memories, and alters you as a person. Period. Full Stop. Let it change you, let it shape you, that is the meaning it brings to you life, don't resist it.