Monkey Abroad

Category: Blog

  • The Privileged Life of an American Living in Asia

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    Kevin Cook
    in

    If you’re an American living in the United States, I’m sorry, but you probably aren’t using your nationality to its fullest potential. Sure, you get to honor the flag during baseball games, barbecue hotdogs on the 4th of July and express your loud political opinion. But ultimately, the best way to celebrate your Americanism is…

  • 6 Reasons Why I Quit my ESL Training Center Job

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    Kevin Cook
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    I taught a semester of ESL at a public high school in Thailand and loved it. After that I wanted to try something different, so I made the transition to teaching at an ESL training center in China. Big mistake. Moving to China to teach ESL was a good choice, but signing up to teach…

  • So I Quit My Language Center Job in China: Part 2

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    Kevin Cook
    in ,

    So it turns out that I still work for the language center. I tried my best to quit, but within the confines of Chinese law, I couldn’t have my cake and eat it too… yet. This is about compromising, and my employer agreed to meet me in the middle. It’s a long story so I’ll…

  • So I Quit My Language Center Job in China

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    Kevin Cook
    in ,

    Earlier this week I put in a week’s notice of resignation from my English language training center in Rizhao, Shandong, China. Before I’m labeled as a no-good, rotten quitter, let me explain… Why I quit I get along very well with the staff, teachers and my superiors. The school pays on time, provided a stellar…

  • 5 Things I Miss About Thailand

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    Kevin Cook
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    Less than a month in China and I’m already sobbing over the things I miss about Thailand. I mean, it was my home for nearly 6 months. Attachment was inevitable. If you’ve ever lived in Thailand, you get it. 1. Fork and Spoon In Thailand people double wield the fork and spoon when they eat.…

  • 27 Proven ESL Games for Large Classes (40-50 students)

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    Kevin Cook
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    I work at a high school in Thailand and my job is to teach obscenely large classes. One thing I’ve learned: handling a hoard of 40-50 students in a single classroom requires games. A whole mess of games. Unless you’ve got a few activities in your back pocket at all times, the classroom might turn…

  • My Experience in a Shanghai Cat Cafe

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    Kevin Cook
    in

    After slipping customary plastic covers over our shoes and sanitizing our hands at the door, we entered a coffee shop on the 13th floor of an apartment building in Shanghai which is home to about twenty cats. We sat down at a small table, ordered coffee, and waited for the cat experience to begin. It…

  • Russians in Phuket

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    Kevin Cook
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    Russians in Phuket are a bunch of stone-faced vacationers. They can be seen walking down the beach with their ever-frowning spouses and children, browsing beachside shops searching for something new to become angry about. You’d think a guy who retreats from a grey, cold country like Russia to go on holiday in beautiful Phuket would…

  • Why Can’t Thai People Speak English?

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    Kevin Cook
    in

    It’s pretty funny when Thais try to speak English. The language barrier is massive. It’s not like the simple English-to-Spanish language barrier, where you just add an ‘a’ to guitar and you’ve got guitara. No, it’s much deeper than that. And when a brave Thai soul tries to cross the language moat that divides us,…

  • Why Are There so Many Ladyboys in Thailand?

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    Kevin Cook
    in

    In Thailand, ladyboys are all over the place. Thai people call them kathoey. Their big feet, low voices and Adam’s apples are usually a dead giveaway, but some are better disguised than others. Cosmetic surgery today makes it feasible to shave off that adam’s apple and pack on a pair of silicone c-cups. Apply some…