6 months in Thailand

Ever dream of packing it all in and escaping somewhere exotic…?
Don’t we all, but how many of us actually chase the rainbow? My chance came when I was offered voluntary redundancy from the humdrum of my 9 to 5. As I weighed up the proposal, the haunting words of W.M. Lewis resonated within me:
“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.”
In truth, it was an easy decision. My soul had been crying out for too long. It was time for a change. The plan was to cut and run to Thailand. I'd teach English, travel and have some fun in the sun. I’d visited previously on holidays and loved it, so the prospect of a longer stay appealed. English teachers were in short supply there, and teaching always interested me, so it felt right.
After extensive research, I decided to enroll on a 4 week TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) program with Island TEFL. This would comprise a 3 week course on the tropical island of Koh Samui, followed by a week’s training in Bangkok. Upon successful completion of the training, I would be assigned to a school, somewhere in Thailand.
March 16th finally crawled around, and I set off on my grand adventure to ‘The Land of Smiles’, leaving a tearful ‘Emerald Isle’ in my wake. I booked a return flight for October 1st as I figured I’d try 6 months in Thailand and review the situation then.
Some people wondered ‘what’s your plan B if teaching doesn’t work out?’…There was no Plan B.
How did it go? Well read on, but be warned – tales of risqué nightlife, a coup, a snake, ladyboys and more lie in wait.