It’s all so surreal – not just being in Thailand but getting to have these crazy “movie” experiences. As we’ve been sent to Ban Phe for the weekend, we’ve made the most of it with the in-country team sending us off to Koh Samet Island for the incredible experience of a lifetime. It all started with a crazy speedboat event that took us from Ban Phe Pier to Koh Samet Island – none of us...

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We arrived in Ban Phe today – a safe haven from the floods elsewhere, which have left much of Thailand underwater and many a trip ruined as hundreds of areas shut down. Luckily, with an incredible in-country team, led by none other than our beloved Masako, the Thailand interns (and myself!) got a real treat as a result of the floods. As the in-country teams sorted out the interns’ school contracts, we headed to Ban...

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Written on  28th Feb   For some bizarre reason, we all went to Hooters tonight… it was one of those things where all my “I’m a real traveller” instincts told me to just stay in the hotel but I felt like I had to see it! I had to see why in the world they would have a Hooters in China… how do tacky places like this manage to make their way abroad!?   The...

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Written 28th Feb   I’ve just parked myself on my bed and stuffed a 6 inch roasted chicken on wheat bread sandwich into my face. Only being here for 8 days, I refused to give into western treats BUT I have good reason for this today. I’ve been sick for the last few days and was getting bed rest until about 2 this afternoon… by which time lunch in the kitchen was no longer being...

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Written on the 27th February   Hey Lovely Girl, You Want Dolce & Gabbana Jacket!?   Yesterday was the most eventful and exhausting day! We managed to see the Great Wall, Ming Tombs, an Acrobatic Show – we also went out for lunch and dinner AND visited the Yashow Markets followed by an OPEN BAR party at a club…I smelled disaster.   The Great Wall was incredible – I guess what’s most incredible is that...

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  So it’s twice now I’ve managed to go into a public restroom and use the only non-western toilet in the whole bathroom. Literally, I’ve walked into a toilet… dealt with the awkwardness of  a toilet on the ground… walked out of the stall to realise… hm, the stall next to me is western.   But I’ll be honest, I’m sort of glad it happened. I need a bit of roughing it up… You can’t...

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This is a bit backwards, as it's from my first night in Beijing (23rd Feb - sorry for any confusion!!) So, it’s my first night in Beijing and I am exhausted. My journey from Leeds to Beijing (to my hotel room) took a whole day and now that I’m here… I hardly feel like I’ve left home. As I’m struggling from severe jetlag, I’ve yet to venture out and see everything. BUT the good news...

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Ah, there’s nothing like rising out of bed at 8:00AM, taking a shower and heading downstairs for some greasy, chowmein for breakfast. As much as people might have a laugh about this, it’s my favourite thing here so far! (Yes, that’s a really fat comment on my part). It’s the only time I get to feel justified tucking into Chinese food at the crack of dawn :) Anyway, today the interns received all the introductory...

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Yesterday was a VERY long day here… for the most part, it was everyone’s 2nd day here and one of the free days the interns would have before setting off to their schools. Everyone was eager to go out and do a bit of exploring in the morning so a few groups ventured out to check out the Forbidden City (I’ll get to do this on Saturday thankfully) and Tiananmen Square. But they didn’t get...

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