Job Discussion Forums

yb713 · Joined: 15 Sep 2013 Posts: 36

How is/was your experience? Are there any commonalities from place to place that can be expected when teaching anywhere rural? Were the people more hospitable and how much of the culture was available to witness?

bansheebeat · Joined: 02 Oct 2013 Posts: 86

This guy's blog is pretty good, he lives in rural Thailand

http://www.exposedtraveler.com/

nomad soul · Joined: 31 Jan 2010 Posts: 11454 Location: The real world

santi84 · Joined: 14 Mar 2008 Posts: 1317 Location: under da sea

The teaching feels the same, life outside the classroom without L1 is a lot harder. Culture shock is more difficult.

MotherF · Posted: Sat Oct 12, 2013 12:25 pm Post subject:

My family is from rural USA and I live in rural Mexico. I find they are much more similiar than rural USA is to New York and than rural Mexico is to Mexico City. Many of the teachers in the other departments are from Mexico City or other large Mexican cities and in the 15 years I've been here I've found that English teachers from rural areas adapt to life here better than those urban Mexicans.

I think culture shock is less, if you are already accustomed to rural life. I lived in Santiago de Chile for a time. That was the largest city I've ever lived in and I felt like culture shock was stronger there than anywhere. In Japan I lived right on the edge of city, but there I found isolation was more of an issue because of language barriers and Japanese belief that they are inherently different from other people so they keep you distant.

There is certainly not less culture to observe in a rural area, but it there is less "Big C Culture" (things like concerts, theatre, art exhibits). But I've found rural people are more likely to accept your participation, maybe even expect it, in local festivals, and things like that.