Sam Divito

Thailand is known as the Land of Smiles. The culture is warm, friendly and genuine. There is a big expat community out there, so you’re in a new and exciting culture but also engaging with many different cultures through the expat network as well. The travel opportunities are wonderful, either around Thailand itself or to neighboring countries. AND the food is delicious and fresh! Hua Hin is a beautiful city on the beach in central Thailand, approximately two and a half hours away from Bangkok. The area has some amazing beaches, mountains, viewpoints, temples, night markets, water parks, and dining experiences for you to choose from and enjoy at any time of the year. Hua Hin itself features a beautiful, powdery sand beach, plenty of waterside seafood restaurants, a lively night market...  [Read more]

Sweden offers a combination of big city sophistication and unspoilt Nordic wilderness. Since the devaluation of the Swedish crown this now comes with a considerably reduced price tag. Haunting islands and endless tracts of forest abound, and it’s the perfect place for hiking and getting back to nature. In this predominantly Lutheran country the official language is Swedish, though Finish and Sami are supported as minority languages. English is widely spoken, and so you can expect a helping hand on the ground. With a population of just over ten million you won’t feel crowded out. Prospects for teachers are good, however, the traditional private language institutes do not feature as strongly as in other European countries. This is because of the well-established network of Folk...  [Read more]

Mighty big place, Partner. As Ferdinand Braudel, the great French historian observed, ‘the land dictates the people’, and it is a good idea never to stray too far from this theme. If you want to know what ‘cold’ is then head up to Minneapolis, north of Toronto, in the mid winter. If you want to know what ‘hot and humid is’ then try Orlando in the height of the summer. If you transcribe a line from Los Angles to Miami and turn this into a road trip then the number of different peoples and environments you will encounter is immense. By all means there is a thin veneer of Americanism, and everywhere you will find both McDonalds, and the presence of the Federal Government; however, you shouldn’t let this take your eye off the ball of the fact that the people and environment of...  [Read more]