Very interesting posts. Glad I heard about this website.
After I graduate I want to get a job as an English teacher in South Korea. When I get to south Korea I'm thinking of starting a blog to give everyone else with AS tips on TEFL. For now, Im worried about living alone, shopping on noisy streets and being accepted despite not often having a clue what others are getting on about. But Im hoping that the extra privacy will give me time to focus on my interests (in Canada I'm packed in a home with 3 other family members who are always competing for sound space, and I never feel relaxed or focused). Plus Korean culture seems to have a lot of history that people are keeping alive and I want to experience that richness, that is very much lacking in life in Toronto. I hear that they recommend not teaching large classes if you have AS due to sensory overload, but Im going to challenge that by meditating on acceptance of stimuli and always reminding myself to think about my students perspective. I think after some getting used to it, I can become a good EFL teacher.
I have some experience living abroad. I lived in a small city south of Brussels for a year and a half with an ex, and commuted to school in Brussels every weekday. The culture had a lot of pros above Canadian culture. People seemed a lot more interested in their hobbies, which ranged from music to sports to board games, to computer programs. There are also set ways to do things, the order of eating food, of drinking, and even what types of dish towels to use.
On the otherhand, I felt frustrated most of the time feeling obliged to put up a face. But that happens everywhere. Also, the weather was appalling and getting vitamin D was a problem for someone with Indian roots. Lack of sun alone was enough after a few months to want to return to Canada. It gets cloudy here but nothing near to Belgium's chronic grayness. Plus the lack of diversity in Belgium made it hard to tell people apart on the streets and I was glad to come back to Toronto and see all kinds of faces.
I expect Sourh Korea to be better mostly because I'll be working and not studying! Can't wait to have some money to travel to Buddhist temples and roam around the country.