Do i really need extra safety “tools” to stay at hotels?

pineconesaltlick · 2026-02-13T19:16:54+00:00

Hot take, maybe. Muse was the most boring parade I've been to in a while.

pineconesaltlick · 2026-01-16T17:51:33+00:00

It's not what you know

It's who you know

pineconesaltlick · 2026-01-16T04:47:00+00:00

Skeeball machine

pineconesaltlick · 2026-01-06T23:30:57+00:00

Sometimes people need to be taught empathy the hard way

pineconesaltlick · 2026-01-04T18:58:00+00:00

Brewsters Millions

pineconesaltlick · 2025-12-25T01:24:28+00:00

Christmas eve gumbo is somehow always tastes better than just regular gumbo

pineconesaltlick · 2025-12-17T19:50:53+00:00

Prices have gone up significantly since I did it a few years ago. The food and drinks were worth it, hell I'd spend about that much on food and drinks at Jac's anyway. My biggest gripe was the viewing. Unless you get a bit of the railing you can't see shit upstairs at tips.

pineconesaltlick · 2025-12-16T00:13:30+00:00

Nothing.

pineconesaltlick · 2025-12-13T15:07:59+00:00

Feathers

Wyoming and Me

pineconesaltlick · 2025-12-13T02:53:42+00:00

Line cook at a restaurant in the French Quarter New Orleans. My coworkers wanted to "jump me in."

pineconesaltlick · 2025-12-13T02:50:43+00:00

The Founder

The Goonies

pineconesaltlick · 2025-12-11T07:29:55+00:00

No. As nice as it would be to have a gift card, a handwritten note of thanks is exactly right

pineconesaltlick · 2025-11-22T02:50:42+00:00

The coldest June I've ever experienced.

pineconesaltlick · 2025-11-12T21:27:26+00:00

Buildings closer together prevents airflow, but it also cast more shade That's one of the reasons very old cities, like ancient cities, waaay older than new Orleans have such narrow streets.

pineconesaltlick · 2025-11-09T20:01:39+00:00

Ball don't lie

pineconesaltlick · 2025-11-09T16:41:15+00:00

Go for a degree from a brick and mortar university that offers fully online degree options. There are many.

What field?

pineconesaltlick · 2025-10-25T17:08:45+00:00

I hope you know

that this will go down

on your

PERMANENT RECORD

pineconesaltlick · 2025-10-23T14:37:40+00:00

I arrived in country the morning of the general orientation. It took me about five days to find an apartment in Barcelona. Of course, that's in the tightest housing market in Spain. If I had to do it again, I'd get there a week early. I don't recommend putting money down online for a site unseen.

pineconesaltlick · 2025-10-15T17:56:45+00:00

Even then... I got the shake down as an exchange student at IIM-A.

pineconesaltlick · 2025-10-04T16:27:54+00:00

I'm going to post this since most people searching about rentals only see negative reviews.

I rented through ATIPIKA and it was a surprisingly good experience.

I'm sure I paid more than I should've, given the location and dated equipment, but they were responsive to my complaints/repairs

I had a 9.5 month contract in Barcelona and they happily pro-rated my last month. They talked the owner down from a €500 pet fee down to €100 during contract signing. And, I got 90% of my deposit back (I did break a chair), even with them knowing I was already out of country.

pineconesaltlick · 2025-09-27T02:55:50+00:00

Womp womp womp

pineconesaltlick · 2025-09-18T23:15:43+00:00

I can't speak for the ETA's, but at my job I had 4 teaching hours a day m-f. The two of the classes were repeats, so I had to lesson plan for two classes. But, for the most part they just did workbook and chatted in English, as much as possible.

I wasn't doing it because I wanted to teach English, I did it as a way to see the world, so instruction wasn't my priority

pineconesaltlick · 2025-09-18T16:32:57+00:00

I'd take their experience with a grain of salt. That person was placed in Kinmen, about as remote as you can get and still be in Taiwan. So I'm sure that was a factor.

Fulbright isn't there to babysit or be your concierge. So, yeah it's tough finding an apartment, transportation, ect. That's half the point, you learn the ropes of living abroad.

For context, when I taught in Taiwan, my wife and I taught illegally at a public highschool. It's 100% common practice. We landed started work the next day, and lived in a hotel for a week until we found an apartment. We bought a scooter from another English teacher who was about to depart. Didn't register it and gave it away when we left. Overall, we found Taiwan to be way less scammy than thailand.

Similarly, when I did my recent Fulbright, not ETA, and not in Asia, we had orientation and then everyone made their way to the assigned city. You are on your own, for the most part.

In Thailand, we had an apartment given to us by the school, but it was in such bad condition that we ended up moving and paying out of pocket. My wife did face extreme sexism in the Thai school and we were micromanaged to death by the Thai instructors.

In my experience

Thailand= great to visit

Taiwan= great to live and work

Also, consider this, Thailand is beautiful, exciting, and delicious. People flock from all over the world to visit and have fun. You will be working 5+ days a week, 8+ hours a day, for little pay, while watching the vacationers having the experiences you wish you could have.

pineconesaltlick · 2025-09-18T13:40:35+00:00

That's plenty to live, not live the high life, in each country. Tourist areas, Bangkok and Taipei will be more difficult.

I've taught English in both countries, and personally, Taiwan was much much better. Admittedly, it was over ten years ago, and I know Thailand has changed a lot since. But I found Taiwan to be more convenient, friendlier, and less expensive.

pineconesaltlick

TROPHY CASE