(no subject)
i've been too busy to read livejournal lately. when i don't read it, i feel out of touch with my friends. when i do, i feel these constant little tugs at my heart reminding me of everything i've left behind. i walk away feeling disoriented and more confused than ever. i don't know which is worse.
in 32 minutes i will officially be unemployed; 16,200 baht in my hand on a bus heading south. by this time tomorrow i should be crossing the cambodian border. hopefully by nightfall i'll have met up with mike flem; it will be really nice to see a friend from home again. then when i reach phnom penh i'll have the chance to visit some music schools in the city with a new friend who's on a fellowship studying traditional khmer music there, which i'm also really looking forward to. i need this change of scenery. aside from a brief visit to laos and two border runs to burma, i haven't gone out of the country since october, and i still feel the constant restlessness that seems to follow me wherever i go. as much as i like it here, some aspects of thailand are beginning to wear on my nerves, and i think a couple of months spent in drastically different countries will give me a much-needed new perspective on southeast asia and why it is i'm here.
the last two weeks have left me feeling, however, more confident in where i'm at right now than usual. a few days on the island of koh pa-ngan, alone in a tiny bungalow on a hill overlooking the most beautiful turquoise sea i've ever seen, were just what i needed. the infamous full moon rave was not quite just what i needed, though i wanted it to be. i did everything i was supposed to - i drank whiskey and red bull out of buckets, danced on the beach with thousands of other people, even put blacklight paint on my face and arms, and still wound up going home at dawn (at the height of the party) feeling like the whole thing was a waste of time. i also totally blew off a really cute and awesome guy who told me i was the ACEST girl he's ever met. what was i thinking? maybe i'll go back in a couple of months when i have learned how to be fun again.
i may set up a travel blog of some sort that i can use to exaggerate (and make up) stories of my adventures and that my parents can use to show off to their friends, but i hate the internet when i have to pay for it, so we'll see. also, i mentioned this on myspace before, but again, if anyone's interested in teaching in thailand, there's a huge demand for teachers here - i'm offered a new job at least once a week. the next semester starts in may, though hiring continues pretty much throughout the year. so get in touch, or check out ajarn.com, if you want to get away from home for awhile - teaching here is probably the most laid-back job you'll ever have. and also the more friends i have here, the less homesick i feel, so please come asap. thanks!
in 32 minutes i will officially be unemployed; 16,200 baht in my hand on a bus heading south. by this time tomorrow i should be crossing the cambodian border. hopefully by nightfall i'll have met up with mike flem; it will be really nice to see a friend from home again. then when i reach phnom penh i'll have the chance to visit some music schools in the city with a new friend who's on a fellowship studying traditional khmer music there, which i'm also really looking forward to. i need this change of scenery. aside from a brief visit to laos and two border runs to burma, i haven't gone out of the country since october, and i still feel the constant restlessness that seems to follow me wherever i go. as much as i like it here, some aspects of thailand are beginning to wear on my nerves, and i think a couple of months spent in drastically different countries will give me a much-needed new perspective on southeast asia and why it is i'm here.
the last two weeks have left me feeling, however, more confident in where i'm at right now than usual. a few days on the island of koh pa-ngan, alone in a tiny bungalow on a hill overlooking the most beautiful turquoise sea i've ever seen, were just what i needed. the infamous full moon rave was not quite just what i needed, though i wanted it to be. i did everything i was supposed to - i drank whiskey and red bull out of buckets, danced on the beach with thousands of other people, even put blacklight paint on my face and arms, and still wound up going home at dawn (at the height of the party) feeling like the whole thing was a waste of time. i also totally blew off a really cute and awesome guy who told me i was the ACEST girl he's ever met. what was i thinking? maybe i'll go back in a couple of months when i have learned how to be fun again.
i may set up a travel blog of some sort that i can use to exaggerate (and make up) stories of my adventures and that my parents can use to show off to their friends, but i hate the internet when i have to pay for it, so we'll see. also, i mentioned this on myspace before, but again, if anyone's interested in teaching in thailand, there's a huge demand for teachers here - i'm offered a new job at least once a week. the next semester starts in may, though hiring continues pretty much throughout the year. so get in touch, or check out ajarn.com, if you want to get away from home for awhile - teaching here is probably the most laid-back job you'll ever have. and also the more friends i have here, the less homesick i feel, so please come asap. thanks!