Reality bites

TAG - Watermelon

I spent the weekend just relaxing. I took a nap which is actually pretty exciting considering I've been dealing with insomnia for about two years and can count on one hand the number of times I've been able to fall asleep without medication. Yay for sleep!


The Short Aussie gave me his copy of The Alchemist and I finally got a chance to read it. It's the right kind of book for me to read at this point in my life. Basically it's about a young boy learning to follow his personal legend and the costs / rewards of doing so. Some have said it's more of a parable than a novel... but whatever - it got me thinking. The main character talks about learning to understand the unspoken language of the world, the language of the soul, the language of the heart etc. When he talked about listening to his heart I took a minute to be quiet and really listen. And I heard something interesting that went something like "Rebecca needs to be near the ocean."

It was one of those things that's so obvious I can't believe I've gone this long without realizing it. I didn't get a chance to go to the coast before I left Oregon and now I've been in Thailand (world renowned for it's beaches & islands) for over a month and still haven't been to the beach. So now I don't think I really want to stay in Chiang Mai to teach. I'd like to go down south (maybe Rayong... not necessarily a resort town) and see if I can find something there for a while. Chiang Mai will still be here if I don't like it.


So, essentially I spent the weekend reading, sleeping, doing laundry, and trying to figure out what my personal legend is. And now I need to get a job. I also need to sort out my living situation. My one-month's rent is up as of tomorrow. I had planned on staying in my residence for another month while I looked for a job - so I could have just paid up for one more month. But if I'm going to go to Rayong, I don't want to be locked into another month's contract. So I went to the office and said, let me stay on for just a week. Which they'll do. But not in this room. Now I need to pack up all my crap and move. If I'd known that I might have just tried to find a cheaper back-packer place. I guess I still could... but it's at least easier to just drag my stuff down a few floors than it would be to cart it to the other end of the city.


I've made the barest of tip-toes into job search mode. I posted my resume online and emailed a school about a job in Rayong. I've looked at a couple of other jobs in Chiang Mai... but haven't made a serious endeavor yet. I hate this part. In theory there's a teacher shortage in Thailand so I should be able to get a job very easily... but we'll see.


I also need to sort out my transportation needs. I've been getting by just fine on tuk-tuks and songthaews because I'm mainly going between well known landmarks. But as I start looking for jobs, I'm going to need to explore the city a bit more on my own. Which means..... it's time for Rebel to learn to ride a motorbike! I actually went to the shop today to rent one but there was no one available to teach me. I was told to come back tomorrow morning for a lesson. I'm excited, but also terrified. Wish me luck!!



I'm editing this post to share a picture from dinner Friday night. It's not everyone - but you get the idea. =)