IN BANGKOK: Homeless, Jobless, Clueless
posted by
Greg
@
9:04 AM
"Stand or sit. Do not wobble." -zen admonition
"I don't know Marty, what do you want to do?"* -from the motion picture, 'Marty'
Homeless, jobless clueless.... Sounds bleak, but the actual situation is rather liberating. Multiple options exist to resolve the first two conditions, and the cluelessness is just a result of being overwhelmed by so many options.
But first, since it feels like so much has happened, endulge me a brief summary of the journey from my last blog to this one.
I left Glacier National Park on the last day of September, and among my sojourns were:
The Appalachian Trail. This was part of a stretch I did 20 years ago, so there was an air of deja vu-ness to my hike. Key differences were that this time I hiked for two weeks instead of a month, and that it was October instead of November. So I was graced to be wandering through New England during the peak of its autumn foilage (pre and post-peak aren't anything to scoff at either). There were so many leaves, both in the trees and on the ground, that the effect was like moving through an organic kaleidoscope. After a rain however, the effect was closer to walking on thousands of brightly colored banana peels. It is noteworthy that hi-tech has infiltrated the A.T., at least as seen from my limited exposure. Most of the thru-hikers stay in touch with the outside world (and even with other hikers!) via the internet, and half of the ones I met carried cell phones. Convenient, certainly, but it saddened me a little.
The Berkshires, Western Massachusetts. My reasons for heading East had been twofold. The Fall colors were one, and visiting friends was another. Stockbridge, once home to both Norman Rockwell and Alice's Restaurant, is one of my old stompin' grounds. I once shared a life with a woman there, and the A.T. wasn't my only 20-year anniversary.
Portland, Oregon. This is a great town, no question. Powell's Bookstore alone would rank it in my top ten American cities. But what draws me here are three friends. Two of them I've known for almost 28 years. Their 14-year-old daughter I've known all her life. Hmmm....so who have I known longer, parents or child?
Southern California. I admit, this doesn't make my top ten cities list. But the reasons I return to my birthplace aren't geographical. This is where my family is, and it is always worth the trip home.
Mendocino County, Northern California. This locale is more my style. Towering redwoods, meandering rivers, and a stunning coastline.I've lived out a couple of different lifetimes here, both deeply lodged in my heart. On this trip I visited a longtime friend from college, whose path has intersected with mine in a variety of places and spaces over the years. I also used this two-day window as an opportunity to sell my car.
I mention these places not just to chronicle my travels, but because each at different times has been my home. If not the geographical spots themselves, then at least the people that now occupy them. It's been a little jarring to have bounced through these significant worlds of my past in such rapid succession, and now to find myself....
....in Bangkok; homeless, jobless and clueless.
All right, here is the basic outline of my current situation. I have funds for maybe a month and a half of budget travel, with just enough left over to get me where I'm going and keep me fed until the paychecks start coming in.
Which in turn begs the question, where am I going?
The likely gig is to teach English, and in Thailand alone I have a variety of options. There is a college one hour north of Bangkok where I would have 18 teaching hours a week and a supportive work environment. But I'm hesitant about the location. It's too far away from Bangkok to access that city's entertainment, and too close to be in a natural setting.
I could always find work in Bangkok itself. But there's pollution and horrific traffic. But I have friends there. But it's such a huge city. But it's a hugely interesting city. But but but.
Or I could probably find employment in the south, at one of the tourist hotspots like Koh Samui or Phuket.
Then too, I'm not limited to Thailand. Viet Nam appeals to me, and so does China. The former because of its tangled relationship with my Country's history. The latter because of (what I percieve will be) its impact on my Country's future.
Anyway, for the next few weeks I plan to do some wandering in South East Asia. By the time my journey is over, and my money nearly so, I should have a plan ready for implementation.
As I sketch out this draft, reggae music blares from the bar below my room. A ceiling fan half-heartedly pushes the humidity around, and a line of ants make geometric designs on my floor. Yes, I am back in sights, sounds and smells of South East Asia.
I remember a comic strip from a ways back, I think it was 'Bizzarro' or 'The Far Side.' It was the classic picture of a man marooned on an island (single palm tree, tattered clothes, scruffy beard). He was retrieving a bottle floating by, and reading the enclosed message: HELP! I AM STUCK IN A DEAD-END JOB IN A LARGE CITY.
With that in mind, here I am in Bangkok. Traveling (homeless), free (jobless), and open to any great possibility (clueless).
Now that's a framing job that any metaphysical construction worker can be proud of!
*Just to play devil's advocate with that stand-wobble-sit quote: The founder of aikido, when complimented on his unfailing sense of balance, replied (and I paraphrase), "It's not that I am in balance. I am out of balance almost all the time, continually shifting to meet the situation of the moment."
I can relate. And, as some marketing genius of my childhood once told an American generation, "weebles wobble but they don't fall down."
"I don't know Marty, what do you want to do?"* -from the motion picture, 'Marty'
Homeless, jobless clueless.... Sounds bleak, but the actual situation is rather liberating. Multiple options exist to resolve the first two conditions, and the cluelessness is just a result of being overwhelmed by so many options.
But first, since it feels like so much has happened, endulge me a brief summary of the journey from my last blog to this one.
I left Glacier National Park on the last day of September, and among my sojourns were:
The Appalachian Trail. This was part of a stretch I did 20 years ago, so there was an air of deja vu-ness to my hike. Key differences were that this time I hiked for two weeks instead of a month, and that it was October instead of November. So I was graced to be wandering through New England during the peak of its autumn foilage (pre and post-peak aren't anything to scoff at either). There were so many leaves, both in the trees and on the ground, that the effect was like moving through an organic kaleidoscope. After a rain however, the effect was closer to walking on thousands of brightly colored banana peels. It is noteworthy that hi-tech has infiltrated the A.T., at least as seen from my limited exposure. Most of the thru-hikers stay in touch with the outside world (and even with other hikers!) via the internet, and half of the ones I met carried cell phones. Convenient, certainly, but it saddened me a little.
The Berkshires, Western Massachusetts. My reasons for heading East had been twofold. The Fall colors were one, and visiting friends was another. Stockbridge, once home to both Norman Rockwell and Alice's Restaurant, is one of my old stompin' grounds. I once shared a life with a woman there, and the A.T. wasn't my only 20-year anniversary.
Portland, Oregon. This is a great town, no question. Powell's Bookstore alone would rank it in my top ten American cities. But what draws me here are three friends. Two of them I've known for almost 28 years. Their 14-year-old daughter I've known all her life. Hmmm....so who have I known longer, parents or child?
Southern California. I admit, this doesn't make my top ten cities list. But the reasons I return to my birthplace aren't geographical. This is where my family is, and it is always worth the trip home.
Mendocino County, Northern California. This locale is more my style. Towering redwoods, meandering rivers, and a stunning coastline.I've lived out a couple of different lifetimes here, both deeply lodged in my heart. On this trip I visited a longtime friend from college, whose path has intersected with mine in a variety of places and spaces over the years. I also used this two-day window as an opportunity to sell my car.
I mention these places not just to chronicle my travels, but because each at different times has been my home. If not the geographical spots themselves, then at least the people that now occupy them. It's been a little jarring to have bounced through these significant worlds of my past in such rapid succession, and now to find myself....
....in Bangkok; homeless, jobless and clueless.
All right, here is the basic outline of my current situation. I have funds for maybe a month and a half of budget travel, with just enough left over to get me where I'm going and keep me fed until the paychecks start coming in.
Which in turn begs the question, where am I going?
The likely gig is to teach English, and in Thailand alone I have a variety of options. There is a college one hour north of Bangkok where I would have 18 teaching hours a week and a supportive work environment. But I'm hesitant about the location. It's too far away from Bangkok to access that city's entertainment, and too close to be in a natural setting.
I could always find work in Bangkok itself. But there's pollution and horrific traffic. But I have friends there. But it's such a huge city. But it's a hugely interesting city. But but but.
Or I could probably find employment in the south, at one of the tourist hotspots like Koh Samui or Phuket.
Then too, I'm not limited to Thailand. Viet Nam appeals to me, and so does China. The former because of its tangled relationship with my Country's history. The latter because of (what I percieve will be) its impact on my Country's future.
Anyway, for the next few weeks I plan to do some wandering in South East Asia. By the time my journey is over, and my money nearly so, I should have a plan ready for implementation.
As I sketch out this draft, reggae music blares from the bar below my room. A ceiling fan half-heartedly pushes the humidity around, and a line of ants make geometric designs on my floor. Yes, I am back in sights, sounds and smells of South East Asia.
I remember a comic strip from a ways back, I think it was 'Bizzarro' or 'The Far Side.' It was the classic picture of a man marooned on an island (single palm tree, tattered clothes, scruffy beard). He was retrieving a bottle floating by, and reading the enclosed message: HELP! I AM STUCK IN A DEAD-END JOB IN A LARGE CITY.
With that in mind, here I am in Bangkok. Traveling (homeless), free (jobless), and open to any great possibility (clueless).
Now that's a framing job that any metaphysical construction worker can be proud of!
*Just to play devil's advocate with that stand-wobble-sit quote: The founder of aikido, when complimented on his unfailing sense of balance, replied (and I paraphrase), "It's not that I am in balance. I am out of balance almost all the time, continually shifting to meet the situation of the moment."
I can relate. And, as some marketing genius of my childhood once told an American generation, "weebles wobble but they don't fall down."
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