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Thailand

Sunday, October 28, 2007

I first came to the land of smiles in 2005. I was planning a little trip with my friend. I had wanted to go to the Galapagos islands but he said how about Thailand? It's cheaper. Sure I said.

That little change brought much larger change into my life. During that trip, I decided I was going pick and roam the world. I couldn't wait to come back to Thailand in November 07 for a few months of beach fun. I never intended to stay as long as I have but, after returning for what I thought would be just a few months, I find myself only now leaving…some 10 months later.

I've never liven anywhere besides Massachusetts so living abroad has been a real eye opening experience for me. I learned a lot about people, culture, and myself. One of things that I love most about Thailand, and especially Bangkok, is that it is so multi-cultural. So many people pass through here that you meet a wide variety of people and personalities. It's allowed me to learn more about people and become a bit more social and friendlier.

Another great thing about Thailand is the food. Thai food is amazing- where else can you get 50 cent meals on the street at 3am in the morning? Thai's love to eat- all day, everyday. 12pm, 6pm, 10pm, 4am! It doesn't matter. As a consequence there are food stalls and vendors and restaurants open at all hours of the day. Need a 4am snack? There will be someone open near you for sure. The food is also delicious- one of my favorite things to get off the street is the noodle soup as well as the snack food you can munch on. In Thailand, you never go hungry as long as you got 20 baht in your pocket.

Sure, I will be back here again but, as excited as I am to go, I will miss some things when I leave. The weather is amazing, the food yummy, and the people- well, Thai people are really happy and friendly. (And no, its not because they want your money!) Sure in the tourist heavy areas, there is a monetary incentive but, for the most part, Thais are very happy and friendly and will ask you a million questions if you sit down to have a conversation with them. It's great because it helps me practice my Thai and learn a lot about their culture. Plus, they are also very respectful and polite to people, which is a nice change from West (though they really need to learn how to form a proper queue!).

Though I leave it now, I know I will be back again. Thailand is my second home and I could never go away for good. I'll always return and holiday here, especially now that I know Thai, I know people here, and I know (some of) the culture. Thailand is an amazing country with a rich diversity of things to do, places to see, and people to meet. It may be a major tourist destination but all those people come here for a reason right? And once you get off the beaten path, you see an even more amazing side of Thailand.

Pop Khun Mai Khrap Bratit Thai. Doo Dooi.

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posted by Nomadic Matt @ 7:17 AM 0 comments

Running Down a Dream

Sunday, October 07, 2007

Life in Bangkok has had its share of ups and downs. For awhile now, I have thought about leaving. My original intent in staying in Bangkok was to learn Thai but then I stayed longer to teach.

Yet in July, I had problems with my job but thought to myself "I haven't done much but work I can't leave yet!" So, as my last post made clear, I went out and partied. I found friends, I'm dating a girl- life is good. For the most part.

My job irritates me. My boss is a major asshole and my hours are slowly being cut away. My schedule changes weekly (sometimes daily) and it is hard to have an normal social life or even get to the gym! With less money, I'm needing to save more- an impossible task now that I got out more. Combined with my psych ward style room, I'm irritable and wanting to leave. It's no longer in my economic interest to stay- I won't save what I need to save if I stay here like planned until January. Moreover, sadly, much to my GREAT GREAT dismay, my friends are no longer going to be here for New Years as they will be partying in Australia. After 4 yrs in a row of Thailand, they are taking a break.

That's even less incentive for me to stay. So knowing that I really only had 2 more months of work left anyways and given that I wasn't even gonna make enough money to compensate for my stress and Asshole Boss, I decided that it was time to leave.

As of November 12th-ish, I will traversing the Land Down Under. It was a hard decision to make- mostly because of the new girlfriend. I've known I've needed a holiday for awhile (I've had 8 days off in 6 months!) and was going to use the next visa trip to take one but it was too expensive. I decided since people weren't coming over the holidays and I hate my job, I'm going to leave. I'll get a 30 day tourist visa and head out when it expires.

It was tough because of the girlfriend but I knew this was only a temporary relationship when I got into it and despite the good times, I'm not ready to settle down with one girl- hell, I can't settle down in one place yet! However, she didn't take the early departure well but I digress....

I'm happy with my decision now. I'm at peace with my time here. I feel like I did do a lot. I learned a new language, lived in another country, had a good job (despite the boss), saved for another year of travel, made some friends and made some good friends, did see a lot of bangkok, partied, and will spend my last month partying more. I may not have seen as much of the country as I wanted but I'll be here again for a wedding and to travel next holiday season!

While I wondered for awhile- was I leaving because it was the right thing to do or was I leaving because I was just running away but I realized it doesn't matter. I never intended to stay forever and I did what I came here to do. The beauty of a nomad's life is when you aren't enjoying it, you can leave. And I haven't enjoyed my job for months now and with me working less, why stay there if I'm not going to get paid? and if I'm not going to work, I'm going to travel.

The once again Nomad,

Matt

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posted by Nomadic Matt @ 7:01 AM 0 comments

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