As I stared at the Thai contract on the table in front of me wondering what I was getting myself into, I thought about the previous day when Kevin and I went apartment shopping. We swung by Bed, Bath and Beyond and Walmart. Of course they weren't called this, but besides the name, and the rows of scooters out front, they were essentially identical.
I picked up some bed-sheets at random and lazily threw into the cart. The loud, loud bang of the sheets hitting metal awoke us from our dream life in Chiang Mai, to our hard-working reality. I had left one boring suburban town to come work a crappy job with no benefits in another one? What was I doing? Had I wanted new sheets, I would have registered for them at my wedding instead of asking for travel money. This just made no sense.
The fact is I didn't come here to be a kindergarten teacher. I didn't even come here to be a teacher. I came here to experience new and exciting things everyday and to get to hang out with some really cool kids on the side. It was hard for me to walk away from this job because in America we work very hard to get jobs. But I had to remind myself jobs are everywhere in Thailand. You have to be careful what jobs you apply for here, because you are probably going to get them. We've already been offered three. Here, I have the power in the job market, and I'm loving it!
I walked away from the job and did not look back. Happy with my decision but not ready to come home, I hopped online and applied for a weekend English Camp, thinking this would just be an awesome weekend and I would make a little money to make it a little further on my journey. One day at a time is the life of a traveling hobo. We got a call an hour later and were told that they would provide transportation all the way back down to Bangkok and pay us for the easy and fun weekend, and possibly keep us on for more camps. This was the perfect situation! No lesson planning, no 60 hour work weeks! We hung up the phone and chuckled. I guess we're heading south again!
Since our run from the suburbs, our last few days have been wonderful in the amazing city of Chiang Mai! One thing is for sure; you can't get lost if you have no destination. We have been enjoying every second; biking, swimming, kayaking, zip-lining, EATING! There are so many creative and delicious restaurants and cafes everywhere. We could eat out every meal for a year and never try them all. We hop into little places constantly trying new and strange treats. Today we had a french crepe, you have to specify these days the origin of the crepe, which had banana, sugar and condensed milk. I don't know if I've mentioned it yet, but Asia is obsessed with condensed milk. They use it for lots of desserts and put it in coffee, it's delicious. Also Thailand has amazing Mexican food! Who would have guessed? Thailand truly is an incredible place that has so much to offer since so many people from all over the world have made this beautiful place their home.
I've also been taking these slower days as an opportunity to work on my novel. I rotate smoothies, teas, lattes, glasses of wine and beer, all the while clattering away on my keys. I'm sure I surpass my daily allotted calorie intake on beverages alone, but those extra pounds are just proof of my progress!
Feeling so blessed and enjoying every second of this adventure! Hope everyone is happy to be alive on that side of the world!
Love, Carrie
Outdoors in Chiang Mai
from Carrie Winters on Vimeo.
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