Home » Bangkok

Employed Again

Posted by Stuart at 11:25 AM on October 03, 2002

It has been almost a full year since I had a permanent full-time job, but now it looks like I am back off the unemployment line. I still have some paperwork to do and I'm waiting on a few things from the US, but I am 95% there. Starting next January I will (more than likely) be a full-time instructor teaching computer classes at a nearby university.

Ever since my first interview at the university went well, I have been thinking to myself, "Do I REALLY want to do this? Do I really want to LIVE in a foreign country for an extended period of time, making less than 1/3 of what I made in the US? Do I really want to commit myself to learning the language and dealing with all the day to day troubles of the average expat?"

And now, I can say that I have decided to go for it. So far, this has been an amazing experience that I wouldn't trade, but I don't think I am finished with the challenge just yet. The analogy I thought of yeseterday is that my life for the next year or so will be like going back to grad school. I will always be struggling... struggling to learn my lessons (Thai language and culture), struggling to make ends meet (teachers don't make huge salaries). But with the struggle always comes the joy of growth and feelings of accomplishment.

So the decision is made. Now I just have to do those things to make the transition from a visitor to a resident: apply for the right type of visa (part of the paper work I mentioned above), open a bank account (which I did this morning), and start looking for an apartment (starting this afternoon).

*Deep breath and DIVE*