MorninNoonanNight

This blog begins with me starting a whole new phase of my life. Last week I relocated back to Seattle after enjoying my life as an artist/student in San Francisco for 5 years. We've returned to our favorite city to temporarily live with my boyfriend's sister (my best friend) in her home. There's plenty of room despite the 2 cats and I've cornered off a section for studio space so I can continue to paint.


But first - the long version of my bio wouldn't fit behind that link in the upper right of this page - so here's a little bit more about me...


It's hard to know where to start but here's a short description of my life. After following the traditional career path in Medical Technology, I moved to Seattle where I could work and hike on the same days. I was ready for any place that had mountains and water within close range. Well working in a laboratory inside - especially urgent care - left me frustrated, and so I did the typical thing.... I took a leave of absence and drove tour buses in an Eskimo village 30 miles above the arctic circle in Alaska. I can still hear my mom "You are paying for your student loans how?" Thus became the initial realization that change can be really healthy.


The company who owned the buses also owned small passenger vessels in Tahiti, Panama and operated cruises in Southeast Alaska. I brushed up on my Spanish which didn't work since I was sent to French Polynesia. Oh well - I'm now skilled at teaching Tahitian dance lessons, making flower leis, and giving snorkeling instructions. Add to that the education and growth of living on a very small ship with French, Tahitian and Americans that are willing to work and play hard.


Fortunately the next vessel the company acquired cruised to the Caribbean and also along the Eastern US waterways. Count me in! I continued to meet crew that I'm still in contact with after all these years. They were core to my education and growth - as travel can be. Next it was giving natural history bird watching tours on an island in the Bering Sea. There I lived two summers and was referred to as... "the other white woman with glasses". Imagine being on an Aleutian island between Russia and Alaska (pop 600) and when the beautician arrived once a month, every woman had the same perm within a week. But the minute one or two of them didn't like the haircut, the hairdresser was voted off the island.


When it came time to return to the land, I felt like a marine iguana not knowing if I should be living on land or on the sea. I ended up in Human Resources and provided others the opportunity to go to work aboard ships. I felt like I had been handed a magic wand and I could touch them and change their lives. Bankers, medical supply salesmen, teachers, travelers, students.... from all over the US applied and after careful screening were placed on the ships. Many of them are still in touch and I read their blogs now.


Eventually the binds of working in an office returned and I started taking art classes to breathe again. It was a newfound skill that I've enhanced and taken to a new level over the past few years. I love being a student and will continue to be one the rest of my life. There you have it, I've gone from Director of Human Resources to Dog Walker and can't wait to see what I end up with next. Hopefully the pay will be better and I won't have to carry plastic bags in my pockets all the time.


My goal this next few months is to re-enter the world of job seeking and with any luck locate something as unconventional as most of the jobs I've enjoyed in my life.


So typically where do you start looking for work? Sunday's paper - and here's the first classified I found that I had to share....


Dance Instructors Ballroom, Latin and Swing No exp necessary. Fast growing school needs energetic, well groomed individual for FT teaching positions. Free training provided. Must love people and be career oriented. Interview req'd. Call M-F 2-6pm.


Hmm - has potential though the interview is typically during my nap time.


It's exciting to be back in Seattle where greenery surrounds you, as do the mountains. This is the perfect time of the year when the days of summer are still lingering and the Japanese maples are beginning to turn red. As a photographer I'll be bringing you along with many photos though not immediately. Remember when you first move and realize that all those creature comforts you had like a printer and internet access were things you took for granted? Well I'm here to say that the library system in Seattle has been very kind to me.


After so many years of living on ships and traveling, I'm fascinated at discovering cities and their inner workings. I've learned that the world gets smaller all the time. Three days in Washington state and I was having lunch in a small town south of here and stumbled upon an art group painting a model. The only person I met happened to post her artwork the next day on an international artists web site to which I belong. So we met again only this time in cyber space.


In the mean time, I'm planning a trip back to California to pack our final items. I have my final Open Studios art show on Oct. 15 & 16th at Fort Mason and then drive back north to start anew. Hope you can join me.

From Canada to Mexico to Bejing

As a little girl I never imagined that my life would turn out as it has. I suppose no one does. I did, however, always think I was a little different from most of my friends. Now I find myself living in Beijing with my Mexican husband and our 7-month old daughter. I am an English Specialist at an International School where I teach children ages 1-3 years old. Even a few months ago that would have seemed strange to me. I believe that I am not alone in this world when I ask myself "How did I get here?"

Many adventures start with a little idea that won't go away. This is the way our adventure began...

My husband Pancho is a performer and since we met he has been striving to improve his skills. We spent the good part of my pregnancy traveling back and forth from Cuba where he was studying acrobatics at the Cuban National Circus School. After Denya, our daughter, was born we decided that we would find a new home where Pancho could study and I could put my TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language) training into action. After hours spent on the web and plenty of encouragement from good friends we left our home in Playa del Carmen, Mexico and headed for Beijing, China!

I was warned time and time again about culture shock and told that China is a place where culture shock is very prominent among foreigners. I ignored the warnings. Since living abroad was not a new concept for me I believed myself immune. After a month in Beijing the only real trouble I'm having is language. I was surprised, and comforted, to find many things in China similar to Mexico. Here are some examples of cultural differences that aren't affecting me, but seem to be affecting some of my foreign colleagues:

Crowding: Once you've been in Mexico City Beijing almost seems small!
Meat Markets (without refrigeration): Local cafeterias in Mexico are situated in the middle of the local market. Fresh meat basically hangs on all sides of you while you enjoy your lunch.
Traffic: See number one
Food Product availability: One of the best parts of moving to a new home is trying all the new foods (although we do still have some costly favorites here: Nutella).
Smog: Here it is commonly referred to as, and believed to be fog.
Too much rice: Too few beans!
Power Outages: In Cuba the government turns off power and water for hours each day, but there is no schedule as to when they will be shut off! In Beijing, if the power goes out, it's usually your own fault (see below).

So, as you see, the differences are not all that different. I did, however, experience a strange event about a week ago that I do not believe could have happened to me anywhere other than Beijing. To explain I must first tell you a little about some of my apartment features. To begin, cooking gas, electricity and telephone are paid at the bank by charging small credit cards, which you then plug into the appropriate device. Very modern! Secondly, we have noise-activated lights in all hallways and stairwells that stay on for about thirty seconds at a time. One evening Pancho, Denya and I were enjoying dinner when suddenly the lights went out. We assumed it was a power outage until we saw that all the other lights in the complex were still on. Then it hit me...the electricity card! I went out into the hallway and checked the power box to find our electricity had run out. As it was nighttime, the banks were not open. The apartment was completely black and Denya began crying wanting more food. I was laughing at the image of my daughter and I sitting in the hallway that night. I fed her out there and every thirty seconds I had to clap in order to see the food and my baby! Needless to say, the next day I went and recharged the electricity card and filled our meter. The day after that I went and recharged the card again so as not to be caught in the dark!

Here in Beijing adventure lies around every corner. I am never bored and always kept on my toes, waiting for the next surprise. I'll be sure to tell you about the next adventure! Cheers, Jill

Living and teaching in Thailand

Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed

by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did.

So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor.

Catch the trade winds in your sails.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

-Mark Twain

For almost a year now, I've been living in Thailand. This initial blog entry is an abbreviated account of my time here, and some practical advice for anyone interested in teaching English overseas.

I'll keep the first part of this fairly brief. If you're interested in a more detailed narrative, click on to www.coolworks.com/blog/greg.

When I landed in Thailand last November, my first few weeks were spent in Bangkok. In the past, this city had been a brief stop-over before heading south for R and R on the islands. This time however, facing no restrictive time-frame, I lingered to visit friends and just hang out.

It's a big city. The air is bad, and the traffic is the worst I've seen everywhere. Raised in Los Angeles, that last is really saying something. But Bangkok is a city with character. Contrary to personal predilections, I found myself enjoying its exotic blend of people, sexuality, marketplace and pure Asia-ness.

Still, after a time I was eager to move on. I decided to head north, which was new territory for me, and caught a sleeper train to Chiang Mai.

Chiang Mai is the second-largest city in Thailand, and draws its share of the backpacking and tourist crowd. I spent maybe a week exploring the city, and sandwiched in that time was a three-day jungle trek through some of the more remote villages.

My next stop was Kanchanaburi, home of the bridge on the river Kwai. In addition to the obligatory viewing of the bridge and museum, I also visited both Erewon National Park and the 'Tiger Temple.' The latter is a monastary where you can walk (closely supervised by monks) among full-grown tigers. Sort of like sky-diving, I probably wouldn't press my luck and make a habit of this. "And visions of Sigmund and Roy danced through his head...."

I spent Christmas in Kanchanaburi with a cool couple from Hungary, and I was here when the tsunami struck on December 26th. Although I was far north and inland of any impact, my email was pretty full for the next week with the inquiries of concerned friends.

Since my funds were limited and I planned to be in Thailand for awhile, I knew that finding work was a mandatory prospect. My best source of employment would be teaching English, and I'd made arrangements for a TEFL course before leaving the States. So after Kanchanaburi, I dropped down to the island of Koh Samui for six weeks of instruction in Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

Due to circumstances not worth relating in this entry, the class blew up (not literally) in its fifth week and I was given the option of taking a free course elsewhere. My time on Samui had been enjoyable and the teacher had been excellent, so I didn't particularly view this as a wasted interlude.

Faced with a geographic choice for the next TEFL course, I opted for Phuket. It was then about two months post-tsunami, and I thought it would be interesting to spend some time at the scene of such destruction. Suffice it to say, it was.

As my course on Phuket (It's pronounced poo ket. Come on, grow up!) neared completion, I began trolling the internet for likely job prospects. A position living and teaching at a buddhist temple caught my eye, and I made a quick three-day trip to check it out and seal the deal.

When the course finished, I spent a week on some nearby islands and then traveled to the North Eastern city of Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima). This is where I am now.

I live in a temple about 10 miles from the city. It isn't a plush lifestyle, but neither is it extreme roughing it. I have a large room to myself, which was the abbot's former residence. The room is actually a self-contained building, although accessing the toilet requires a walk outside and around to the back.

I always flick the light switch and wait for the flourescents to splutter on before entering the toilet. Snakes (big snakes!) have been known to reside here. I mean, they have cobras in this Country! I'm not sure if that particular species is attracted to tile flooring, but, well, I wait for the light to come on every time.

My current work schedule is as follows: Monday through Thursday I teach 5th and 6th graders at a primary school in Korat; sixteen classes per week, for a total of 800 students. Sunday evening I work with the novices at my temple, and on Monday night I teach a course for the monks. On Thursday I instruct two afternoon/evening classes at the Buddhist University.

There has also been other employment while I've been here. I taught at a language school, where my students ranged from five-year olds to adults. I had a three-month contract with the Royal Thai Air Force, and I've consulted for two doctoral programs.

At one stage I was juggling to the point of teaching seven days a week and most nights as well. The money was good, but I was either eating, teaching, lesson planning, or sleeping (and not much sleeping). I've turned down offers to work for the Red Cross, the telephone company, several schools, two radio stations, and numerous request for private tutoring.

But now, with the schedule above, I seem to have settled into a comfortable balance.

My committments will end in October and despite the (sometimes intense) pressure to re-up, I think at that point I'll move on. My plan du jour is a winter gig at Steamboat Springs, and then a summer of National Park-hopping and backpacking. Come next winter, a likely return overseas. Possibly back to Thailand, or perhaps China.

PART TWO

The following is what you need if you want to be an English teacher in Thailand:

1. You need to be a native English speaker, preferably from North America, England or Australia.

That's it! Come to Thailand as a native English speaker, have half a brain, a modicum of social skills; and you WILL find a teaching job.

Having said that, there are two additional qualifications that will increase your marketability and thus your options:

One, a college degree in any field; no elaboration needed on my part. Two, a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certificate or its equivalent. You can either take a TEFL course in the States, or after your arrival in Thailand. You can even do it online, but it carries more weight if it has included some real-life teaching practice.

The price of a TEFL course isn't cheap, but it isn't exhorbitant either. I recommend it not only for the credential, but because it will give you a good teaching framework from which to begin.

And my personal take? You might as well do it in Thailand (if that's where you're heading). The course will be geared towards working with Thai students, and you'll be getting your bearings on the culture at the same time. Also, the cost of living is cheap here. For me, the biggest carrot in this decision was: Why study in my hometown when I could be living on an exotic tropical beach?

The course I took was through 'Text and Talk' (www.langserv.com), but there are others. Do some web surfing. They're generally about 6 weeks in duration.

Another factor to consider is whether to line up a job before leaving the U.S.A. or waiting until after your arrival in Thailand. I advise waiting until you're here, and then you're not buying a pig-in-a-poke. Check out the location, see if you like the people you'd be working for, and then decide. The job options are plentiful enough that it's not a risk to indulge yourself this way. If the set-up seems bad, decline the offer and find something else.

The best source for available teaching jobs in Thailand is www.ajarn.com. Check it out.

Of course, Thailand isn't your only option, and it's not even your most lucrative one. There are some nice contracts coming out of Japan and China, for example. Thailand does have the reputation however, for being the most laid back workplace.

If you're considering other locations, tap on to the international job board at www.eslcsfe.com.

A couple more things worth mentioning. Bring copies of your birth certificate, diploma and transcripts. And for the initial job interview? First impressions are a big deal here. It may be the only time you wear them (and maybe not), but a tie and decent clothes go along way, even if it's not your usual inclination.

Will you get rich teaching in Thailand? Probably not. The salaries generally range from 20,000 to 40,000 baht a month. The U.S. dollar is currently worth 40 baht, so you can do the math.

But you can live well here. A decent place to live will run you 4,000b a month, and a good meal can be had for 50b. If you want to rough it, you can do it even cheaper.

Still, if money is your primary motivator, this probably isn't your ideal scene. It's more about immersing yourself in a very different culture and having some amazing adventures along the way.

If you have some questions for me, my email is greg23@ekit.com.

Chok dii (good luck)!

Getting a Life

During the time that I was working in Yellowstone National Park, the phrase "get a life" entered the everyday language. It annoyed me greatly, because I was already failing pretty miserably to do as the motto ordered. Or so I thought.

As noted in my bio (and you should check those, as we begin the process of getting acquainted), I spent five years working for what was nearly the smallest concessionaire in YNP, Yellowstone Park Service Stations. I was never happier, except when the future came up. The job was not a career position, of course; I had nothing describable as a career, and in the end it was probably that lack--and the guilt it caused--that drove me out of the park for good.

I mention that long-past problem because you may very well have been there yourself. I also mention it because I am no longer sure I ever needed to worry.

My thinking was changed, oddly, by an article in a magazine, one that had nothing to do with parks. I stumbled on "The Perpetual Adolescent," by Joseph Epstein, in the usual internet fashion: quite by accident. It ran in The Weekly Standard on March 15, 2004, and is really a long harrumph: Epstein glowers at such trends as the national decision to permanently dress down (people used to wear ties, and now instead wear baseball caps that say "I'm With Stupid"). He connects this change in national dress habits with other examples of mass immaturity--the popularity of video games and gross-out movies and such--and uses them to attack the tendency he sees in people to act like teenagers until well past their fortieth birthdays.

The article is a long one, and draws some questionable conclusions; it reads as if Epstein had the TV on while he wrote, and the TV showed "Girls Gone Wild" infomercials over and over until they finally drove him mad. But the article started to ring a bell for me when it turned to the way people now defer career choices.

"The increasing affluence the United States enjoyed after World War II, extending into the current day," Epstein says, "contributed heavily to forming the character I've come to think of as the perpetual American adolescent. Earlier, with less money around, people were forced to get serious, to grow up--and fast. How quickly the Depression generation was required to mature! How many stories one used to hear about older brothers going to work at 18 or earlier, so that a younger brother might be allowed to go to college, or simply to help keep the family afloat!" After the war, "With lots of money around, certain kinds of pressure were removed. More and more people nowadays are working, as earlier generations were not, with a strong safety net of money under them. All options opened, they now swim in what Kierkegaard called 'a sea of possibilities,' and one of these possibilities in America is to refuse to grow up for a longer period than has been permitted any other people in history."

Epstein gets close to the heart of the matter when he talks about our changing attitude toward time: "Time for the perpetual adolescents is curiously static. They are in no great hurry: to succeed, to get work, to lay down achievements. Perhaps this is partly because longevity has increased in recent decades--if one doesn't make it to 90 nowadays, one feels slightly cheated--but more likely it is that time doesn't seem to the perpetual adolescent the excruciatingly finite matter, the precious commodity, it indubitably is. For the perpetual adolescent, time is almost endlessly expandable. Why not go to law school in one's late thirties, or take the premed requirements in one's early forties, or wait even later than that to have children? Time enough to toss away one's twenties, maybe even one's thirties; 40 is soon enough to get serious about life; maybe 50, when you think about it, is the best time really to get going in earnest."

As I've said, Epstein is grousing, but what he has put his finger on here is something larger and more important than he realizes. Like it or not, since the end of the Second World War, the US and the rest of the industrialized world has grown ever wealthier. As our science and technology gets more sophisticated, even people with spotty or bad healthcare end up living a long time. We no longer need--as our grandparents did--to find a permanent job, get married, and start having the first of six babies by the age of nineteen. So what do we do instead?

That is one question, among many, that I want to look at in these blog entries of mine. I have become convinced that we've entered a period of large-scale historical change where these matters are concerned, a period that doesn't have a name yet--and people who are living through such a time usually aren't aware of it at the moment (people did not greet each other in early 15th century Florence by saying, "Hey, buddy, nice Renaissance, huh? Thought that Medieval thing would never end. I mean. . .yeesh"). Our society is performing an experiment, trying to decide what we should all do with the time granted to many of us now that we no longer have to hustle and be good salarymen at Yoyodyne Inc. from an early age--unless we want to.

Such a large social experiment is of its nature lengthy and chaotic, and leads to a lot of dead ends and wasted time. A lot of people end up spending a decade playing Xbox on one TV while another shows the DVD of Led Zeppelin's The Song Remains the Same over and over and over, night after night after night. How much better to spend that time at Yosemite or Great Smoky Mountains or Denali? Or Yellowstone, like I did--feeling guilty all the while about how I needed to get a life, even though what I was learning there, over the course of a half-decade, has been immeasurably valuable to me ever since.

I used to think that I stayed in Yellowstone too long. Now I wonder if I left too soon.