Pep Talk
by Skald

Letís go.... hit the road and see the world..... a cornucopia of possibilities awaits us. Just imagine the opportunities. For the rest of my life I can travel the world- live abroad--- even work decent jobs when I need to: teaching in universities, or private lessons, or set up my own programs. I can continue learning new languages. I can travel with my friends. I can see the world

Im on the right track... straight towards my dreams of freedom, travel, lifelong learning and exploration. Right now is a brief, boring time of academic papers, class observations, and the like... but not an indefinite one. Iíll be done at the end of the year and free!! Maybe Iíll all work in Thailand and keep learning the language and make more friends and explore the region and SCUBA dive... and save money......

And from here.... with a wad of cash! ...... anywhere..... to Spain to study and live and maybe even work. To Ecuador. to South America.... to Mexico.....to Eastern Europe. To Turkey. My friends and I on a wild ride around the world. We can alternate working with travel.... spend time learning languages and drifting around. See Italy and France and Greece. Visit Morocco. Go to Brazil..... Paraguay.... Argentina..... Venezuela,..... Mexico,..... Guatemala!!!! Should we need a big infusion of Cash there is always Japan, Taiwan, Korea, & Saudi Arabia.

We can save and buy motorcycles and tour around Europe. We can drift around Peru & Chile and climb mountains and explore jungles and paddle around swamps and dive coral reefs and munch on mushrooms.

Learn Thai. Learn Spanish. Learn Japanese. Learn French. Learn Italian. If Im fortunate Iíve got another 36-65 years of my life. Why not spend it seeing the world-- live in a new country every 2-5 years..... learn a new language and meet new people and make new friends and go with my friends--- my nomadic tribe.

Patience man, patience. These last few months are a short blip. Good things are happening. Ive got contacts at Thammasat university now. Iíve got 500 hours of Thai at AUA. Iím almost 2/3rds of the way through a TESOL Masters. Im a certified SCUBA diver. I am VERY confident about teaching now... have several effective techniques to draw from,.... have a sound theoretical foundation to my teaching methods..... have clear ideas about teaching all different levels..... have a set of guiding principles and ideas. All in all, once I get some practice with these techniques.... my teaching effectiveness will make an exponential leap.

So Banzai!!! Just need to remember why Im doing what Im doing.... what it will enable me to do in the future and what it is enabling me to do now. I imagine last year in Gainesville.... lonely and miserable and among the super-cool redneck Republicans of that foul shit-hole. Impoverished for months-- living off free food, free coffee, and Taco Bell. Bored, depressed and friendless. Shackled to an evil job at DFACS for two weeks. Mind and creativity utterly drained by the bland conformity of that place. Now THAT was misery! Patience patience. Things are evolving more slowly and subtlety than I prefer (what's new!!), but evolving they are. Here I am, after all, living and studying in Bangkok Thailand.

So patience and persistence are the order of the day. Ive got a travelogue video to shoot. Ive got a clan to build. Ive got a language to learn ( And goddam it, Im gonna learn it!). This is a time of tremendous potential and change but much is happening under the surface that I don't usually realize.... Another year or two here and very deep changes will settle in--- the nomadic international life finally takes hold. Then its on to South America or Europe or Japan or wherever. Fuck America and fuck Americans and their arrogance and wilful ignorance.... but most of all fuck the cowardice and boredom and bland sterility of that awful place. No more fucking strip malls for me. No more obsession with safety and cleanliness. America is the fucking Godhead of boredom. No more America.