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by Skald

Well, the stint here in San Francisco has been interesting. There have been good points and bad points.

The initial months were EXTREMELY stressful-- mostly because of money. But lately, I've settled into a comfortable routine. My teaching job is fine. Money is all right, not abundant, but enough to get by. My friends are here. And I'm enjoying the city.

Certainly, this is the only city in America I could live in and tolerate. I love the progressive-liberal political scene. I love the diversity.

But, to be honest, I've missed Asia and all its energy. While I've generally been content in San Francisco, I've never quite connected with the place. Unfortunately, for all its charm, SF is still a part of America. And America, quite frankly, bores me to tears.

I've always known I'd move on, but just wasn't sure where or when.

Well, the where and the when is getting clearer.

An opportunity has arisen. My friend came to SF a few months ago from Thailand. He started selling jewelry here and is doing amazingly well. In fact, his business is booming and he has already saved a lot of money.

He and his girlfriend "Gypsy" have decided to use that money to buy land on an island in Thailand. Wat wants to build a small resort with bungalows. "Gypsy" wants to run a small spa as part of the resort. And here's the interesting part for me-- they want me to run an English school there.

In the past, I've often told them about my idea for a perfect English school-- it would be an "English Resort"-- somewhere near a beach. Students would come from abroad for an educational vacation. We'd teach a few hours of English in the morning. But most of the day would be spent actively learning outdoors. We'd learn about the local flora, fauna, and ecology. We'd go on hikes, boat rides, and snorkeling trips. We'd visit local artists and farmers. All of the learning and communication would take place in English-- but there would be none of the boring textbooks and activities found in normal English schools.

Well, Wat and "Gypsy" like the idea and want to incorporate it into their "resort". Wat will be going to Thailand next February or March to buy the land. At the end of next year, we will all go to the island.. camp and live like Hobopoets... and start building the central lodge and the bungalows.

What makes this even more fun is that another of our Hobopoet clan, "Sky", is also buying land on the same island. His wife is Thai and they likewise want to have some bungalows. "Sky" also wants to open a bar on the beach.

So the Hobopoet clan will be migrating once again-- all of us moving from San Francisco to south Thailand.

Though its still a year or more away... I can already feel the wanderlust growing inside. I can already smell the spices of Thai food. I can already picture the blue-green water.

My time in San Francisco has not been bad... but Thailand is calling us back.