The Experience of Living Abroad

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My current job is immeasurably better than my last job. At the time of leaving, there was the threat that although I wouldn’t have to teach 8 straight periods anymore, I would have more spread out through the week. Even still, my new job is immeasurably better. As it turns out, I teach about 5 more classes a week than I did before. But these classes are all bilingual and have good English proficiency. And most importantly, they are all DIFFERENT. 2 sections of each grade from 1 to 6, then one of each from 7-9 and a high school elective. It makes all the difference in the world. And there are long breaks in between classes usually. Usually it’s like 2 then a long break. Or 3 at most, then a long break and two more. There are days I only teach two classes. Anyway, my schedule is fabulous. I also can do what I want with the curriculum except for when the December show is in preparation in which case myself and everyone else are slaves to it.

I haven’t posted so many blog entries because I always feel as though I need to say something meaningful. But then I realize that there are throngs upon throngs of people who put their ramblings up without a second thought. Even on youtube, there are hordes of dimwits that treat us to impromptu recordings of complete nonsense coming out of their mouths in no particular order, topped off with long awkward pauses  as they access the vast tombs of knowledge hidden away in their minds. Of course, as they realize that these tombs are empty, we too have the pleasure of realizing that we’ve just wasted 30  seconds or a minute of our lives.

But that’s only in video form. In the written form, we have the modern pharoses foretelling  of the disaster du jour. Usually has something to do with homosexuals, teachers or Obama taking our country straight to hell in a hand basket. But of course we have other gems such as the fiscal cliff  and the debt ceiling debate and other such nonsense. What tripe and drivel. And really, these days, that's all you get. Tripe and drivel. So I figure why not add my two cents. I haven't decided whether I will write tripe or drivel yet, but I guess we'll just see how it develops and after a point, I'm sure it will lean one way or the other.

This brings me to my next point. As much as I love hearing idiots prattle on and on about things they know nothing about, there is one thing I REALY love about those who wish to spout their political philosophies at work.  I really love it when people who were too lazy or didn't care enough to vote tell us what they think about how our current President elect is totally destroying our country. Seems to me that if you did not participate in the one voluntary act that actually makes a difference in politics (voting) then you really have forfeited your right to complain about ANYTHING to do with politics. But I have to remind myself to ignore it so that I don't spend my social capital stating an opposition which in effect will make absolutely no difference to anyone other than to make my office a more awkward place.

So this week I have a throat cold and it’s making me quite the curmudgeon . I think I am also dealing with a bit of seasonal doldrums with the sun gone away and all. I have one more week of teaching and then a one month vacation at which time I will be visiting Bali for 10 days. So yes friends, Sloppy is still living it up in Asia. Last year I went to Thailand, and this year it’s Bali. Two of the top travel destinations on the planet. I remember hearing about the night club bombing in Bali and thinking “where the hell is Bali?”. Much the same as I did before I came to Taiwan. But here I am and I'm actually going to be IN Bali in a few weeks. Although perhaps the previous reference was not the most inspiring overture to that trip. Reminds me of that Dr. Seuss book, "Oh the places you'll go!"

            I think when you are living abroad, you begin to access parts of yourself that you never knew about. You begin to feel what it’s like to be an immigrant, albeit a highly regarded one. But when you’re in America and you’re just born there and living there and I guess you take your status for granted a little. Not that it’s so fantastically awesome to live in America. I mean life sucks for a lot of people in the states. Just that you devote areas of your brain to your new life and that way of thinking/being becomes part of who you are. Like thinking in a different language for example is really exhausting. So you begin to sympathize with people who have to do that. I really hate it when Americans dog people for not knowing English. Expand your mind. We are not the only country on the earth. And when you go round acting like you own the place, just remember that we stole it from the Natives first.
I’m not really effectively communicating here. What I really mean to say is that you start to realize that every little thing is different in each country. Like if you eat at an Indian place and you eat the tikka masala or whatever, you begin to think you have an idea of what Indian food is. And you do have a small idea but there is so much more that you don’t know. So that your original concept of what that food is like may totally change and you may realize that tikka masala actually is not very representative of Indian food. I don’t know if it is or not but I’m just saying as an example. Now I know that sounds very elementary, but to be there and to live that. It has a powerful transformative effect on the mind. Because it’s not just some exercise in novelty. Same with language. You learn how to say “ni hao” or whatever. But to make yourself internalize it and use it like it’s normal. Tough task. But it is normal here. And that is the craziest thing. That in other places, things that are totally crazy to you are normal there. And once again, to say that sounds elementary, but you don’t really understand how exciting that is until you live it. I guess, to say it simply, your world view expands.
I feel that when you are at home you are always viewing things through this plexi glass window. You can touch it or try it then go back to being the way you were before. You can still say that “this is my reality”. But to know that that can change is amazing. And that is actually the norm, not the exception. Because there are just so many cultures and there just isn’t one right way to do it.

Sometimes I talk about politics. And I did vote, so I can do that :). I feel that it may be part of the problem in the states that people are just too stuck in their ways. I mean people in West VA or Central PA or wherever may think “this is my backyard” and this is how we do it here and this is how it’s always been done. But when the reality of change comes around, and it always does, they resist it. If you only know one way of life, you are afraid to death that it will change cause you have never done that. But I think we are really affected by how we view other cultures and the idea of change. Some people are so opposed to change that they even abhor the very thought of it. They can’t even stand if someone else wants to change.  It’s really poisonous. I think the more of us that realize that change is the constant, not the exception, the more peace we will have in our country.