The time is going very quickly for me as I travel…sometimes I lose track of what date or day it really is and I have no context of what it’s like in Saskatchewan. I vaguely hear about a very cold temperature back home and quickly dismiss it before it sinks in, grateful to be in warmer temperatures myself, but not wishing to remember the cold winter others are still facing.
I’ve seen so very much in the last month that it is sometimes overwhelming, but I keep writing my blog to try and capture as much as I can about an environment so that I can remember it all later….and of course, I am happy to share my experiences with others who care to read of my personal journey.
I’m being totally selfish—no not selfish, but doing things just for myself—and it’s a strange thing after being/feeling so responsible for my son and others, my house, the bills, maintenance, and my job, etc., for so many years, All I have to worry about now is what I’m going to do and see each day and basic survival needs like where am I staying and what/where am I going to eat and what will it cost. (A part of me still worries about my son and I’m sure I always will, after all I am a mother still, and happy to be, but that worry is changing too to something else though I can’t describe it yet. After all he’s grown up now and can take care of himself....I don’t need to be there to help him with everything, but rather be a sounding board and offer guidance when I am asked….I must remember this…being away from him is very good for me and for him too, I hope.)
I’ve planned the accommodation part of my journey until the end of December, so I’m fine there, though I must think of what I am doing after Spain. I may stay longer in Spain as it’s one of those places I’ve always wanted to go and I’ve always wanted to have a Spanish villa. Though I want to see Italy and Greece too, and all the other countries in Europe as well. My passport pages are not filled up with stamps yet…..
I can start teaching in China at the beginning of March, but must confirm this soon, and then I must decide what to do for January and February, if I accept that teaching position. Perhaps I will continue touring Europe and then be ready to do Asia when I get to China. I’m not feeling ready to be committed to something yet, especially so far in the future, but the job in China is a great opportunity and only for three months to start, though it can continue for longer, I believe. I am grateful to have been chosen to go there and for the experience it will give me.
There are still a few loose ends that I am tying up from home that are linked to my documentary making and books, but those are quickly disappearing too, as I have to decline invitations for readings and screenings for special occasions that will be taking place at the beginning of 2008. It’s only with a twinge of regret that I decline as I am so far removed from that life now. The invitations are still a great honour, but I can’t go backwards to the same thing I was doing before I left….it’s time for me to move on to other things. Besides I’m thousands of miles away and not likely to return for a while yet.
I am making some kind of transition from my old life into a new one, though I’m still not sure what shape that will take yet. I’m still so thrilled at being able to travel and see countries that I’ve only dreamed of seeing. It hasn’t totally sunk in yet that I don’t have a job or home to come back to anymore, though of course, I know I can always come back to Regina/Saskatchewan/Canada and find both again any time.
I’ve seen so very much in the last month that it is sometimes overwhelming, but I keep writing my blog to try and capture as much as I can about an environment so that I can remember it all later….and of course, I am happy to share my experiences with others who care to read of my personal journey.
I’m being totally selfish—no not selfish, but doing things just for myself—and it’s a strange thing after being/feeling so responsible for my son and others, my house, the bills, maintenance, and my job, etc., for so many years, All I have to worry about now is what I’m going to do and see each day and basic survival needs like where am I staying and what/where am I going to eat and what will it cost. (A part of me still worries about my son and I’m sure I always will, after all I am a mother still, and happy to be, but that worry is changing too to something else though I can’t describe it yet. After all he’s grown up now and can take care of himself....I don’t need to be there to help him with everything, but rather be a sounding board and offer guidance when I am asked….I must remember this…being away from him is very good for me and for him too, I hope.)
I’ve planned the accommodation part of my journey until the end of December, so I’m fine there, though I must think of what I am doing after Spain. I may stay longer in Spain as it’s one of those places I’ve always wanted to go and I’ve always wanted to have a Spanish villa. Though I want to see Italy and Greece too, and all the other countries in Europe as well. My passport pages are not filled up with stamps yet…..
I can start teaching in China at the beginning of March, but must confirm this soon, and then I must decide what to do for January and February, if I accept that teaching position. Perhaps I will continue touring Europe and then be ready to do Asia when I get to China. I’m not feeling ready to be committed to something yet, especially so far in the future, but the job in China is a great opportunity and only for three months to start, though it can continue for longer, I believe. I am grateful to have been chosen to go there and for the experience it will give me.
There are still a few loose ends that I am tying up from home that are linked to my documentary making and books, but those are quickly disappearing too, as I have to decline invitations for readings and screenings for special occasions that will be taking place at the beginning of 2008. It’s only with a twinge of regret that I decline as I am so far removed from that life now. The invitations are still a great honour, but I can’t go backwards to the same thing I was doing before I left….it’s time for me to move on to other things. Besides I’m thousands of miles away and not likely to return for a while yet.
I am making some kind of transition from my old life into a new one, though I’m still not sure what shape that will take yet. I’m still so thrilled at being able to travel and see countries that I’ve only dreamed of seeing. It hasn’t totally sunk in yet that I don’t have a job or home to come back to anymore, though of course, I know I can always come back to Regina/Saskatchewan/Canada and find both again any time.
1 comment:
Hi Judith,
I just read an article on the CBC Sask website about your near-encounter with the Chinese soldiers in Tibet. Like the rest of the world, I wish they would leave them alone.
Interesting blog. Stay safe.
Wes Stevenson
Regina ex-pat now in Kelowna
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