Ok, so I guess the most logical starting point would be to explain why I am doing this. But, I can’t answer that. I guess the mood just kinda took me. As good a reason as any, right?
6 months ago I packed up all my worldly possessions in boxes. I posted an ad on Gumtree for tenants to rent my house out. I made sure they liked cats. I booked a ticket for the UK. I organised a series of leaving piss-ups and I left. I couldn’t bear my life any more. I hated what I had become. What I had made my priorities.
At 23 I had a mortgage, 2 cats, an overweight, comfort eating house mate (who god bless his cottons, made a killer Nik Nak sandwich) and a complete failure of a business. Well, the business is still going actually, thanks to my partner. The deplorable, lying… thundercunt. If ever I had looked up to any one with child-like awe and admiration, it was him. But, like so many children, I came to the devastating realisation that there is no Santa. No Easter bunny. No mother-fucking tooth fairy. He lied, he cheated, he stole and he led me to believe that we were going to be a success. Revolutionaries is what we were. Yeah, right. Well, he was a success alright. He successfully blind-sided me and managed to reap all the rewards. Betrayal. A word I learnt the real meaning of. I had betrayed myself, this is not what I came here for, surely? I wanted to be a writer, to change the world, to make an impression. Now I was asking myself “where to from here?”. Start again? Knock on doors and beg for a job? What if I don’t want this?
Well there it was, the right question at last! What if there’s more to life than this? What if I can do better?
I don’t think you have moments of profound self discovery when you find answers. You have these moments when you start to ask yourself questions. I wanted to be light, to be free of the things that I thought I wanted. Money, house, car. The measures of success that advertising presses upon us. Did I mention I was in advertising? Yup. The scum sucking leeches of society. Oh, you thought that’s what lawyers were? Nah. Atleast you know those people are out for blood. Advertising people, we come at you slowly. You don’t know you’re dying until you’re lying there, your body withered away from years of slow poisoning.
Phew. I digress. A lot.
So I got on a plane, touched down at Heathrow and 6 months later I found myself back at square 1. In a job I hate, doing the same thing, but with less creative license, working for a huge retail corporation. A wolf in sheep’s clothing. Great. And then one night a life altering, strange, beautiful thing happened.
I went on facebook. Bet you weren’t expecting that right? Yup, well, the universe works in mysterious ways my friend. Believe me, it’s the last place I expected what happened…to happen. I started speaking to this guy I had been in touch with (mostly over the internet) for a couple of years. He had made friends with one of my friends, we became friends by default…blah blah blah, you get the picture.
He was in the process of packing up his life and moving to Taiwan to teach English. God, now that sounded like a plan. I had always wanted to do that…in Thailand though. We nattered on for hours. The next day I couldn’t get this conversation or this man out of my head. I wore the stupid face of a love-sick teenager the whole day and came bounding home to talk to him. Apparently…he had done the same. My heart soared! This was not what I had expected. This was ridiculous! Surely?
Well, I have now in my possession, a ticket to Thailand. Soon I will have all my silly little possessions packed up or given away. And oh my, I forgot to mention how easy it is to get from Taiwan to Thailand. I get butterflies when I think of this adventure. I know in my once cynical heart that this can offer nothing but love and rewards for me. Anything done with an open mind and free spirit is going to be, if nothing else, fun!
Bring me the horizon. I have the world to conquer, one adventure at a time.
My one, I can’t fucking wait to start this adventure with you;)
