Hello all!

Sorry it’s been so long. So much has been happening and changing, It’s been easy to put off updating you all, waiting for things to settle so I could give this post a beginning a middle and an end, but I think I might have to get used to things not ever quite getting a neat and tidy ending, and as we all know it’s the journey that counts, so….. here it is, x.

My journey with Pums came to and end about 6 weeks ago(ish)not sure I want to recount all the details right now, it seemed to involve a lot of miscommunication and misunderstandings and hasn’t left a very good taste in anyone’s mouth. I’m struggling to hold my head up since, but, though I found it a very difficult situation to do well in, I’m holding onto the fact that I really did do my best and gave it my all, and even though that does not seem to have been good enough, I don’t feel that in any way it can be justifiable to think badly of it.
Just before I finished I got to meet up with Anton in Bangkok for a night, on his return from a work trip in India , which was so cool. Work had been relentless up to that, and it was a well needed respite. Coincidentally, Aine and her friend Maeve arrived the same night, which was an emotional and welcome reunion! I hung out with Anton for a few hours (which was enough time for me to lose my phone) and then we all went to a nice restaurant, Cabbages and Condoms (instead of an after dinner mint you get an after dinner condom with your bill!), we had good grub and great booze and hung out there for a few hours, catchin up and getting rosy. Great night : )
Stayed with Anton in a gorgeous little boutique hotel, the bedrooms Bangkok, lots more chatting and catching up and had most of the next day with him too. Bought a new phone, which I managed to hold onto for all of three weeks!
Arrived at the bus stop the next day for the airport an hour earlier than necessary, which was as surprising to me as I’m sure it is to all of you! Two and a half hours later, with no sign of a bus I was forced to jump on a motorbike taxi and embark on a hair raising journey through Bangkok, ramping speed bumps at a speed that ghost rider would’ve been proud of, with a driver who even managed to scare himself a few times. Fun!!
Got there too late, but they all cooperated and ran me through every procedure anyway, and with an escort and lots of walkie-talky-ing, got me on my flight!
(there’s some kind of a lesson in there for Ryanair with regards to customer service!)
Unpredictably, my job ended more or less as the same time as Aine’s arrival, so we got to hang out in Patong for a night before all catching up on Phi Phi a few days later and got to hang out for the best part of two weeks. Just after the girls departure more or less, arrived Breffni and Tuesday, on their return voyage from NZ, and that brought us up to about two weeks ago.
Now I’m facing crunch time.

Am gonna have to leave Phi Phi in the very near future, it’s coming into low season here so what remains of the job options are unsustainable financially, and it’s a very expensive island to “hang out” on. My resources have all but dried up, and because my months notice was not accepted in Pums, I unforeseeably had to pay for an extra months expenses, without that last months wage.
So… decisions!
I have only two options really. One is to come home and look for work, build some finances and take it from there, and two is to maybe take a chance on an island on the gulf coast, which is coming into high season now.
Not sure at the moment but will have decided for sure in the next few days.
Never know, might be seeing you all next week!

Ok, it’s only been like two days since I wrote that bit and it’s all up in the air again!
Had been asking around here for work but to no avail, and on my way to the beach yesterday I un-optimistically popped into this gorgeous new 5 star hotel and asked about a job maybe in customer service, I was asked to take a seat (in my shabby beach clothes with my shabby beach hair!) and the manager appeared for a chat. Turns out that at the moment though they are not really in need of someone for customer service, they really really want an English teacher for their staff!
And, whaddya know, he thinks I speak very good English!
He knows I’m not (yet!) qualified but I seemed to find that much more of a problem than he did. I told him there was no way I could start before three weeks time (to give myself a good shot of at least being closer to the end of this course than the beginning!), and though he was keen to start asap, that seems to be ok. Accommodation and food included, all that’s left to do is see what he thinks about my proposal, which I’m dropping in tomorrow, and talk about money.
However!
(isn’t there always a how and an ever : >)

If I start in three weeks that means I won’t get paid before seven weeks time and I certainly don’t have the funds to be hangin about Phi Phi for seven weeks with no cash coming in, so…..
Goin to tell him tomorrow, that if he likes my proposal and he thinks I’m a suitable candidate, I will need his accommodation and food proposal to become effective immediately. This way, aside from dealing with my immediate financial concerns, I will have a quiet place to study and get up to speed on this course? We’ll see,
Fingers crossed eh!

Right I’m about to go blind from this computer, I’ve been on it all day, and it’s time for bed.

Congratulations to the newly engaged Ger and Anne!
This is being sent with a million hugs and kisses,
Best News Ever!
(who could have predicted the power of an apple sidekick!)

It’s nearly your turn now chico, yah, you know who you are ; >

X