Job Discussion Forums

QatarChic · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 445 Location: Qatar

[quote="Ben Round de Bloc"]
You only live twice,
Or so it seems.
One life for yourself,
And one for your dreams.
You drift through the years
And life seems tame,
Till one dream appears,
And love is its name.

And love is a stranger
Who'll beckon you on.
Don't think of the danger,
For the stranger is gone.
This dream is for you,
So pay the price.
Make one dream come true,
You only live twice.
- http://www.stlyrics.com/[/quote

Nice one:D

Spinoza · Joined: 17 Oct 2004 Posts: 194 Location: Saudi Arabia

Looking for my place · Joined: 09 Sep 2005 Posts: 49 Location: Portland

Thanks for all the replies. It is nice to know that others have the same thoughts as me. It is easy to find and chat with people with similar views of life when I am living abroad but sometimes, when I get stuck back in a "normal " environment it gets more challenging to ignore the chatter. Yes, I love living aborad and all the ups and downs that come with it and I plan to see the world. Keep on treking.

Perpetual Traveller · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 651 Location: In the Kak, Japan

And don't the people who say to you 'You're so lucky' just drive you mad? It's not luck people, I got off my butt and got out there, you chose to get married, a mortgage, a 'proper' job, etc.

I'm pretty lucky with my family, they like to travel too and are pretty supportive. Although there is the occasional comment like 'Remember John Smith from your class? He's getting married in two weeks', I can just counter with 'And did John Smith's parents get to visit him in Paris (or Zurich, or London or wherever) last month?' that usually shuts them up pretty quickly Laughing

PT

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

Thanks PT, my family arrive in Istanbul at the weekend(for about the 6th time) Great answer.

Perpetual Traveller · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 651 Location: In the Kak, Japan

No worries dmb, like I say it always works for me...until the next time that is!

PT

Tiger Beer · Joined: 08 Feb 2003 Posts: 778 Location: Hong Kong

Jizzo T. Clown · Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2005 11:53 pm Post subject:

"It's time to find a wife."

"Why can't you do that here?"

"You're at that stage in life where you need to start thinking about retirement and health insurance."

"When are you going to give me a great grandson?"

"Where are you going to this time?"

"It's time to get your priorities straight."

"You need to start thinking about your future."

Sound familiar???

I'm 28.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 2:34 am Post subject:

I'm 32. They're (finally) beginning to get tired of my smart@ss answers and stop asking.

Hang in there.

Justin

Gregor · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 842 Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

I'll never understand the family preasure thing. WHY would any parent want an adult child to do something he or she doesn't want to do? Is social preassure THAT strong?
Both of my parents gave me that kind of grief, and I even bought into it for a while. My 20s were a nightmare. I started to build up my credit rating with a credit card and then a car loan, but it felt so much like a prison that I just exploded and the whole thing fell apart around me.
When I became a teacher, my mother had all these "what if" questions. You know those?
What if you can't find a job? What if you run out of money? What if you can't get around because no one speaks English? What if someone mugs you?
(What she didn't consider, though, was that all of these are MUCH graver dangers in the U.S. than in Mexico or China.)

The thing is, there is no reason why you can't get married, buy a house, raise a family, and on and on, in a different country. Millions upon millions of people do it all the time. Maybe not as expats, but who's gonna marry you if you're a miserable, drunken office worker? No one GOOD. And how happy are you going to be with that pink house with the white picket fence in the 'burbs, if you have a no-good wife/husband, bratty kids you don't like and a job you hate? None. Not happy at all. And how happy will your parents be FOR you???
WHY DO YOU CARE??? If it's that important to those people, parents or not, they are not looking after your interests. Even if they "disown" you (which they won't), they will get over it when they realize that you are in much better shape for having done this.
And one thing is for sure - if you have any sort of work ethic, even if you wind up in a less that perfect situation the first time (or ANY time), you will be FINE. You'll have a place to live and a job and a salary, if a measly one for the first year or so. So your parents' dire warnings of doom if you do this will fail, at the very least.
Follow your dreams, people. There is nothing scarier than a life of regret. Jesus, I'd rather die in a flippin' plane crash tomorrow than face THAT. Put it in perspective. Getting into TEFL is NOT that scary...or if it is, you will get over it a lot faster than you think you will, and then won't you be proud of yourself??

Just for the record, I've only been doing this since I was 31 (I turned 31 while on my first TEFL certificate course), and I just turned 40 a few months ago (nine years, not ten, sorry Guy). I had the preassures too, but when my mother came out to China for my wedding, met my wonderful new wife and saw the house we were buying, she just about cried from shame for all the negetivity and doom crying she had given me all these years.
What goes around comes around. Have faith in THAT and in yourselves, and all will be rosy...eventually.

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

Take a bow Gregor, that was beautiful.

Justin Trullinger · Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 3:20 am Post subject:

Thanks.

hesterprynne · Joined: 16 Sep 2003 Posts: 386

This is MY life, I must remind myself. I heard that I was running away from responsibility, blowing off important goals, etc. Now I am accomplishing some of those goals here, I am asked why I didn't do them at home. Because in some ways they are easier to do here.

Spinoza · Joined: 17 Oct 2004 Posts: 194 Location: Saudi Arabia

Perpetual Traveller · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 651 Location: In the Kak, Japan

Well said Spinoza, we should remember that a lot of those statements, particularly the ones Jizzo mentioned such as, "You're at that stage in life where you need to start thinking about retirement and health insurance" and "You need to start thinking about your future" are only said because our families, pretty naturally, worry about us and they only say this stuff because they care about us.

...Doesn't make them any less annoying though (the statements not the families!)! Laughing

PT