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ESL Hobo · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 262

Matahari makes her move...Part DEux...

Knowing that M was coming over, the guys ducked out for awhile in case we wanted some privacy, which was the last thing on my mind when she showed up in a black jeep. The same one that chased me earlier.

I was still married and very very recently separated and not ready for a blistering romance, nonetheless, Much to my protestations, she had me on the bed in short order. There was something in her voice like silk to the ear, something in her eyes that melted ones defenses. Again I swooned but rallied my defenses; ran to my loft; packed my bags; and went to school, my sanctuary. When I arrived at school something odd happened. I was asked to talk to the director, he said that enrollment was down so they needed 2 teachers to volunteer to transfer to the Jakarta branch. I immediately accepted the post; drove home; explained the situation to my wife, (leaving nothing out); packed our bags and we trundled off down the road to Jakarta. Never, ever, seeing Matahari again. The spell of the Dukun must have been local, for as soon as we were out of Bandung, everything became clear to me.
Even though I had not broken my wedding vows, I had come awfully close.
Later, late into the night as we laid in bed I had the most oppressive feelings of remorse for being duped, tricked, magicked into what I had just been through and the grief it had cost both of us. So much so that I had an out of body experience. I felt my spirit rising up and out of my body, and my body's energy level fell like a battery losing power. I drifted through the roof and out into the starlight then into total blackness.

krayola · Joined: 23 Jun 2009 Posts: 38

haha you need a comic strip to go along with this!

interesting stories hobo - I'm guessing it's by name and by nature right? Like you've just travelled the world teaching your whole life?

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

ESL Hobo, how many countries have you taught in?

ESL Hobo · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 262

A comic strip would be perfect!
I have taught 2 years in bandung, 1 year in Surabaya, 1 year in Jakarta but spread out over different times. 10 years esl in the states tertiary level, university of Mexico, 1 year in Barcelona, absolutely heavenly! Panat Nikom refugee camp, northeast of BKK. Bangkok half a year, Pattani summer post in 2001 when a pipe bomb went off under my dorm window I hit the trail for Taiwan, but that's another story. Taiwan 8 years, Summer post in Florida Nova Southeastern University.

I am a hobo by nature, grew up moving every one or two years, lived in 7 different states in America but have seen almost all of them. When I was 17 years old I criss crossed America hitch hiking over 11,000 miles with nothing but a bedroll, slept in old cars or buses, washed in the river, ate out of rubbish bins(MacDonalds after closing is great, still fresh and in the wrapper!) chased out of town by gangs who didn't like hobos.Traveled to the Arctic and Venezuela (great stories but not related to esl/efl.) Traveled most of western europe and southeast asia.

I would like to try the middle east next.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

ESL Hobo, have you worked any other jobs abroad?

I would really like to teach in Mexico. How was Mexico?

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

ESL Hobo · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 262

well, that beats the heck out my travels in the past 8 years, I have been pretty stagnant, a few years ago I finally decided to have a family. It's been difficult but good as well.

Studying anything is a great way to use one's time.
If I had loads of money I would go back to the states and study Linguistics full time, get a masters and perhaps a Phd. I really enjoy studying comparative linguistics.

best of luck with your Taiwan studies.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

ESL Hobo, I would be interested in any information you might have about opportunities to work or volunteer in the Arctic?

ESL Hobo · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 262

There was a post...lets see called something like "teaching tefl, well almost..." maybe you could ask that guy. He is thinking about teaching Innuits for the government, probably US gov. You might try USAJOBS.gov.com.

ESL Hobo · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 262

Sorry,
the post is:
"Not exactly TEFL ... but similar" it's on the first page of the general forum. Try Pm'ing the guy.

JZer · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 3898 Location: Pittsburgh

Yes, I have seen his post.

anyway · Joined: 03 Sep 2007 Posts: 109

I once got on a plane and flew to Qatar to teach at a branch of ELS just because some guy called me up at home and offered me the gig. (Luckily I had fouled up my visa application because one week before the last leg of my journey, from Bahrain to Qatar, had crashed and killed 150+ people!) Nobody met me at the airport (at 1am), but I managed to find a hotel and crash. Next day, things seemed to straighten out. My flat was decent as was the school and most of the co-workers seemed normal. (Not all.) After a couple of weeks, the cracks were beginning to show and I wondered if I'd made the right decision. Soon the DOS, a Sudani, took me to the accountant's cubicle to get things squared away with my pay. As the Lebanese accountant was busy scribbling away, I asked the director about his recent vacation. He had gone to Thailand. "Oh, it was wonderful, he said. "I went to the full moon parties. We ran around naked and f'ed like wild animals." Less than two weeks later, I was on the midnight run (my only!)...

Then there was the Korean DOS who took us to the disco, tied his tie around his head, and proceeded to get as jiggy as Koreans dare. When he finally tired out, he came back to the table, removed the tie and wrang so much sweat out of it that he completely filled the ashtray. I once asked him about the 10' by 10' painting on his office wall. "It's a whorehouse."

Then there was the Ecuadorian DOS who was also my homestay. (Yea, real smart.) Her 10-year-old daughter didn't care for me much because I'd taken her room and she had to sleep on the couch. She finally kicked me out of her house after blaming me for running up her phone bill although I'd caught her son red-handed on some kind of phone sex line.

All in all, I've been rather lucky...

ESL Hobo · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 262

Thanks anyway,
great stories.
Really gave me a smile and a laugh this morning Laughing

ESL Hobo · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 262

Tefling in Barcelona Part One Confused

Settling In

"The dogs have left the building
Mad

" said the angry couple behind us at the airport. The scorching heat of August in Texas is no time to fly with dogs to Barca. We arrived in Barcelona, got a taxi, stuffed it with 2 people, the driver, luggage for 2 and 2 dogs. About half way to our homestay Popa (little black dog) took a huge dump in the back of the Taxi Rolling Eyes

. I'll spare you the details. Surprised

The homestay we pre rented via internet had a chinese garden shrouded in bougainvilia and the proprietor had a matching Fu Manchu, the evening was lovely and begining to cool, as he sat on the veranda, sipping tea with 2 giggling japanese tourist. He called for his brazillian errand boy, johnny, to bring more tea as he lead us to the dungeon suite under the veranda, dogs only section.

I had two weeks to sort out an apartment on my own and a bare minimum of cash, no credit cards, things would be tight and there were times we would go hungry, but hey, we were in Barcelona, living there for one year and it was magical and being hungry just got ignored.

ESL Hobo · Joined: 23 Oct 2008 Posts: 262

Settling in Barcelona Part Deux

My school was just north of Barcelona with a view of the Med.
But I wanted to search out places on the fabled La Ramblas.
I went to a few places but the one that caught my attention the most was a 4 bedroom ex-brothel. The location was great. And the stench of whiskey, and smoke layered the place with an aroma that was hard to resist, recalling Hemingway. Alas it was just a little out of my price range and commuting to work was an added cost as well. SO we settled for a place which was a 20 minute walk from my school, enough to get the blood pumping before class every day. We were a one minute walk to the beach with a balcony view of the Med and its sailing regatas.

I enjoyed every moment of each day despite the hardships.

What were the hardships one might ask? Being single would have been easily doable but with a wife who couldn't work in Spain, even though she was a medical doctor, a surgeon no less, made it hard. There were times when I thought of stealing just to eat, but they passed along with my grumbling tummy. Anyway, life is more than just eating, there were sunrises and sunsets, teaching, learning and painting murals on my apartment walls.