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Girl Scout
Joined: 13 Jan 2005
Posts: 525
Location: Inbetween worlds
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 Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 7:46 am Post subject: |
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You're all focusing on the money and on yourselves. I am going home in a few days because my parents are almost 70. I would like to spent some time with them doing interesting things before they are too slow.
I have been here almost 7 years. |
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denise
Joined: 23 Apr 2003
Posts: 3419
Location: finally home-ish
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Girl Scout wrote: |
You're all focusing on the money and on yourselves.
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Uh... thanks for pointing out to us how bad we all are.
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Last edited by denise on Wed Jun 25, 2008 5:28 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Justin Trullinger
Joined: 28 Jan 2005
Posts: 3110
Location: Seoul, South Korea and Myanmar for a bit
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 2:37 pm Post subject: |
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| You're all focusing on the money and on yourselves. |
Or maybe on the work we like doing, and on being in places where we feel we have a positive impact? Heaven forbid, as a language teacher, I might be focusing on being in a place where my skills are needed?
Many of us are well enough qualified to make quite a bit more money "back home," if you'll notice. Many of us for some reason are in economies where we earn less than we would "back home." So the comment that we're all focusing on the money doesn't really hold water, though I don't feel like pretending that money doesn't matter. I need to survive economically, as do you.
I really hope you have a great time with your parents. I certainly sometimes wish I had mine nearer! (I also sometimes wish I could move them a little further away- it's a mixed bag. I'm sure they feel the same.)
But I don't necessarily think you have the right to judge our relationships with our parents, or our entire lives, based on our not making the same decisions you do! Especially when a lot of the factors are different.
Best,
Justin |
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MELEE
Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 4:07 pm Post subject: |
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| Girl Scout wrote: |
You're all focusing on the money and on yourselves. I am going home in a few days because my parents are almost 70. I would like to spent some time with them doing interesting things before they are too slow.
I have been here almost 7 years. |
Well I have a job that gives me paid sabbaticals, one year after every six, or after the first I can take 6 months after every three years.
I took my first year sabbatical to stay home with my babies (twins!).
Now I'm taking six months to give my children and parents a chance to get to know each other well.
Not really focusing on the money or on myself... |
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Gowump
Joined: 05 May 2004
Posts: 70
Location: Poland
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 6:49 pm Post subject: |
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| I have been gone now for 7 years, but Canada will always be my home. Whether I live there or not, it made me who I am (with a little help from my parents of course). That said, it will be very difficult to return there, my "friends" have gone on with there lives and when I've returned in the past it seems like I think things will be the same. I'm not naive by any means, maybe it's wishful thinking. No plans to return yet tho'. |
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JZer
Joined: 16 Jan 2005
Posts: 3898
Location: Pittsburgh
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| Posted: Wed Jun 25, 2008 11:57 pm Post subject: |
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| Many of us are well enough qualified to make quite a bit more money "back home," if you'll notice. Many of us for some reason are in economies where we earn less than we would "back home. |
Justin Trullinger,
Except that some of us live better lifestyles while earning less abroad. Making $2000 a month in Ecuador probably provides for a hire living standard than making $4000 a month back home. How many of us school actually earn twice the average wage in our home countries? |
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naturegirl321
Joined: 04 May 2003
Posts: 9041
Location: home sweet home
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 1:46 am Post subject: |
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Well put. I earn four times the average wage here and there are other teachers getting paid more than I am. Plus we just bought two SUVs and a condo, cash, no loans. So we're doing pretty well.
On the other hand, it's very stressful and I'm not too happy at the moment. |
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Marcoregano
Joined: 19 May 2003
Posts: 872
Location: Hong Kong
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| Posted: Thu Jun 26, 2008 2:57 am Post subject: |
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| naturegirl321 wrote: |
Well put. I earn four times the average wage here and there are other teachers getting paid more than I am. Plus we just bought two SUVs and a condo, cash, no loans. So we're doing pretty well.
On the other hand, it's very stressful and I'm not too happy at the moment. |
NG, you must be raking it in - but perhaps you're working too hard? Never forget that "there are no pockets in a shroud."
IMO most TEFLers do better abroad financially than they would back home, which is one of the main reasons (but not the only one!) we stay abroad.
Regarding the point Girl Scout made about not thinking of our parents, I don't know where that idea came from, since many have spoken of a desire to go home or commented that they go home quite frequently - and presumably see their parents when they return. And of course, some parents will already have moved on up.
Oddly enough, since coming to Asia 11 years ago I have actually seen more of my folks than I did when I lived in the UK - every summer I go back for 4 or 5 weeks and spend half that time with them, and we have resumed taking a family holiday together - something we hadn't done since I was young. When I lived in the UK I was only a few hours drive away but we rarely met up for more than a few days, two or three times a year. But as they are getting older I hope to move closer to the UK soon-ish. |
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FuzzX
Joined: 14 Oct 2004
Posts: 122
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| Posted: Tue Jul 08, 2008 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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| I returned home this year and started up about 5 small businesses that I've been working on in my head for the last few years while abroad. Next year will likely be my last year in ESL (Mexican girlfriend wants to finish her degree) unless I have to make a short trip to China to pick up some more equipment. |
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desultude
Joined: 19 Jan 2003
Posts: 614
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| Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 6:09 pm Post subject: |
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Home is where I am living at the time, even if I don't plan to be there forever.
I'm trying to decide between Mexico and Thailand for place to buy some property and to have a place to start returning to during breaks and to maybe stay after that.
I see my family in the States every year. I went back to the States for a year to help my father (his last year). I would be delighted if I could get my daughter and her family to expatriate, and that could happen in the future.
The U.S. does not feel like home to me- it it hard to nestle down and relax in a small storage unit. I have a few good friends there, but they are spread out from Fairbanks Alaska to Miami, so I am generally far from most of them where ever I am.
I spend the necessary time and money to make my home comfortable where I am living at the time. Pictures, stuff collected from traveling, plants and friends make my Saudi home home for the time.
What they say: "If you can't be in the place you love, with the people you love, love the place and people where you are." Well, someone almost said that.  |
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