Someone who hates goodbyes as much as I do should have been born and raised (and eventually die) in the same small town. That, however, is not my destiny; within me I carry the genes of a world traveller. I am a rolling stone, my home is where I hang my hat, my feet are itchy, and my heart yearns for adventure. I was a teenager when I first heard the saying"ships that pass in the night". That expression appealed to my young, romantic, traveller's heart and I naively envisioned and anticipated many such encounters over the years. My older, more sceptical, traveller's heart has learned that the excitement of meeting new people, sharing new experiences and opening your heart to new friendships is balanced by the sadness of parting and the inevitability of losing touch with many of those friends as the years pass.
I have been blessed to spend the last three months in an exotic location, doing the work I love and getting to know an interesting, well-travelled, eclectic group of people. I have laughed, argued, philosophized, empathized, and grown as a human being thanks to all of these 'ships that I have passed in the night'. I humbly say farewell and thank you to all of you, I must say a few extra words to some of you. David( who reminds me so much of a dear, Scouse cousin), thank you for the laughs, for watching my back, and for teaching me that honourable administrator is not an oxymoron. Flo and Rachel(two lovely young ladies from England and New Zealand), you are a credit to the parents who raised you, being apart from my lovely young daughters was easier to bear because of your light and laughter. Bruce and Gabby, my fellow Canucks(from Winterpeg, Manisnowba of all places!), our acquaintance has been brief but eminently enjoyable. It's been great hanging out with you these past two weeks, Gabby; and thanks for colouring my hair for me! Karl, Michael, Peter and Cathy, my afternoon tea buddies, thanks for the laughter, the colourful conversations(I've learned a lot about men's perspective on women thanks to 'the man from Wigan' and 'the man from Northern Ireland'!)the advice and support. Thank you Cathy for being such an easy-going room mate and thank you Karl for being my guide and 'chaperone' on many enjoyable walks. Sarah and Dea, two strong, caring, amazing, South African ladies, you have both touched my heart deeply. I feel that if distance did not separate us we could become close, life-long friends. Steven and Gideon, husbands of Sarah and Dea, respected colleagues; it has been a pleasure knowing you. Stay in touch, people, and know that if you ever make it to my 'hood you have a place to stay. Another famous quote comes to mind; "...parting is such sweet sorrow.." - sorry, William, you are wrong on that one - there is nothing sweet about it, there is only sorrow.
I've spent too much time, wasted too much energy in the last three months venting about how frustrated I am, how difficult things sometimes are. There is nothing like putting things down, in black and white as the saying goes, to help you put things in perspective. My frustrations pale in comparison to the richness that has come into my life through my students, my colleagues, and my experiences here in this country and in this culture that are so different from my own. I have been offered a position teaching English as a Second Language at Princess Noura University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. I thought I would be there by now. I thought I would be settled into my new place - my own place! - on a western compound. I thought I would be in the swing of teaching my new classes. I thought I would be earning a new salary not long after I was last paid from this job. I thought wrong! The recruiting company that hired me has not, in my opinion, behaved well. I am still waiting for my Saudi visa to be sorted out and for a flight to be booked for me to Riyadh. In the meantime I am in Kuwait illegally(my visa expired on October 26), I have been told I can no longer stay in the apartment that was part of my contract(fair enough, I finished work at the school on November 3)and I haven't been paid since the end of October - it is time to move on. There was a time when I would have been a lot more frustrated and stressed out by these circumstances, I think I'm mellowing with age(when one of my daughters remarks on my passionate dialogue or my assertiveness - they've been known to say I am aggressive but I maintain that I am assertive - I tell them "This is me mellow, you should have seen me 30 years ago!). Tomorrow morning I am getting on a plane and flying to England. I am going to spend time(hopefully not too long because I need to join the ranks of the employed again soon)with family. I am going to embrace the sisters I have not seen in 6 years, I am going to have tea with cousins I may not see again for many years, I am going to indulge my appetite for pork(forbidden in this Muslim country)and imbibe a few rum and pepsi! I wanted to stop in England on my way to Kuwait last summer to see my family but that didn't work out so instead of being frustrated by the delays and stressed out about such minor details as money, a home and a job I am just going to go with the flow here. I am going to take full advantage of this opportunity the universe has sent me. Thank you universe! That takes care of the farewells and frustrations, I will update when the final details have been wrapped up!
