The Rosebush

Not wanting to tempt fate here, cos we don’t actually *have* the car yet, but my dad has agreed a deal on a car for me and it’s been accepted, just waiting to pick it up on Wednesday! YAY!!!

My 2nd Clio, it’s 7 years old but has only done 15,000 miles and has been kept in a garage since new.  It’s in immaculate condition, a lovely grey/silver colour and I am a very happy girl.  Can’t wait to meet my new wheels!

End of term at last!

Even though we had three weeks’ closure, it still felt like a long term… I guess the stress of the cyclone took its toll on everybody eventually.  Very glad to have a holiday

So… yesterday was spent re-packing my stuff to be shipped next week.  It’s not too much, so I’m hoping it can go by air freight.

I spent most of the day watching the third season of Friends (still makes me giggle like an idiot) and looking for cars on Autotrader. I’m currently considering:

• Renault Clio
• Citroen C3
• Ford Ka
• Vauxhall Corsa

If any of you has an opinion on these based on experience, please email me or leave a comment.  I REALLY need some help - all I see when I look at What Car is what’s wrong with it - and they *all* seem to have something which lets them down!  I had a Clio myself before I left England, and would be going for a newer model this time.  I’m looking for cars which are 5-7 years old.  Not sure whether my dad should get one while i’m still away so I have it as soon as I get back (so I can see the girls straight away!!) or if I should wait until I can go along with my dad to look at some myself.

Anyhoo…. today I will be mostly…. drinking tea and playing Okami on the Wii!!

I have not left the building today.

At the moment I am wondering if there is ANY POSSIBLE WAY I can get private healthcare in the UK to cover a pre-existing condition.  It seems futile… If I was still with Jason I might have been able to join his healthcare plan but alas, that is not to be.  Trying to find out if I can keep using my Expat medical insurance after I return to the UK if I take on the costs myself, but I’m not too hopeful, especially as i’ve made 2 claims in the last 8 months and am about to make a 3rd.  I think they’ll want to get rid of me as soon as possible!!

Wish there was some way I could figure it out, as I’m probably going to have to have various different treatments over the next few years, but that is just not the way insurance companies work.

If anybody happens to know of a healthcare plan which would cover a pre-existing, chronic condition, please let me know!!  I won’t hold my breath.

Just been “caught” crying at work and my lovely boss (well he’s senior to me but not actually my boss) was trying to be supportive, but men are just rubbish aren’t they… He was like “Oh, should I back off? I’m leaving in a minute anyway.” Bless him.

Why am I crying? Because yet again, last night I had a terrible night with pain in my leg. I just couldn’t get comfortable (again) and I’m SO sick of having this stupid pain that nobody can explain. I’ve tried putting a pillow between my knees and lying on my side, tried lying on my front, my back… Just end up tossing and turning. No painkillers or anti-inflammatories work.

I was so sure it must have been sciatic endo, but the docs in Bangkok did an MRI and said there was no evidence of endo there. I know I should be happy about that, but I want to know what’s wrong so I can take the next step. I don’t *care* if I have to have an op to sort it out, I’m in a position now where it doesn’t matter, because I’ll be out of work anyway.

So frustrated

The prospect of living with Rach again has really cheered me up I wonder if it could actually happen!!!  Better apply for some more London jobs then

I had sworn I wouldn’t share again but if there is one person who I would make an exception for (and be delighted about it!) it’s her.

WEEEE!

That’s it really. I’m blogging for the sake of blogging.

More often than not I blog to whinge about my stupid body, but I’m resisting the urge - trying to do that less as I’m sure it must get pretty boring for other people.

So found out that the appraisal I spent hours working on on Sunday won’t actually be read by anybody, it’s just part of the admin process at work when you leave the job.  GAHHH! Could have fit in another 4 hours of Wii Okami!!

Still not sure which date I’m coming home, and I won’t find out for definite until mid July. Does make it tricky to book a flight!

I’m job hunting, but there’s not much happening on that front… At the moment I’m putting the majority of my effort into a cover letter for Innocent, who I would love to work for but who don’t actually have any job vacancies.  Hoping they’ll create one just for me ;)  Hehehe.

Right. Have to work.  Again. Sometimes I feel like I might as well just sleep at the office….

I know it’s a good thing to have the opportunity to write your own appraisal, so why am I not jumping for joy at the prospect of spending my Sunday writing mine?

3 weeks of term left to go…..

This is so odd… I can’t *wait* to come back to England… I had a taste of ‘normality’, shopping for Xmas trees at B&Q, watching telly on a Saturday night with wine and nibbles cos there’s nothing else to do, sleeping with the window open to let COOL air in…  Knowing my family are close by… God, I miss it so much….

But I am going to miss Burma so badly that just writing this post is making me think about the reasons I’m leaving…. What a fantastic 2 years it’ll have been.  I finally discovered what ‘love’ actually means to me, I also lost it.  I have learned patience and I have finally discovered the amazing energy, creativity and limitlessness of children.

Should you visit Burma? Possibly…  Otherwise, all you’ll ever know is opinion rather than experience. And experience will lead to awareness, and that can’t be bad.

I am the same person I was 2.5 years ago, but parts of me have changed forever.

 I think part of me is surrendering to its eternal grasp on my heart and my conscience. Why am I struggling to decide if I want to stay or if I want to go?  Because I know that no other place can ever live up to the surprises, the endless hope, the endurance, the resilience, the fluffy, pink, smiley-faced, kitten-loving, pyjama-wearing happiness of Burma.

Back in Yangon.

It’s getting back to normal, we’re back at work and teaching again which feels a bit strange, but it’s probably best for the kids to have a bit of normality. 

Not sure we’ve really had a chance to process everything that’s happened. It feels like this big thing that we’ve all experienced and which has killed thousands of people, but I feel a bit removed from it. Maybe that’s how people deal with scary things.  Maybe that’s how *I* deal with scary things!

A few other things going on in my mind too…. on the quiet, I’m trying to get back to England a bit early.  I’m still in quite a lot of pain with my miscellaneous back problem which nobody seems to be able to solve (possibly because the doctors in Thailand who I’ve seen are incompetent) and I really want an English osteopath to give it a go.  I think it’s getting worse, and I need to get it sorted out. Just hoping my boss is sympathetic and will display some flexibility.  It could work in her favour to send me home early too… But I very much doubt it will happen :(  3 months seems like a long time… I love Burma and I’ve had such a fantastic time here, but now that I know I’m going home, I kind of just want to go and get my back sorted out asap.

Thats it from me for now.

Pics are now available HERE of Cyclone Nargis.  Please don’t use them, especially if you are a journalist! Just ask me nicely

By the way, my photo gallery is now relocated at smugmug.  Thanks Mark!