Settling down
Hi everyone,
My blog has quickly become the object of much fascination for some of the teachers at BC Burma!! Well hello teachers, here I am again, trying to say something profound and memorable. Let’s face it, it’s not too likely at 10am.
Last night I had about 10 hours sleep which was sheer bliss… This week has been hard but I guess I’m starting to get marginally more to grips with things. Lessons seem to be going okay, except when I’m being observed, when I seem to automatically turn into somebody else and make all the mistakes I notice when *I’m* watching someone else… I do believe this phenomenon is known as ’sod’s law’.
So, plans for the weekend… this morning I can feel a stint on the treadmill coming up, followed by a swim if it stops p*ssing down with rain. I STILL haven’t found a dvd place yet, but that’s because I STILL haven’t tried looking for one. I’ve been told “Just walk around and find a stall” but that’s a bit too vague for me! Especially when it’s p*ssing down with rain. (Did I mention that already?)
This afternoon… I am probably going shopping for clothes with Nina, maybe buy myself some Burmese attire and have it fitted, or even just get the fabric and have something made. It will be an interesting experience at the market, especially if it is still p*ssing down with rain.
Yes, it’s raining. That, I suppose, is why it’s known as the rainy season. But last week I was tricked into believing the rainy season was coming to an end - a whole 4 days with no rain! But no, it’s back with a vengeance! At least it’s warm!
Tonight, there are a couple of party-type-things happening, so I will probably regret the decision to go to see a house at 10am tomorrow. My dilemma right now is working out whether to move into this beautiful house which is a bargainous price (but possibly still too expensive, once all the extras are added), or to move into a serviced apartment which is also lovely, which is expensive but includes absolutely everything.
The house: Is big, new, beautifully finished inside, has a small garden, is in a nice area close to other teachers, comes with a dog, is furnished with the essentials, would be free accommodation to anybody visiting, has a ‘good’ landlord, and is available straight away. HOWEVER it may be too big, and when staff, bills, taxi journeys to work are all added up, it could be more than I can afford. (And do I really WANT a dog, or is a nice romantic notion which I have absolutely no real concept of? Walks, food, dog being left alone during the day = not good)
The apartment: Is close to work (could walk it if I wanted to), is WYSIWYG - everything is included (rent, electricity/water, drinking water too I think, is furnished and ready to go, is located inside a very nice hotel which would still be inexpensive for friends/relatives to stay in if visiting, is compact so I won’t be rattling around. HOWEVER, it will be very much like living in a hotel (maids coming in to clean every day etc), is quite small and potentially a bit claustrophobic, doesn’t have spare rooms, can’t have parties cos it’s too small, is not available for another 3 weeks (although Nina has kindly offered me a place to stay while I wait for the apartment).
I’ve reserved the apartment for 6 months, so if I decide to go for it, it gives me some time to settle in and get to know the city, and hear on the grapevine if there are any other nice, cheap houses becoming available. On the other hand - one of those nice, cheap houses is available already… I just don’t know if I’m being realistic about what I can afford. ARGH. Typical Libran, weighing everything up and never actually coming to a decision! Perhaps when I see the house tomorrow it will help me to think “Yes, this is definitely where I want to be” or “This really is far too big for just one person.”
What would seal it for me I think is if I had somebody to share the house with, but I don’t and that’s that. Not even sure if I would *want* to share it - perhaps if my situation was different and I was in a relationship with somebody here it would be okay, but I’m not and that’s that. I’ve had mixed experiences with house shares before so I’m a little bit wary!
Anyway… that’s enough from me, I’m b*ggered if I’m going to spend my saturday morning sat in front of a computer! 
Hope yer all okay, ’speshly you Caitlin, haven’t heard from u in a while! x
