Detachment

Moving every 9 months or so has its advantages--i've seen lots of new places, had some great adventures, learned a lot, and met a lot of lovely people.

On the other hand, it also means, as another teacher once wrote, saying goodbye to people you've just met--forever.

For friends I've made abroad, I try not to think of it as forever--partly cos i knew i'd be travelling around the same area, or see them again at herrang. but it's true, there have been lots of people--mostly students--who i will likely never see again, even tho we spent a considerable amount of time together. i'd like to think that i could look them up when/if i'm in that area again but i don't know...

Moving that often also tends to make me less likely to get close to people, since i know i'm leaving. or vice-versa, as has been the case with at least one relationship over the last 5 years; since i was leaving, why should she get involved with me? makes sense, i must admit, if one of us was looking for something more stable and long term.

I don't really like that kind of detachment tho; i spent the last few years working on getting close again with old friends back in SF, who were likewise working on the same--and similar--things in their lives. now that i'm away from them, i miss having people around who have known me more than 1 month.

i've met some very nice people here and in other places, and have no doubt that some of them will remain friends for a long time, but i haven't had as many, say, shared experiences with most of them--just time spent together here and there, but not as in-depth or long-term. like i said, moving every nine months tends to cut thing short rather prematurely.

more ramblings later...

The friend filter
Apparently someone has set my email program to filter out all email from my friends.

Either that, or they've fallen into a hole at the same time and working on getting out of it as I write this.

In the meantime, I found this pretty funny--only fair, considering the guy chucked the poor mouse into a fire.

Now write to me, dammit!

I've been couch surfing for weeks now (four, to be specific) and have
finally--FINALLY--moved into a place of my own. It's for the next
three months which, after moving so every 3-4 days to spread the mike-
hosting love around equally between my friends and acquaintances
here, is going to be blissfully long. all that moving and lugging of
bags nearly did me in--coupled with being new to town, getting lost
constantly (damn these windy, non-grid german streets) and having to
run to different parts of town for in-company lessons. that was NOT fun.

now, tho, i can have a life with a bit more stability (nothing says
moving in like putting socks and underwear in a proper shelf or
drawer, i say) i can actually see if i really do like it here or not.
had you asked me earlier, depending on the day (or the hour) i may
have said it was pretty cool, or absolute crap; not so much the city
itself--hamburg is actually a great city, aside from having an
average rainfall that makes seattle look like a desert; no, this is
more do to with being a efl teacher in germany, and being an efl
teacher overall. i'm just sick of the crap pay, the crappy working
conditions (come on now, it's time to get rid of the bloody
antiquated cassette recorders and buy CDs, finally, and stop those
bloody split shifts!) etc etc. efl conditions in germany make things
back at my old school in SF look plush in comparision.

and to think i have friends whose companies pay for trips out onto
the bay, lunches on fridays, food during meetings (*paid* meetings,
at that!) and other things.

anyway, enough moaning about work. i'm getting tired and need to
sleep. greetings to anyone who still reads this, and goodnight.