the end of an era

It is the end of an era: as of this time tomorrow, I will have said goodbye to this sweet, hot, broken-down home and welcomed the joys of modernity. Yep, that's right: as of tomorrow I will again be living with ac, wifi and even a hot shower in a brand spankin' new apartment.

Don't get me wrong: I am admittedly quite excited about the change, especially considering we have officially launched into the hot season here in Warin and its an average of 38 degrees C almost every day. Living without ac on the second floor of a westward facing room with no tree coverage is pretty much torture for a wimpy farang like myself. The strange smells that this glorious little house holds within its walls are becoming increasingly potent as the numbers on the thermometer rise, as have the bugs, geckos (which I have sort of come to adore) and assorted other creepy-crawlies. In addition to the fact that the temperature is on the rise, all of the animals seem to be in heat too, making for some, uuuhhh, interesting noises all through the night. And, while I really do love Joi, it has been a liiiitle bit of a roller-coaster ride the past few months (briefly: her aunt moved in; aunt's family of 5 moved in on weekends; Joi's many boyfriends moved in and out while boyfriend 1 was on vacation; I still couldn't speak Thai; Joi left on weekends; aunt and family stayed here; Joi develops eating disorder... but this all for another post entirely).

That being said, it was by no means an easy choice to leave my dilapidated abode. Aside from the convenience of living across the soccer field from school, there is a certain beauty about a life without many modern conveniences. From depending more on books than the internet to pass the time, to sweating through the heat and letting your body do the cooling, to the moment when your body shifts from feeling that holy-shit-this-is-the-coldest-shower-ever to this-is-sort-of-refreshing-actually, to the view of the moon I get from my bed, to the moment, every...single... day... when you wake up at dawn because the roosters told you to: these are all things I have been fortunate to experience here. These physical barriers have exhausted me, challenged me, isolated me and frustrated me... but they have equally pushed my boundaries and my limits, given me faith that I can live with much less comfort than I previous imagined, and have, really, largely defined my existence in the past few months.

Ah well, the time has come. Goodbye, house. Goodbye, moon. Hello, next adventure!

Love as always,

Anna

Ps. Sorry for the lack of photos/videos on the blog. Despite the kindness of my neighbor (who unwittingly let me steal internet from time-to-time), the connection just isn't good enough to upload anything that big. Hopefully I'll be able to make up for lost time in the new digs!