As worldly as we expats like to think of ourselves, it is still a shock when we receive our first paycheck in pesos. All the bargains we enjoyed as tourists - gourmet food at six dollars a plate, fifty dollar woven rugs, twenty dollar a night hotels - suddenly seem expensive.
As English teacher or study abroad advisor in Mexico you will earn between 3,000 and 6,000 pesos monthly. That’s right, with all you college degrees and professional training you make less than you would flipping burgers at home. Welcome to the Mexican middle class.
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It took me a while to figure this out, but being an English teacher in Madrid is like being a recovering drug addict. You’re always trying to quit and you get dodgy about publicly admitting that you can’t put the stuff down. So while I’ll be quitting English teaching again soon, I doubt I’ll be quitting for good.
In the past I thought I could quit anytime I wanted, and believe me, I tried. I’d work for one academy and have some private students for a few months until I couldn’t stand the charade anymore and I’d quit them all. (Unsurprisingly, Madrid’s academies and teachers consider the other faction to be disposable.) Then I’d go back to my editing and my writing and my freedom and my bohemian poverty and quickly adopt the hours of a vampire again.
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I have about 60 new articles coming up, sorry for the slowdown – I have been traveling around the Middle East and generally being lazy. But starting next month I will be running The Professional Adventurer full-time so expect allot of new features and several new articles a week
Also to anyone that has submitted articles I am going over them this week and I will get back to you ASAP
I will start posting the new articles up within the next few days
Seems like only yesterday when I decided to sell my business and make the move to Thailand. After a couple of trips to the country, I was certain Thailand was my Utopia. Years later, older and slightly wiser, I’ve concluded there is no Utopia – at least not in the physical sense. Not to burst anyone’s bubble but heaven on earth is a figment of our imaginations, devoid of any complete reality. Heaven is far reaching and every so often extends its hand – only until reality slithers its way back into the picture.
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Working overseas
Experiences working overseas
I moved to Japan last year to teach English at a Tokyo public high school. I came armed with a few phrase books, some sound cultural advice, and an outfit for every occasion. Tokyo is a major world center. It’s multi-cultural. It’s diverse. Surely there would be expatriates to befriend, little pieces of home to make my transition here pain-free. Right?
It’s true that if you send me a letter, you’ll need to write Tokyo on the envelope. That’s where my relationship with the largest city in the world ends. The tiny island I live on is technically part of Tokyo’s metropolitan area, but it is a world…no, it’s a universe away from the 24-hour thrill ride on the mainland. Here the stars shine brighter than the billboards, the volcanoes outnumber the convenient stores, and I can count the native English speakers on one hand.
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Traveling Overseas
How-to and Where-to Travel Around the World
Soekarno-Hatta Jakarta International Airport
When you Fly into Jakarta and hop off the plane you will first go down a clove cigarette smelling hallway, the visa on arrival booths will be on your right and left (they sort of look like money exchange booths). Try to get off the airplane as fast as possible otherwise you could end up waiting in line for a wile.
You will first pay the visa fee then slide down to the next teller for the actual visa, the visa itself is a sticker that will take up an entire page in your passport. People tend to cut line and shove a bit so stand your ground but keep your cool.
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Reports From the Road
Worldwide Dispatches From Independent Travelers on The Road
You got to love a country which has Bean soup as its national dish…
Nyala is the capitol of the southern Darfur region of Sudan. It is an extremely dirty, run down, out of touch and low sprawling town set away from the Nyala Wadi. The only 21st century convenience I have seen in Nyala is a currency exchange and a DHL office which were both inconveniently located on back streets. Nyala has a huge market where it is possible to buy everything from hand made tools to weapons to livestock, Nyala also has the best transportation connections in the Darfur region.
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Traveling Overseas
How-to and Where-to Travel Around the World
Food is the hardest thing to stay disciplined with when it comes to staying on budget. I battle with my stomach every day to pass up the chance to eat at a culturally rich-looking restaurant in order to maintain the bank balance I will need to continue my trip. The obvious choice is shopping for groceries at grocery stores or local markets, and cooking them in your vacation rental/apartment/hostel. Here are a few tips I’ve discovered through trial and error, to help stretch your grocery dollar/euro/yen/etc:
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Traveling Overseas
How-to and Where-to Travel Around the World
Travel medical insurance is what you’ll need if you’ll be traveling around a lot. If you are going to become an expatriate and live overseas permanently, then you’ll need some type of permanent insurance.
In many countries, you’ll be able to receive medical services for just a little money, but you will still want to have an option to see the physician of your choice. If you are going into a developing country where the medical science might not be that great, then a medical insurance plan will airlift you to a better hospital in the event of an emergency.
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Flashpacking
On the Road Doesn’t Mean Unplugged
Gadgets, Laptops and Technology for Independent Travelers and Expats
I just picked up a Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) from a buddy of mine that gave me an offer I couldn’t refuse. Well, he didn’t have to try that hard – if someone is selling a gadget around me I am sure to buy it.
The Sony VAIO VGN-UX280P is one of the smallest UMPC’s around, you can fit it in a case and wear it on your belt, or even shove it into the leg pocket of a pair of cargo pants.
An ultra portable PC like this could potentially be the ultimate “laptop” for Independent Travelers, it is only one pound and the size of four packs of playing cards 5.9 x 3.75 x 1.5 inches (WxHxD)
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