I know this picture is rather unglam, showing me in my home casual packing my luggage to bring over to Bangkok. In a week or so time, I will be starting a new chapter of my life, teaching in an international school in Bangkok. This has been one of my dreams and I am very excited to see it coming true at the age of 39. Sometimes it’s even unimaginable that this is coming true! Who would think that at the age of almost 40, I will still be able to start a new adventure and more so in a foreign land. I am grateful and still very grateful for this.
As the days draw nearer, I find myself becoming more and more quiet at home. I like to close myself in my room, reading a novel and listening to my favourite songs. I guess this is my way of managing the feeling of withdrawal. I don’t want to be sad when I leave this country. I don’t want to see myself crying at the airport and missing my family members. I just want to leave quietly. Even for my current school, I just want to leave amidst everyone’s busyness and rush. And I will exit without a trace. I will just leave! That is one of the reasons why I declined many attempts by my friends to farewell with me.
Of course, Bangkok is not unfamiliar to me. I have stories, my friends and many more things here! So in a way, I am not exactly a stranger in this land. Like it or not, I have left my footsteps on the streets and corners of Bangkok. I had my sorrow and I had joy. I had my disappointments and I too had my celebration. I had my love and separation too. I have so much of context in this place. And now, I am going to live in this land. I am not sure what to expect, but I know that this is journey I have chosen to take. It is mine to finish it! It is my prayer that I will build many good memories in Bangkok!
The gatekeeper
Anthropology 