Some of you have been checking in on my Son, Gil (AKA Joko) over the last year. He has been teaching English as a second language in Thailand.
I'd like to recommend his latest post about a place called Muang Buran. I think he did a remarkable job on the video. If you go to see it, please tell him Mom sent you!
For those of you who do not generally have the ability to view videos, but are interested in a summary of the experiences of a first year TESL teacher, check out the post just before that one: Reflections on One Year of Teaching. Some of you who are retired teachers will remember those thoughts from your early years! He stuck it out, learned, and wants to continue.
On the Camp Driveway home-front, nothing much is happening. I started looking into planning an RV trip for early this week. We usually go down to dump the tanks on Tuesdays and I thought it would be a good time to just keep going! But then I realized it was President's Day week, and the Olympics are still on. We have been watching them on the computer during the day. Craig got a VPN thru which we can watch the BBC coverage in the UK. It's interesting to watch the coverage from the English point of view instead of the American. We get to hear about athletes who are not from the USA! We are also enjoying listening to the accents and the slang. "Huge! Brilliant! Monstrous! Massive!" Each sport has a different set of superlatives, and all of then are different from ours.
A quick note: Thanks for all the interest and comments on the house sale situation. One commenter reminded us that if we got the payment from the buyer as "rent" it would be taxable as ordinary income. Another mentioned how difficult it can be to collect deposit money if the deal doesn't close. We hope neither of these bit of advice will be needed. The payment mentioned has been contracted as rent to put it outside of the deposit already in escrow. This would be so that if the transaction doesn't close by March 25, this payment could be collected without the hassle of going through escrow. We would still be able to extend his escrow time, or go after the other deposit money if his house closes and he does not complete our deal.
We hope, and are confident, that neither of these situations will occur. We would much rather see our house sale close by March 25 so we can be on our way. If it doesn't and we have to pay taxes on the money, so be it.
All will be well in the long run. We have both settled down into a less stressed waiting mode.
So, visit Gil's blog and leave a comment. He would love to hear from you. (And to members of my family, you do not have to be a blogger to leave a comment, just use the anonymous feature.)
Craig and Merikay at Avenue of the Giants, California
I enjoyed Joko's video. He sounds happy and seems to be enjoying the experience.
ReplyDeleteI have been following your son's blog from the beginning and found it very interesting especially as he adjusts to his new lifestyle and grows as a teacher.
ReplyDeleteMany of my friends have travelled in the area of Thailand and Myanma, (Burma). I have no desire to go East but so interesting to see other people's views.
I am hoping that all goes well for March 25th. Five weeks will drag and yet it will also fly by after all this time of waiting.
Blessings
I think you kid is really amazing and I love following along on his blog. Can't always watch the videos but his enthusiasm is always there. All fingers and toes are crossed for March 25.
ReplyDeleteHouse = Slavery. You and Craig are a perfect example of why this is so. I can't wait to see how thrilled you are going to be when this is all behind you and you are ..... Free At Last.
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ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed JoKo's blog since his arrival and the beginning of his teaching assignment.... He is great with the videos especially since he got the new camera.....
I go crazy when he relates his trips on the scooter he purchased .... can't imagine the traffic and the crowded streets.... He is also great at expressing his feelings about the people and the situations he is dealing with day after day ...... It has been great fun following along on his adventure....
So glad things have calmed down regarding the house sale timeline ....
Is Pismo Beach too far for you to go? Most of the crowd is leaving tomorrow. We can get NBC via antenna. If you are members of RPI, Coast to Coast, or Encore, there's an RV park in Oceano (http://pacificdunesranch.com/) where you can stay for $18 or less per night for full hookups. Just a thought! We would love to meet up with you.
ReplyDeleteWow! Your son is such a wise, thoughtful young man! I admire his journey both as a teacher & as a person! I have such confidence that the world will be such a great place when our children are running it! You must be one proud Mom! It won't be long before your closing will be here--woot woot!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you've had a "shift" in your thinking about the house, and that's a good thing. Sometimes it's hard to wait when you want to head off down the road. Trust me I know - I've spent the last three nights in the parking lots of medical offices finishing up appointments that got rescheduled, and I should be back at Hot Springs by now. But I finally decided if there's nothing I can do about it, I'll just enjoy where I am.
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping it will close on schedule. I'll bet your buyer is even more anxious than you are. :)