A New Understanding

I did my best to get back on the road and make my way south yesterday, but didn't get too far. I collapsed on the side of the road after 4 miles and had to spend the last few dollars I had on a flophouse hotel near Henderson Nevada. The jetlag is still getting to me, and I have been trying to come to terms with leaving my home in Thailand and coming here to be surrounded with all the dysfunction of the western world. Today I watched a couple of crackheads beating each other bloody on the side of the road over a drug deal gone bad when I was going to the mini-mart to buy some Ramen noodles. There are plenty of things wrong with the place I just came from, but I never saw this kind of violence on a regular basis. Last night, I had some guy pounding on my door looking for his drug dealer that had this apartment before I did and I found a ton of drug paraphernalia when I checked into the room. Not pretty.

Even with all it's faults, this place I checked into does have WIFI. I've been able to access Facebook, email, and what not with my funky Japanese laptop that I got from a discount second hand store in Thailand before I left. The keys are all in Japanese, but I got the OS running in English. As long as I just type and not look at the keys it's fine. There was a reason it was dirt cheap.

I was able to get a SKYPE call into Thailand this evening and talk with a few friends. This was a huge help in my morale even though more than a few tears were shed in the process. It was nice to speak Thai again for a little bit and share a few moments with good friends. I finally understand the plight of many immigrants who come here with hopes of making money and then have a hard time adjusting. Many Thai people try to immigrate to the US, but about 80% always end up returning to Thailand eventually because they have trouble making the cultural adjustments. It's no fault of their own, and I can now understand how difficult that process can be. It is a night and day comparison between cultures.

That's all for me right now. Still looking for work, and hoping the best.

As always, take care of yourselves and each other out there.

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