changing places – shifting perceptions

Being left in that serviced apartment somewhere in the middle of nowhere in outer Bangkok sadness fills the room. Moji just took the elevator down to the lobby. The view over roofs exposes the line of houses where she will sleep tonight with her mother being on visit in the capital.

A week ago I have left the beautiful island of Bali, a wonderful place, to which I will probably always go back to. A place that might have become the destination I am aiming to live at. With the semester at Udayana University a big dream has become true. And I will always remember it. Maybe it was the best time of my life. And I thank my parents and everybody who supported me with it. I am happy having met the people who made that time what it was. When arriving at Don Mueang Airport I did not yet realize that this time should be over.

Moji expected me at the arrivals and brought me to that place where I am now. Being in Thailand, the “medical hub” of Southeast Asia, I was at Bumrungrad hospital and they finally found out that my nose is the bug making me ill for almost 7 months. Now I got medicine and have to take it for half a year. I feel better already. Physically. Mentally I had better times. We have been to her parents’ village in Isaan Province in North-East Thailand, so that I could learn about the circumstances in her home town. The hamlet was in fact poor and around ten kilometres away from the next city Roi Et (spoken Loi Et). And it was all difficult somehow. A mood filled with problems, discussions, different opinions, misunderstandings and tension - all the days. Back to Bangkok this finally led to an intense dispute in a taxi this afternoon, which seemed to be an end of our friendly relationship characterized by hatred and dislike. What has changed since we left each other five months ago? However, then we talked much in order to get the conflict settled. Maybe we can stay friends. But we had to say goodbye this evening already. Sitting there, in front of the huge window, being both sad about that it all didn’t work this time, watching the facades and roofs of that endless big city outside, becoming covered by dusk. Then she went coz her mother wants it like that. I have some understanding for all I have experienced in the last week, there and here. But somehow I believe that it is often not the right way. At least I actually learned that my friend’s life is so very difficult, and so different from what one sees at the place where we met.


She left and I feel alone now. The land which once had begun with a Lonely Planet does tonight in fact seem to be such one. Because a country is nothing without the people you meet - those who mean something to you. Tomorrow morning I will take the flight to Hanoi. I will visit Dr. Scharfsinn for a week until I go to Ho Chi Minh City in order to find a job as language teacher until I hopefully get an internship. Probably it will be great days with my fellow and “vet” in Nam. I am looking forward to see that guy, who is so crazy and so serious at the same time. Vietnam will be the place to be until end of February. I will post from there.

Bangkok, Nice Mansion 2, Fri. July 28th