The Wandering Monkey

Today we started our second month of swing dancing classes. It flowed so much more smoothly than the first class! And, this time we have rented a studio which will not abandon us in the middle of the class. Our students all caught on pretty well, although the annoying CD player cannot skip ahead or back a song!

Last weekend Kellian and I took a day trip via bus for eight hours each way. We were hired to do a show out of town --- FAR out of town. (I wrote about this on paper and I will "retro-blog" a little later.) With enough shows and students, I could make a living swing dancing. That would be awesome, and I think it's technically feasible. It won't be easy, but it beats e-commerce for a living. If I can't survive by dancing, I may get a job at a local company as a 'cultural liason' (read: The White Guy). I would be the familiar Western face during a formal presentation.

I am slowly getting the hang of the life out here. I think back now about the first couple of weeks & months I spent here. Man, it was harder than I thought it would have been. Mainly it was so confusing and draining. Now for some reason I am getting used to it. It does not take so long to get things done, and I feel more comfortable walking around. I think that when you first get here, you have the 'fight or flight' instinct firing off almost every second. You are always especially aware of everything around you, and just walking down the street an hour really tires you out. But now I think I have a better bead on things. I know what's dangerous (like crossing the street) or annoying (like beggars and prostitutes) and so forth.

Getting used to the beggars has been one of the biggest challenges. I did feel for them when I first arrived, but having seen many beggars in San Francisco I had developed a thick skin. Now, this is even more the case. I instanty repel from any woman & child together on the street. No -- this is not a prejudice against children. Women and children form beggar teams. Sometimes the youth is the child of the beggar, sometimes not. In such a team, the child makes begging more effective, and the adult in return cares for the child and teaches him or her the ways of the street. Infants are carried in the arms, but if the child is older he or she will do the begging themselves. When I see them on the street, it's like a little race. Can I dodge out of the way or will they intercept me! Once I gave a coin to one of them, and immediately five more came at me with their arms extended. I didn't do that again. Now when I get the random urge to give money, I make sure there is only one beggar present.

On a more personal note, I still don't have a girlfriend yet. I don't see myself getting deeply involved with anyone anytime soon. In the back of my head there is always a little warning light, saying 'don't get involved with a girl 2000 miles from home'. If you fall in love, you are asking for complications. Not to say it won't happen; it might. But at the moment it does not seem like a good idea. We'll see...

All for now,
-J