The countdown clock is ticking away. Thirteen days from now I will be on a plane having said good bye to friends and family (again) and on my way back to Bangkok. My life has been full of transitions and this one has the potential to be the biggest transition so far. The main reason being that all of my other life transitions so far have had some sense of a defined time frame (moving around as a navy brat, going to school, living in Thailand with a two year commitment, etc). When people ask me "how long will you be in Bangkok?" I honestly can't give an answer. Most people who have spent some time around me know that I love Thailand. This journey will mark the sixth time I have been in Thailand (not counting the two years I lived there). I love pretty much everything about the country (though don't get me wrong there are negatives about it just like living in any other country in the world). For any American who has lived overseas and returned to the U.S. you can relate to the idea of having initial culture shock (when living in a new cultural context) and then adjusting to the new culture only to return to your home culture and having to readjust. Since I returned to the U.S. I have felt that I have one foot in Thailand and one in the U.S. I can't live in both places at the same time, but at this point in my life I am willing to give up my American persona to embrace my Thai persona (though I know I can never be fully Thai). So the adventure begins my life in two suitcases.
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