You may recall that I was forced to leave my job in Thailand in November due to an unexpected mishap (the school decided to stop paying teachers). It was after this that I decided that 2017 was going to be my fuck it year. This is kind of like a gap year, with no florescent tank tops. We shall call it a one year retirement, with far less money.
So, I embraced my joblems and I resolved to use this year to take a little more time for myself to enjoy the places that I would normally only rush through for the weekend. I got to scarf down more street food. I had the chance to nourish friendships that would have otherwise just scratched the surface. Did I go into more debt? YOU BETCHA. However, I would rather have travel debt than a house, a car, or a baby at this life juncture (not hating on those things, it's just not for me right now). I am not recommending debt to anyone but there comes a point where you're just like, "OK, well I already paid like 3 billion dollars for my average college education, what's one billion more?" To be honest, I also just don't even feel like the world is real anymore so fuck it. Traveling for this year was my house, my car, my baby.
Now, I know what you must be thinking. How irresponsible! You don't have a job AND you are going to travel...more?! The funny thing is, we are brought up to feel unbearably unsuccessful when we don't have a full time job. Most people are immediately unable to comprehend being content without a job. In America, success is almost exclusively defined by how much money you make and how much time you spend at work. It's almost as if vacation time is viewed as a weakness. In fact, I have actually heard people bragging about NOT taking their vacation days. I would accuse these people of missing the point of life entirely. We should welcome breaks into our lives and accept them as necessary. Now, I am not trying to discredit hard work and I understand that some humans are meant for the rat race, but we should really stop assuming that everyone falls into this category. We should allow for the definition of success to be determined by the person pursuing their goals, not by societal norms. Why is it only socially acceptable to take time off at the end of our lives?
Think about it. What is a more likely question when someone inquires you about your job:
"How much money are you making?" OR "Are you actually enjoying yourself?"
Anyways, as a teacher, it isn't especially easy to acquire a job in late November. You know, because the hiring process for new teachers usually begins as early as OCTOBER of the previous year. So, I made a decision that I was going to go back to Saigon for a while and substitute teach while tutoring online. Was it a full time job? NO. Did I take a lot of time off? YES. I also made the very stupid financial, but socially intelligent decision to go home for a month over the holidays. Here lies Jess Daniels: Really bad at financial decisions, great at socializing, best at spending money on tacos.
Here are some things that I've been up to so far this year:
January.
So, I was home from late December to January, and this time I made an effort to stay in Chicago. Whenever I am back in America, I usually feel the urgency of my impending departure and make it a a point to see all of my friends. I have never really been the type of person to say "no"
Staying home until the end of January meant that I was able stick around for Lei Out, which is an ultimate tournament that I have always missed out on---thanks a lot Asia! I rarely make it to US tournaments these days (with the exception of Sandblast. MHC Power!). The weekend started with a trip to Universal Studios with some of my favorite humans. Unfortunately, this was also the day that the world started its inevitable downward spiral towards a fiery demise, aka Inauguration Day. What better way to forget the world around you than to spend it at Moe's Tavern and Hogwarts? Wait? That wasn't really Hogwarts?! Accio my money back.
Anywho, I knew the tournament was going to be a success when I first opened the door to our hotel room. Sure, it was a $400 a night room on the Santa Monica Pier, but let's not fool ourselves--we are still so far from being actual adults (see: Fireball handle for breakfast on table). The charm of the room was obviously deeply rooted in the fact that 11 of my friends from home were staying there. Who needs bed space when you can sleep on shoes and empty beer cans instead? The nostalgia for my old college ultimate days rang in the air, as I started silently reminiscing about shoving 14 people into a dingy Motel 8 room, sneaking around to get the free ice (but still doing lay out drills in the pool, because that's not suspicious behavior).
The wonder of Lei Out is the sheer size of it all. Sure, it was nearly impossible to find anyone you intended to meet up with at the party, but that just made it even more thrilling to randomly bump into them at a bar or on the street corner. Lei Out is so huge that it feels like that for an entire weekend, Santa Monica is comprised of solely ultimate playas (if only::deep sigh::). This leads me to the question, why haven't we devised a plan for an Ultimate only society, like a nudist colony but with... possibly more nudity?
Of course, for the weekend of Lei Out, it was colder in Santa Monica than in Chicago. Thanks, climate change...(wait am I allowed to say that?) It was so windy on Saturday that the seagulls couldn't even fly straight. My team was amazing despite the weather. I picked up with a team of Lewis and Clark alumni (thanks Dharma). They adopted me as their own Lisa Frank pup and shared all of the cooler drinks and stickers with me. On the Sunday, virtually no one played as it was too cold, rainy, and windy. The bars became our fields and the day was spent drinking mimosas and singing karaoke while eating nachos. If all days were spent like this one I would be...obese. Obese but happy. (Shout out to Shazad for helping me break our previously held "time spent at a bar" record at Cabo. Sorry Three Aces, Cabo is in the lead).
Side lesson learned in January:
PSA for any of my single American expat friends,
If you haven't been back to America since doomsday, beware. It is now essential to ask people who they voted for before engaging in any sort of "romantic" behavior. I know we don't tend to run into Trump supporters abroad, so this is a scary thought, I know. Be vigilant.
I will never kiss anyone who voted for Donald Trump(ever again). (Written Bart Simpson chalkboard style)
February
I came back to Vietnam and was immediately concerned about a few things. Where would I live? When is the next tournament that I can't afford but will inevitably go to anyway?
Before playing in Bangkok Hat, my PIESF* Heather and I, went to Northern Thailand. We ventured to Chiang Mai and Pai and I was thrilled to be there as it made my recent attempts to stop eating animals easier than anywhere I have found in Asia.
Bangkok Hat was a test to see if I was still able to survive running around in 95 degree heat for two days, hungover, and with a bum knee. As always, it was nice to see friends from around Asia while eating Khao Soi and drinking buckets on the sidelines. As a bonus, I got to watch the Superbowl with some super cool dudes who appreciate both football and Gaga.
I was also coerced into playing rugby in February. Now, let me tell you, I have never played a contact sport in my life. Whilst playing ultimate in Asia I am constantly afraid to run into people as I once literally knocked a girl down to the point where she had trouble breathing. So I was hesitant to play, but what Heather wants, Heather gets. I can say this about rugby: tackling girls is a great way to get out all of my frustrations.
Quick March Highlights
*Phnom Penh was a heart lifting tournament as always. If you ever want some insight into why the Asian Ultimate community is so fucking amazing, it would be a great idea to come to BPPPPH. I was surprised to learn at the Friday night party that I would be captaining a team and laughed out loud at the thought. I love ultimate but I am definitely not the most skilled or knowledgeable of players. I am one of those weirdos who still likes to play for fun. This is really my fault as I usually only go to hat tournaments and fail to practice as much as I should because my knee acts up far too much for sprinting (#old). That's what I love about Asian Ultimate though, there really is something for everyone. I did the college ultimate thing and did my competitive thang, but my adult life is reserved for the competitive fun. Regardless, my team ended up being a bunch of super heroes and we went undefeated the entire weekend. What mattered most to me though was that everyone was very patient and helpful. We were all captains! Everyone rocked and the weekend was extremely solid overall (I also had a sinus infection so props to everyone for dealing with a captain who had no voice).
*Insert more awkward rugby playing*
*Pressure keg-If you want to see humans turn on each other in a matter of hours, put 50 of them in a room and offer a free keg. The keg is only free until someone HAS to leave to go to the bathroom. Humans turn to savages when you threaten their access to free beer. I was truly convinced that they were going to throw a rapid dog in the mix to add to the suspense.
Annnnnd, that's all folks. Tune in next time for some insight on my future life decisions.
PS. I WILL BE HOME IN MAY (for a short time).
I have a very important wedding to attend.
No, not my own silly.
*Partner In Eating Street Food
