After that I was / a woman alone carrying her bag

[moireach]

Hi, I'm in Indonesia. I got here a week ago, after a grueling 2+ days of straight travel: DC to London to Singapore to Jakarta to Ambon, the little city on an island in Maluku province, way in the east of the country

Comments

[mollya]

No gender? Wow, I had no idea. I know you are not having the best time, but I loved reading about it all.

[moireach]

Yeah, it's a really interesting language -- no gender, no past or future tense, to pluralize things you just say them twice. It's supposed to be quite easy to learn.

Thanks, I'm glad! I like how writing things down always makes them seem more manageable.

[emily_spinach]

Oh my lord!

Well of course you are homesick and miserable and freaked out!

It is not because you are doing travel wrong, or because you are too old, or because you are gross. It is not your fault! I mean, noncon homestay! That is horrifying. It would be difficult anyway, only a week in and no work to do and rain and language and food and internet, without having to endure one of the most stressful living situations imaginable.

And sometimes travel and adventure are at their best in retrospect, anyway. Thanks for sharing what's going on--it already makes for a fascinating story

(As little Barnaby in Wilder's The Matchmaker said:
“The test of an adventure is that when you're in the middle of it, you say to yourself "Oh now I've got myself into an awful mess; I wish I were sitting quietly at home. And the sign that something's wrong with you is when you sit quietly at home wishing you were out having lots of adventure.”)

Well, many hugs and best of luck and eat more of that delicious fish.

[emily_spinach]

So a follow-up:

Happy Bloomsday from Ireland!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2012/0616/breaking61.html

http://dub.qtelmedia.com/writersEvent/

And happy explosion-of-fanworks-welcome-to-the-public-domain, Jimmy Joyce year!

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0616/1224299000027.html?via=rel

I'm especially excited about the Ulysses GRAPHIC NOVEL:

http://ulyssesseen.com/

[moireach]

And YAY BLOOMSDAY LINKS, these were all amazing! omg I hadn't realized about the copyright expiring, I AM EXCITE.

[moireach]

This comment was the best!! So comforting, thank you so much. I love that quote!

[moireach]

Thank youuuu! Hee, do you have to speak the hilarious European Spanish with the lisp? Because it makes me laugh forever, sorry, Spain.

[rachel2205]

Sooo I friended you a while back, but not sure if you realised, and then kinda forgot about it until you popped up on my list! Anyway hope it's okay for me to comment. I lived and worked in France for a year and even there I experienced some culture shock so it's not surprising that you feel overwhelmed!! And living in one place for several months is very different from travelling, so even with lots of travel experience it doesn't prepare you for the experience of trying to settle into a new culture in a very everyday sort of way (drinking coffee the right way, getting along with coworkers, etc).

Congratulations on your wedding!

[daysprings]

I like it when my friends are friends!

[rachel2205]

I have stolen a few of your friends. You have fine taste :D

[moireach]

Hey, sorry I hadn't seen that, I've been mega behind on my email, but hi! Oooh, France: what were you doing there? I got accepted into a teaching program there right out of college, and ended up turning it down, and it's one of the great What Ifs of my life. I bet your French is amazing, though! What part of France were you in?

[pene]

That sounds nothing but hard. Not failure at all. I hope this bit goes past more quickly than you expect and moves onto more of the better.

[moireach]

Thanks, darlin'. I should update my LJ more when I'm happy, I think, I only seem to ever post when distraught!