It’s been quite a while since I’ve written anything in this blog so I thought that I sit down and kind of update anyone who is interested in what I’ve been up to. There is a second reason for this post as well, I want to consolidate my own thoughts on what is about to transpire as I start the process of transitioning from Dubai to… well, to, I guess the next stage in my life.

Where am I in the process?

That is the question that I want to know for myself. As the deadline for me to leave Dubai nears, where am I in the process? Am I working on liquefying my life fast enough or will there be a panic stage that I will be forced in the last few days to make rash decisions that I will regret later? So far I’ve sold my car and my bike, which are the two big-ticket items that I was worried about. I’ve cleaned out most of my closet of clothes that I haven’t used or don’t think I’ll use while I’m on my journey. I’ve been boxing things that I’m planning on giving away to anyone that wants them. Things like picture frames, vacuum cleaner, and books. I’ve decided that I’ll give away my furniture to a sort of charity organization similar to Goodwill. I only decided to do this because they will pick it up and move it themselves, which will save me so much work, and a major headache. Then there is the throwing away of stuff that I don’t think that anyone would want. Earlier today I threw away my old Mac computer…ugg! It felt like I was throwing away an old friend. I had that computer for about 15 years and it was like my old friend. It hurt to toss it in the dumpster even though I hadn’t used it for quite a while. There will be other things that I’m sure I’ll be just as sad to toss too, but my old computer was the first. Finally, there are my TVs. Oh, it’s going to hurt to get rid of my 3d TV that I bought about a year ago. I think I have a buyer for it, but I feel like I’ll end up just broken when it’s actually gone. I’ll probably spend a good day crunched up in a fetal position in the corner of my apartment for a good week after it’s gone. -jk

I will be moving to Goa, India for at least 3 months.

I have my air ticket purchased and I have just rented an apartment that is close to the beach. Honestly, this was one of the biggest issues that I had when I first decided not to go back to the US, where will I live? Fortunately, there is a web site called, airbnb that allows you to rent an apartment in nearly any country that you can think of. The only concern that I will have is making sure that I get a visa for a certain amount of time. Initially, I had decided to go to Chang Mai, Thailand, but the visas that I could get was only on a 30-day basis. You can make a visa run across the border for another 30 days at a time, but I thought that it could possibly be problematic and opted for India. Once my initial 3 months is up, I can extend my Indian visa for another 3 months. So if I decide I like it there I’ll stick around for a total of 6 months. After India I’m thinking staying 3 months in and Bali each.

What will I do?

There is a reason that I’m doing what I am. Almost everyone that I know is having a hard time understanding my decision, first to not go back to the US, and second, to spend my time in India. That reason is research and to understand this you have to understand me. I love web design. It is something that I’m the first to admit I’m not the best at, but it’s both a hobby and a means for income. If you’ve never done web before you probably won’t understand, but to me it’s almost like a solvable mystery, that only a few people are willing to invest the time to get good at. There are several programming languages that you must learn, there are standards that you must abide by, and you must have an eye for design. All of which a person can spend years trying to master, but many will never achieve. That isn’t even taking into effect that the standards and languages change nearly every year. It’s a challenge that I can’t seem to give up on and I love it.

So my first goal as an expat living in India is to get caught up on my web ability. This will take most of my time; I’m planning on spending about 8 hours a day learning and building sites.

My second goal in the upcoming year is to remake myself. I have wanted to start running for about 4 years and have only done it a couple of times. I’m hoping that with a new start of my life I will be able to redefine myself into a runner. I have always envied people who are able to run long distances and have always felt that it will be a huge regret for me if I am unable to be one of those people. After writing that I feel that I also want to say running is more of a remedy for what I really want for myself a healthy mind and body.

We’ll see how it turns out.

My life has always been about trying to make myself better, and the decisions that I’ve made are keeping with that belief. Will it work? Who knows, but I’m proud that I am doing something that I don’t think many people would be willing to do. Don’t be a hater and wish me luck.