At the guesthouse, I got a note from Tyra. She said that she had stayed up as long as she could, waiting for me to get there, but finally had to get some sleep. Well, it was good to know that she had made it and I found her the next morning. We had breakfast together and then called Eugene on his cell phone. He’s working in Chanthaburi (spelling might be wrong), about 60 miles from Bangkok. Fortunately, he was able to get some time off and he was staying at a guesthouse near us. So, we hooked up for the day, visited some temples, rode around on the river boats and had dinner together, catching up on old times at Andong University and on what our plans were for the future.
As a side note, I might mention that it appears my Moroccan job is finished as of the middle/end of July. A new ruling by the State Dept. says that English Language Fellows can only renew once for an existing project. John wanted to put me in Rabat for a different project, so it looks like I’m out of a job. I’ve sent a few emails to Georgetown University (administrator for the ELF program) and to the State Dept., expressing my complaints about what seems like a mid-stream switch. I doubt it will do any good. As soon as I get back to Meknes, I’ll start sending out applications. Going back to work in Korea is a definite possibility, maybe even back to Andong. There are also numerous job opportunities in the Middle-East, and John mentioned he might also have a few contacts. I’m sure something will pop up.
I said my goodbyes to Tyra and Eugene and hopped aboard the overnight train to Nong Khai, an uneventful journey to the northeast and to Isan country, gateway to Laos.