Don’t you just love it when something disastrous has just happened in your life and some fool(?) comes up and says “Don’t forget, the Chinese word for disaster is the same word for opportunity.” I mean, don’t you just love it! Well, I don’t know any Chinese so I can’t say if that observation is [...]
Published on September 6, 2011
Support Gar Williams’s writing on this blog:
What, me worry?
Don’t you just love it when something disastrous has just happened in your life and some fool(?) comes up and says “Don’t forget, the Chinese word for disaster is the same word for opportunity.” I mean, don’t you just love it!
Well, I don’t know any Chinese so I can’t say if that observation is true or not. I don’t know any Spanish either but I’ve always wanted an opportunity to learn. When you want something long enough, sometimes Karma has a way of biting you in the butt. Sure enough, just recently, I received news of a disaster.
Despite the fact that that last factory where I live closed just before Christmas last year, and despite an employment rate of about 20%, and despite the fact that this is one of the poorest counties in one of the poorest states in the United States, Stone County where I live decided to raise property taxes this year.
As a result, the great bank of Wells Fargo raised my mortgage payment just enough to where I can no longer afford it and eat. I decided I liked eating more than I liked paying a mortgage, especially since that mortgage was already more than my house was worth due to the screwing we’ve all been getting by Wall Street here in this great nation.
So, that was the disaster. So I started looking for that opportunity. I gotta tell you, I found it a lot quicker than George Bush when he was looking under the table for weapons of mass destruction. There it is – down there in Guatemala, a chance to learn Spanish, eat, and have shelter for less than what I’ve been paying for a mortgage.
Who knows? After Spanish, maybe some Chinese? At least enough to see the Great Wall. And Australia. And The Silk Road. And India. And Europe…
About the Author: Gar Williams
Gar Williams liquidated his former life, sold all his possessions that wouldn’t fit into a 46 liter backpack, and left it all behind at age 63. He is now traveling the world, and, in his words, is finally doing what he wants to do. Gar stops by at VagabondJourney.com from time to time to offer his wisdom and advice on the Senior Vagabond series. Gar Williams has written 65 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.
Support Gar Williams’s writing on this blog:
Gar Williams is currently in: Ecuador
Next post: Eat Vegetables When Traveling Without Getting Sick
Previous post: Ostrich Farm Near Villa de Leyva Colombia
