Thursday, November 24, 2005

Give me strength...yet again




Continued...

[ bit long and introspective this one ]

So, an exit from the glamorous world of hi-tech is looming.

Hi-tech just ain't doing it for me. OK, the money can be good, the benefits are great...but it's not quite enough, is it? I think I can sum it up as Soulless-Geek city. The delight in being ignored by super-geek "Yes" men when you happily greet them with a "Boker Tov" (Good Morning) in the corridor soon wears off after a while. Like I said before, maybe other companies are a complete dream to work for, but after my round of interviews a few months ago, I'm not so sure...

Where does that leave little ol' anglosaxy? Well, my English school is slowly but surely warming up. Students are into double-figures. The tax authorities now have me tagged, the invoices, t-shirts, website, flyers are all ready to go. I've learnt a lot of sparkling marketing ideas over the last couple of weeks and I'm sure that the school will be a success. Rock solid sure.

But...

...I'm struggling.

I'm struggling with Israel.

Maybe the Holy Land and myself need a break. Just for a bit. This isn't my home, after all. As She put it last week, she'll always feel American, rather than Israeli, despite 15 years here. So, imagine how I feel sometimes, not even being one of the Chosen People. I know every country has its own crap, but I'm getting sick of a few things here...OK, I have a beautiful wife, an angel for a kid, my own business, good health, etc. etc. And grateful for each of those, believe me. But, something is wrong, and has been for some time. Something needs changing.

I thought that after moving out of Tel Aviv earlier this year, things might change.
I thought that starting up the school would shake things up a bit.
I thought that my new, amazing son would kick things into a new orbit.

But it hasn't. I do generally enjoy my life outside the Corridor, don't get me wrong, but I need a change. What can I say? I don't think I'm always looking for a change, but I do need fresh challenges, otherwise I get myself into impetus-lacking ruts. Like right now.

Maybe Israel is the easy target, easy to blame. Maybe. Maybe if the school really takes off and I find myself printing shekels, things could change. Maybe. Personally, I think a break from Israel would be good for me and the other anglosaxies, a change of scenery, a change of pace, a change of culture. And the other anglosaxies are inclined to agree with me, at least junior is...

And I'm not completely green to realise that getting away from Israel will be idyllic. Wherever we end up we'll miss here, there will be problems, it won't be an easy ride. But the thought of it, excites me, gets my juices flowing. And fuck it, life is short, why stay here when we have other options? What do we have to lose? A few thousand shekels in air fare? Bejesus...Mrs. anglosaxy has her family here, a family business she can always fall in and out of. Me? I usually fall on my feet wherever I go, so I'm not worried.

So, what's the plan?

Let's just say that I'm checking out all my options, exotic and non-exotic. I'm working on the school constantly these days, even going out tonight to deliver a whole bundle of flyers myself. The school will work. If something comes up in the meantime, I'll either sell it or get someone else to take over (my preferred option). A couple of things are in the pipeline, but I'm checking them out very thoroughly before getting serious. I will keep you posted.

UPDATE: I wrote this last night and wanted to sleep on it before posting. If you want to share your thoughts, feel free...

Normal service will be resumed shortly.