Still Here

---

It has been a while. We haven't left yet but the first flights are not too far away now. I had the last day at my job on Friday, meaning it's unlikely I'll be working again until at least 2016. More than a year without work. It hasn't sunk in yet but the novelty of that surely will not wear off. Besides that we are making the last of preparations to leave the house, which will be this Thursday. I have jettisoned a lot of crap from what I possess and the remainder is being kept, with E's stuff, by her family. Come the end of this week I'll be living out of a backpack, crashing on people's sofas, spending my days doing things I want to do as opposed to things I am expected to do. Ahhhh.



I got my visa for India back last week but E needs to resubmit hers Turns out if you list your occupation as a social worker (or indeed a number of other jobs such as journalist, doctor, or policeman) then you need to provide additional documentation to prove that you're only going on holiday and not planning to stay and do good things for locals. It's a strange state of affairs when listing yourself as unemployed is less hassle than listing yourself as working for local government. I am sure that won't be the last hackneyed regulation we come across during the next year, though. She has resubmitted and we await the results.



Managed to secure myself a job whereby I can write articles for approximately £50 a piece, and the chief editor agreed to let me do this whilst travelling. It is an old school friend who's running his own magazine these days. Bumped into him at a punk gig a couple of months back and, as we used to discuss and share poetry, the subject quickly got onto writing. He offered me the opportunity there and then and, having now written a couple of articles for him, he is happy enough with the standard of my work that I can continue doing it whilst on the road. Honestly amazing as it'll keep us a bit more financially secure whilst we travel around.





The last of my vaccinations were today - rabies and hep b - so I am almost all set for the journey. Just need to sort out some Mefloquine anti-malarials and I'm done. That's it for now I guess.

---