Life in Lotus Land, Chapter 43: Another Tropical Island? Epilogue

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I am not a deceitful person, but one of the things I love about language is how it is hypothetically possible to mislead a person by telling the truth.

“Next week we will be living on another island that is five thousand kilometres (as the frigate bird flies) from Hawaii, where French is one of the official languages.” Is anyone thinking “Lucky guy! Now he gets to live in French Polynesia!”?

Well, it’s a long way to Tipperary, as the old WWI song goes, but it’s even farther from British Columbia to Tahiti than it is from Belgium to Ireland.

We are moving to Galiano Island. For those readers who have been to Canada, and taken the ferry from the Mainland to Victoria, Galiano is the island with the steep cliffs on the right side of the boat—or starboard side of the vessel in proper nautical terms—as you go through the narrow pass.

We are doing this for two reasons.

Firstly, the forgotten-the-eight-virtues people in charge of our townhouse community will not allow us to have our three dogs. They threaten us with heavy fines, court costs, and all that—just because there is a rule and regardless of the fact that our dogs cause no harm or bother to anyone. The inequity lies in the fact that if we went to court and asked a judge to rule we would be allowed to keep the dogs, but we would have to pay thousands of dollars for a lawyer AND contribute to the cost of the community legal bill. Whoever said life was fair, huh?

Secondly, my parents’ deteriorating health requires us to be closer than a 90-minute drive and a 90-minute ferry ride away. They have a nice little second house on the property, where Lao-puo and I will be very comfortable in a minimalist sort of way. We are keeping most of our stuff in our Ladysmith home, so we can come to “The Big Island” once or twice a month as we wish.

My father was injured in the war, so the government is very good to my parents about medical costs and home support workers and so on. Our job is just to be around for family closeness, and to spell Dad off every now and again from looking after Mum.

Galiano is a beautiful place, from which I have very happy memories as a young boy, and we will be very contented there again.

In the meantime, I have been offered my old job back, in Vancouver, but I do not know when my start date will be. I think that if my former employers had been placed in charge of the Normandy Invasion, the Allies would just be putting out to sea right about now.

I am also giving serious consideration to another offer, teaching English in a university in Japan on a three-month contract. The compensation is very generous, and includes housing and air fare. I could do it twice a year. Air fare is very expensive these days, and our roots in Asia are now too deep for us never to go back there again.

This is a good place the end my blog episode. I hope all of you (I have readers on four continents now) have enjoyed reading my stuff as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

If you get another blog, from Japan this time, you will know that I chose that option. I’d have to go by myself, but Lao-puo could join me at the end of each contract for a month or so in Viet Nam or Thailand (her favourites) or Malaysia (my first choice). I also want to see more of Indonesia than just Bali, and I want to see if the Philippines live up to the homesick yearning of my expatriate Filipino former colleagues and current friends.

If you don’t get another blog, you will know that I chose ‘Wen Ge Wa”. I don’t know why Chinese people call it that—doesn’t sound at all like “Vancouver”. There would be advantages to choosing that option—home every weekend and better Chinese food than anywhere else in BC.

There is of course a third option—to retire for good and leave this working for a living nonsense up to the young fellows.

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Photos

Tahiti?
Actually, it's Highway 11, near Fengbin, on the east coast of Taiwan.

Galiano Island from the Air
I took this picture when we came home in July of 2007.

Mother and Dad, one Christmas
Where do the years go?

Comments

[Bob]

God Bless
Difficult choices: Vancouver, Japan, or retirement. I know you'll make the right one though "brother". Tomomi and I think about you and Suzanne often, and miss you guys very much. Our door in Hong Kong is always open to you. God bless.

[Deb]

wow
Moving again? I don't know how you can stand it. I dread it so much, wish i had enough money to just leave everything and get new stuff, although sentimental value still wins. Japan is another amazing place. Wherever your destination, i'm sure it will be a good decision. Take care :)

[Rhonda Campbell]

Welcome Back
Wow... what a journey you both have been on.... It's great to have options and I'm happy to hear you're happy to be home and with the folks.... We're still here in View Royal... so if you're in town give us a shout. Blessings to you both....