Of the back of a city lockdown, increasing number of COVID cases, little workflow, curfew and alcohol ban (read as: non-existantsocial life) and living in a city that couldbe a replication of a warzone as the roads get developed and ancient trees get torn down (along side peoples homes). It's afairly challenging setting to be positive. But I always try and let mymindset seethe best in things.
This month, that has not been easy. I had a few things really shaken up.
Without giving all the intricet (and boring) details. Here is a summery of shitstorm saga that I've been dealing with directly the past 5 1/2 months.
August 2020. I gave my passport to a friend of a friend (that is how it works here). He had decieved everyone into believing he was a 2* general in the department of immigration. I needed to change my visa type over from a seekingwork visa (extendable month-by-month) to a regualr work visa (cheaper and renewable yearly). I would skip out the agent fees, but it would still cost me close to $500 for a 6 month. So I paid it, and continued my bike trip across Cambodia.
September 2020.I believed I would return to Phnom Penh (the capital) soon, so I would collect my passport then. Towards the end of the month I moved into a small, private unit. Needing a copyt of my passport and visa to do the agreement. I send my friend a message asking to a photo where she informed me that it was still with the immigration dude. He had told mehe'd already sent it. But no worries, it's safer in his safe than in taxis across the city. I asked him instead and he sent me a copy of my visa, valid until Feb 2021. At ease, I would still collect my passport when I went to Phnom Penh.
That visit didnt happen.
Jan 2021. I get tagged in a post on Facebook from an ACTUAL visa agent with a photo of my passport. Saying it had been in HIS desk for the last few months and he wanted to get in contact with the owner of that passport so it could be returned. Of course, I am confused and ANGRY. WHY was my passport being photgraphed and put on the internet? I confront this immigration agent and I am being spoon fed lies about what the sitiuation is.
Fastforwards a few months, trips to the capital to fix it, more and more and more lies being fed. I decided to finally end it and demand my passport back (because visa processing doesn't take 5 months). Of course, no visa.
Isucked it up and deiceded to take it into my own hands and go and pay my visa overstay.
It's $10 a day.
I had an overstay of 291 days.
I'll leave the math to you. That's not including the cost of the new visa either.
It was best for me to stop the bleed, and then chase this guy for money once the number had stopped growing. So Tuesday morning I bit the bullet and paid the $3500+ fee and fine.
(still an ongoing case)
I then had some work to do, I had a class to teach and a dog to groom, so threw on my fake smile to get through work.
I was halfway through grooming a dog, some self-training for a new service I want my business to run. My boyfriend, Jared, came over for a bit of moral support and I had a buzz on my phone.
"Jared, can you get that?" "It's a message from your Dad" "Sure, go ahead and read it" I replied and I started to shave the arsehole of the poodle(y) dog on the table in front of me. I had a gut feeling it was a message that couldn't wait to be read, despite the likelyhood it would just be a little message checking in with how I am, and something to do with Chelsea winning a game or something of equal importance.
That was when I got the first wave of bad news.
It wasn't until later that evening that it was confirmed. My Grandad Bob had passed away peacefully in his sleep, surrounded by his family.
My Grandad Bob was an amazing human. He was kind, caring, open minded (apart from when it came to Jeremy Corbyn, unfortunately). He raised a huge family, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, dogs, part-time-guinea pig carer.Full-time gameshow viewer. There's a lot of amazing things I can say about my Grandad Bob, but I don't feel like a few paragraphs on my blog can do this fantastic gentleman justice. I'm pretty sure everyone who reads this knew my Grandad Bob and you all know he was better than any words I can scribble.
On my maternal side of the family we have been blessed to have not been surrounded by death. In my 26 years, there is nobody on this side who we'velost. My Grandad,headof the table,shook the family quite a lot. Despite his age, and detiriorating health conditioin, his death came as a huge shock. It's not often that I wish I could be at home in England. But this was one of those times. So Tuesday was a pretty shit day, in term of how shit days can get.
They say bad things happen in threes. The first two were pretty obvious. Then a mindset for the rest of the month was letting me see the worst in everything.
What was number three? Having a flat tyre? Having to spent money on passapps? My house getting flooded in a storm when I was out? not being invited to my friends BBQ? My boyfriend not coming over after I made mango crumble? Forgetting to get my laundry done? There was no catastophic third incident to complete the trio, but I let my mind think it was happening and get in a downward state of mind.
But when I open my eyes and look around me, it's much easier to put things into perspective and be grateful for what I do have. There's a roof over my head. There's a fridge full of food. I have solid support around me, internationally and close by. I have work, I have no outstanding debts. I have access to the internet and resources to learn. I have running water and electricity (most of the time). I have the avaliblity to acess medical care if I ever need it.
Ihave my amazing, suportive boyfriend (even if he doesn't come over for mango crumble...more for me), I have my affectionate little fur-friends. I have some great people by myside in the city.
I've allowed myself to mope around in May, and now that it has been flushed out of my system I wont let June be the same. It will hopefully open my eyes to be more apprecative of what I do have, rather than the losses of last month. June will bring the rains and the beauty that is followed with that.
