The Sun is Setting on My Time in Thailand

 It's my last couple of days left in this country that I've called home for seven years. It's true that I didn't always feel at home here and that this feeling really came up in Hatyai. For the past year, Lanta has played the role of home and I see myself returning to Lanta more than any other place. Of course, I'd love to revisit all the places I've lived, including Pattalung, Papayom, Hatyai, and Chiang Mai. However, I would choose to continue living on the island where I grew as a DJ, where I could swim frequently, and where I learned how to take it easier than ever before.

I'm feeling a mix of emotions. I feel sad for leaving Thailand but also excited to be going to Turkey for the first time in almost 15 years. Of course, the excitement is a bit more dominant than the sadness. There is always the prospect of returning to Thailand at a later point so it doesn't feel dismal. 

Earlier, I had stepped out to buy kratom and I stopped by at a local grocer to get eggs and potatoes too. It occurred to me that my neighbourhood community life in Klong Kong had been Thai. This is relevant because there were times when I missed aspects of Thailife from places like Hatyai or Pattalung where there aren't as many foreigners. I missed certain aspects of a Thai-Thai way of life. In my first three years in Hatyai, I had deliberately sought out Thai friends and didn't really have any western or English speaking friends. That was to ensure I was properly immersed in the language. Here on Lanta, I don't think it would have been harmonious to avoid having non-Thai friends. And in the end, I had a good mix of both Thai and non-Thai friends, although many more non-Thai friendships this time.

On another note, my productivity decreased on the island. A perfect example of this was my inactivity on the blog. And another reason for my inactivity on the blog was due to being discouraged from posting about myself DJing. Otherwise, there could've been a new post every week. However, certain individuals felt it would be a safer thing to do to refrain from posting such images. I am thinking about posting some of the photos of myself DJing after I leave Thailand. 

And though I feel a bit bad about not posting often, I've been living fully. I've been much more active about going out than I was in Hatyai. Spending more time being out and about also meant less time spent at home thinking or writing about what was happening.

I've also been taking less photos lately. I used to take more photos in my first months on the island but recently, my tendency to reach for the camera has gone down. However, I do have photos from the last few months and I want to make additional posts for those too. For now, I will post some photos I took this month.