Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Back in Bath

I've made it back to Bath. It's been four years since I've been here on a visit. Mum convinced me to come here after the new manager at the company I was hoping to work at decided to stop hiring new people. My dad's paying for my visit so that I get some therapy because I'm so angry around him.

The idea was that I go stay in my dad's apartment, but he's changed his mind about that and my brother's pointed out that it's too far from town anyway. My dad also suggested he give me a 150 pound allowance a week but that's dropped to 80 from which 30 will go to my mum for food.

It's my brother's birthday today, which makes my arrival good timing. We're probably going to go to a nightclub tonight. He loves the cheap thrill of rubbing against all the girls at the clubs. His two kids have grown up. The elder one's smart and not as materialistic as I remember him last. The younger one's still a little attention seeking devil but is smart and kind-hearted if he wasn't so naughty.

It's a shock being here, but so far everyone's treating me like a good old rural boy from some foreign land, which I guess is what I've become. As soon as we arrived mum wanted me to chat up a girl standing by us while we were waiting for my brother to pick us up. I don't know how to chat up girls. There might have been a time when I could do it without trying but I know I've totally lost whatever game I had ages ago.

I'm hoping to try to find a job here somehow, but as my brother explains to me, the prospects of getting anything other than manual labour are very slim. I'll just try doing as many different avenues as possible. Hopefully temping will work out for me somehow. I don't want to stay idle, so I'll try giving volunteer work a go too in the likely-hood that I won't get a job. Also having failed to fully integrate in Iraq, I want to prove to myself that I can do so here.

On the bright side, it's raining here and it's bleeding hot in Baghdad from what I hear.

5 comments:

Don Cox said...

Do some writing, man.

For example, magazines dealing with farming or the countryside (such as The Countryman) would probably be interested in a first-hand article about farming in Iraq.

It won't make you rich but it's something to be doing while you look for work.

Get a copy of the Writers and cArtists Yearbook for a complete list of magazines.

Anonymous said...

Shaggy, any competent therapist would want to see what's up with your dad, too. You do have a few reasons to be angry at him.

I hope you continue to update your readers. You have everything you need to succeed in the UK if you want to. If you don't want a career writing (or even if you do)please think about becoming credentialed in teaching - English as a Second Language or Arabic to English speakers (you say you're not fluent but you know a lot and can teach at the beginning and intermediate levels at least). I am biligual and got myself through some lean times teaching - even though it was definitely not my vocation. It paid for law school in my instance.

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

I finally get a chance to check on some people again and there you are in England! I wish you the best of luck on the job hunt. I hope you continue to fill us in on what you're up to too. :)

Take care.

Anonymous said...

dont you worry about it!!! get your cars money to get you up and running and we'll get you an good job in London.. dont listen to your bro and the whole manual labour crap.. and forget your dad... your far too intelligent and disciplined for this BS..come and become a neighbour here as well!

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