On Changing your Life

[context]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Thanks for one of the all-time great threads on 2+2.


[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]

Like others I just stumbled across this today. Fantastic thread, so well written. I loved a couple of things from one of the posts:

[ QUOTE ]

We were driving to her house when I saw a sign for a McDonalds. “Stop,” I said. “I hate their food, but I have to have a burger. Just a Big Mac.”

We pulled into the drive-through and I ordered. I held the package in my hands and opened it with care. There it was. A Big Mac. Lindy was watching me with an amused grin. I took a bite. It seemed to be the best thing that I’d ever tasted. I ate it all without a word. Now I was really back in the First World again.


[/ QUOTE ]

Had a huge grin reading that, almost emotional [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img].

And:

[ QUOTE ]

Captain Paul then did a very nice thing. He organized me a flight to Italy with BA. Told me not to worry about it, I could fix him up when I was able.


[/ QUOTE ]

Much of this stuff speaks volumes for the kind of person you are.

[PIMP1111]

Best thread on twoplustwo IMO. Thank you very much.

[d0nkaments]

I went to the library right when I woke up with itent to study for my final exams but I have finally finished reading this and the sky is getting dark

[spyderracing]

Ads,
This is quite possibly the most interesting and ispirational things I have ever read. I grew up skiing and have always rolled around the idea doing some crap job during the day (dishwasher?), and bombing back-country lines when I could. My parents always asked "What the hell would you do in the Summer?" to which I responded "Run rivers as a rafting guide." I have absolutely no idea about guiding rivers, but I've been a punter on my fair share of trips while in Whistler, BC. The guides always seemed like they were having an awesome time EVERY time.

I'm now kind of stuck in college, not that I particularly mind that, however if ever the opportunity presents itself I may take it solely because of this thread.

A few questions: Was your housing all employee housing for the most part, and what was the general consensus of the living conditions that your peers encountered in other parts of the world? Also, what do you plan on doing when you get older? I realize thinking about something like that isn't necessarily your style, but have you considered what you'll do when you can no longer guide rivers? For retirement?

[adsman]

[ QUOTE ]
A few questions: Was your housing all employee housing for the most part, and what was the general consensus of the living conditions that your peers encountered in other parts of the world? Also, what do you plan on doing when you get older? I realize thinking about something like that isn't necessarily your style, but have you considered what you'll do when you can no longer guide rivers? For retirement?

[/ QUOTE ]

A lot of the time it was, particularly in the third world areas. In Uganda we lived in white colonial luxury. In Canada we lived in a shed above the storage area.

When I get older. Well, I suppose I have to say that I'm getting a bit older now. I'm opening a lounge bar here this summer, and I have other interests that bring the money in. I'm not looking to get a traditional job to support me into my retirement years if that's what you're asking. But I'm winding down the guiding now. It's a great job when you're in your twenties and early thirties. It's an even better job when you get out of it succesfully after that time.

A quick warning on becoming a guide in BC. A lot of companies there run "rafting courses". These normally last about a week. These can be useful but there is no way you can learn to guide in a week. The best way to learn is to identify a good company and present yourself as someone willing to do whatever it takes to get river time and experience.

Good luck with it,

ads.

[coxquinn]

The sweetest part of this thread is how it mimics your approach to life: what began as a three paragraphs of advice turned into a promising book deal.

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful
Wife
And you may ask yourself-well...how did I get here?

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

And you may ask yourself
How do I work this?
And you may ask yourself
Where is that large automobile?
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful house!
And you may tell yourself
This is not my beautiful wife!

Letting the days go by/let the water hold me down
Letting the days go by/water flowing underground
Into the blue again/after the moneys gone
Once in a lifetime/water flowing underground.

Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...same as it ever was...
Same as it ever was...same as it ever was...

[QTrips]

adsman... I started reading this story during the night at work and just finished it up. I was so enthralled by it that I forgot my $@# login and had to re-register! LOL

I must say your life has been quite an adventure thus far. At least you won't fall into the 'woulda-coulda-shoulda' group when you get old enough to have nothing left but your memories!

Thanks so much for a great read... I wish you success with any future writings that may get published. It would seem that rafting isn't your only talent [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Hobb]

this was *fecking* amazing. you are now one of my many heroes.

[Senator_Thack]

Really enjoyed this thread. Good adventures, and a fun read.

I lurk a lot here, but don't post much. For anyone considering living somewhere else for a while, just go for it. You can always go back if you don't like it. Moving overseas (or just somewhere else) opens your mind up to different ways of doing things in ways you just can't imagine until you try it. You just see the world differently, and in a good way.

My "adventures" are nothing like those of adsman, but they have made my life much better. I used to live in San Diego, and one day a good friend asked, "How would you like to work in Europe? I have a friend who is a Managing Director at this company in Switzerland, and he needs people." I got a passport, went on an interview, and was living in Switzerland 6 weeks after my friend asked me the question. Work has taken me all over Europe and the desire to travel after coming here has taken me other interesting places.

One more thing for adsman, how far are you from Milan? I'm currently in Luzern (CH), which is about 2.5 hrs from Milan, and I make it there reasonably often. Definitely up for a rafting trip sometime and definitely up for checking out your club.

[siegfriedandroy]

el diablo. f u. u think u know a lot about business fu. if all of your opponents were like morphy or tarrasch, etc, you would suck. ure a great table selector. blahahahaha. lol. u suck, though, seriously, you are fabulusly overrated, and bad at life. f u. jk. u r smart. just nothing special. no inventions. no contributions to the world. no nothing. u suck, bottom line. f u. lol. but you make medicore poker decision! lol. a smart 8th grader could play better than u. our society is pretty dumb (case in point, yes, you are smart for realizing that, not d, but the readers, lololol, [censored]