So I’ve gone and done it. After six years working as a Senior Flight Stewardess for one of the world’s most prestigious airlines, I’ve gone and quit my job to pursue my (current) dream of becoming a scuba diving instructor. I’ve left the comforts of my ocean view, company paid apartment in the thriving metropolis of Dubai and my weekly global travel, to lug around tanks and weights and count masks while staying in what will quite possibly wind up being a single bed, in a single room with no air-conditioning or hot water, on a Thai island smaller than the country town I was born in. And why would I subject myself to this, you ask. Well, its quite simple, dear reader.
For love.
From the moment of my first scuba dive, I fell madly in love with the sea and all the wonder and possibilities that now stretched before me. Which is a pretty big deal for a kid that grew up with such a crippling ocean phobia I could hardly walk up to my knees in the surf. On my first dive, I got so carried away the instructor practically had to drag me back up to the surface as I wobbled around, gawking at the incredible corals, graceful sea anemones and vibrant fish that held little more than a blatant disregard for my presence. Note to self: breathing through your mouth underwater…not an automatic reflex. And from the moment I popped my head out of the water, spat out my reg, and spluttered “I want to be a mermaid!”, I knew I’d discovered something that was going to be a large part of my future.
So, here I sit, three months after quitting my job, packing up my house, saying goodbye to all the friends who over six years became my family and shipping all my stuff life back to Australia (thanks for the storage space mom). I was only meant to take a month off, but after a splendid heartbreak, overstaying my welcome on numerous friends couches, a month of sanctuary at my sister’s house, my general ability to procrastinate and copious amounts of beer, I have finally pulled myself together enough to book a flight.
I’m not going to lie. I’m shit scared. Three to four months on a dengue infested, tropical island, learning to teach something I myself have only been enjoying for a year…the thought is daunting. All the while attempting to ride a scooter as transport on what can hardly pass as roads! Lets just say I’m glad I booked my travel insurance today. But, life is all about taking risks and facing fears, so let no one call this blue haired girl a chicken. Cause chickens don’t like water!
I’ll leave you with a quote that is serving me well of late.
“Life is short, break the rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile. Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
Two days till Thailand
Feeling nervous
rock'n'roll mermaid 