This Expat Life: Month 15
After moving abroad I started compiling monthly roundup posts about life as an expat in Southeast Asia and all the nitty gritty that goes on behind the scenes here at Travel Lush. Head here to read Month 12, Month 13 & Month 14.
I realize that my last monthly roundup post was a bit of a downer. And while everything still isn’t picture-perfect ’round these parts, I will say that the month of October was better than September. That’s progress…right?
Adjusting to life in Phnom Penh has been harder than I thought, but I can’t really put my finger on why. I still love this city just as much as I ever have. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I keep finding myself daydreaming about living near the beach, yearning for colder weather and wishing for peace and quiet.
There are a few reasons why I’ve been having a bit of a rough time. Remember how I suffered from some sort of mysterious tropical malady/food poisoning after traveling to Bangkok a couple months back? Well, the sickness lingered for well over a month!
To be honest I’m not exactly sure what this illness was, other than the fact that I felt super nauseous and lethargic. What’s really weird is that I’ve talked to a bunch of other expats here in Phnom Penh who have had the same symptoms! I can’t tell if it was just a lengthy reaction to food poisoning or if my body isn’t reacting to the relentless Phnom Penh heat or if my ceramic water filter isn’t properly cleaning my drinking water.
I seriously have no idea what’s up, but the good news is that I’ve felt leaps and bounds better during the past two weeks, so I’m pretty sure I’m on the mend! Fingers crossed.
Okay, enough of that. Here’s what I got up to during October!
Travel
In mid-October I had the opportunity to spend six days in Bangkok for TBEX Asia. Attending my first-ever travel blogging conference was definitely the highlight of October. And while I battled both nausea and nerves prior to the conference I am so, so glad I went.
While I can’t say I was blown away by every single aspect of the conference, I did walk away with more knowledge about blogging and what it really takes to turn a blog into a business. Suffice it to say, I won’t be quitting my day job any time soon – oh wait, I don’t have a day job…
But sarcasm aside, it was so much fun and very inspiring to meet so many amazing bloggers.
While I spent most of my time in Bangkok chatting it up with other travel bloggers, photographers and entrepreneurs , I also managed to squeeze in a vegetarian cooking course at May Kaidee’s Vegetarian Cooking School.
I think most of you know by now just how much I love to eat so taking this cooking course was kind of the best thing ever. I plan to write a full post about my experience soon but I will say that I had so much fun learning how to make things like spicy red chili paste and lemongrass-infused tom kha soup.
And the best part is that the recipes are so easy. Last weekend I had a Thai cooking bonanza at my apartment in Phnom Penh. So good!
I also made more of an effort to get out and explore Phnom Penh last month. I really do love just going out, walking around this crazy city and taking photos. I also love sampling any and all vegetarian street food I come across…
Work
The good news is that freelancing picked up a little bit last month. But the bad part is that I never know how much work I’ll have each month. I’m still not sure if I want to commit to a normal 9-5 or if I want to continue hacking it as a freelancer. The lack of a steady paycheck wears on me every month. But the idea of working a traditional 9-5 just doesn’t appeal to me. Like, at all. Regardless, I would love to have a little stability in my financial life so I’m exploring any and all options that come my way. Who knows which direction I’ll ultimately end up going in…
Blogging
Admittedly October was my slowest month in terms of blogging in the history of Travel Lush. I only wrote three posts! Part of that is due to the fact that I was preoccupied preparing for and attending TBEX. But still, for someone who is as obsessed with blogging as I am, this lack of productivity was really unlike me.
To be honest, I’ve also experienced some pretty hardcore writer’s block and a serious lack of motivation to blog. I’m hoping that both will pass now that November has arrived.
On the upside, attending TBEX and meeting so many fantastic bloggers gave me a good dose of motivation to get writing again. Oh, and not feeling sick anymore helps too! So you can expect me to start writing more regularly, especially about Phnom Penh.
Most Popular Posts in October:
9 Fun & Weird Things to do in Jakarta – Still the reigning champ!
6 Kickass Places to Visit in Bali!
What I Wrote in October:
Stepping Outside of My Comfort Zone at TBEX
Most Popular Instagram:
Ah, fresh pomegranate on the streets of Bangkok. So good!
A photo posted by Justine (@thetravellush) on
Great round up, as usual, Justine! I am sorry you’ve been sick for such a long time – what a drag! I picked something up while in Bangkok and have been fighting it for three weeks now; not as long as yours, but I am certainly ready for it to go!
Like you, I found some renewed motivation to blog following TBEX. I’ve been writing like mad over the last couple of weeks, which is good as I’ll be able to save a few articles for those times when I’m just not feeling like writing.
Anyway, thanks for another great post. Hope Phnom Penh starts to feel a bit more like home – it’s a city I love reading about and can’t wait to explore one day! Cheers –
Thanks Paul. Yeah, I’ve never experienced a sickness that lingered like that. It was a really big drag and definitely put a damper on things! Sorry to hear that you’re not feeling well. What is it about getting sick in Bangkok?!
That’s wonderful that you’ve felt a renewed passion for writing. I feel like being surrounded by so many great writers definitely made me more passionate. That and Jodi’s speech…it was so inspiring!
Oh no, I hope you really are on the mend! It might sound weird, but something about being sick in hot weather always made it so much worse for me, ugh.
I feel so much better now! Yeah, the hot weather definitely didn’t help matters…
Oh I love these round-up type posts! I’m glad this month looked better for you and that you’re feeling better. Those kinds of “sick-but-not-TOO-sick” periods are absolutely the pits. I’ve always been curious about heading to TBEX. I would be 1000% nervous beforehand too. Ha! Cheers to your October and I hope that November is treating you even better!
Thanks Amanda! Well if you do decide to go to TBEX you should not only feel reassured that it’s not that scary but take comfort in the fact that every first-timer is just as nervous as you! It was a great experience and I highly recommend going even if it’s only to meet your fellow bloggers. The people were amazing 🙂
Just found your blog. I have been doing somersaults in my mind over whether to go to Phnom Penh for a long time. I did ten years TEFL teaching in Prague and the wanderlust bug has hit me again. Not quite up to enough monthly income from freelance writing yet BUT I should be in a few months with some luck.
I can totally relate Stephen! For some reason Phnom Penh really clicked with me when I traveled here back in 2006. Phnom Penh does seem to be attracting more and more expats. It’s also a fairly inexpensive city to live in so you don’t need to make too much every month to live. Although it is getting more pricey and I guess that also depends on what your living standards are…
I wanted to go on TBEX in Bangkok, but I had to stay in Denmark and study. I’m thinking of attending the next TBEX Asia so I’m curious to hear what you didn’t like that much? Good to hear that you’re feeling better:)
I am glad that I went to TBEX and I would consider going again. The best part about TBEX is meeting up with bloggers and forming connections. It’s a great way to learn about what other bloggers are doing and meeting face to face. But if you’re expecting to learn from the seminars, you’re realistically not going to get much out of it. Because the Asia one is new, the companies represented in Bangkok were pretty disappointing. I heard from many bloggers that it was a huge letdown compared to Costa Brava earlier this year. So, in a nutshell, if you want to network it’s awesome. If you’re assuming you’re going to learn a ton and pair up with brands you might walk away disappointed. Given that Bangkok was such an easy flight from Phnom Penh, the whole thing didn’t cost me that much. So I was really glad that I went. But there were some people who flew all the way from the States and they were a little miffed…I’m still considering TBEX Manila for next year, but I haven’t made a decision yet 🙂
Life is hard!