Time to focus

I'm back in Belgium after a tremendous vacation of 2 weeks in Malta. Being there for the second time surely had some advantages. I knew my way around the island, I knew what to expect and could now concentrate on different things.

One of those goals on my trip was to get some answers concerning questions I had about my own cubicle throwdown.  Questions you prefer asking while actually being with the person in real life just to see the honesty in his eyes. And answers I got, from many different individuals that I met along my stay on that magnificent rock.

Really, I can't explain how amazing it is to be able to talk to so many different people concerning life, working abroad and travelling the world. I had great talks with different instructors, other tourist-travelers, settlers, others divers and so on. I guess they all meet on islands like this. 

Diving in Malta was this time very different than when I did my OW and my AOW in June, while doing these courses you are often practicing in the same dive sites because at first they are easy to access and dive from and secondly you know where you are and it makes you more confident for the courses themselves. 
But this time, I dove at the best recreative dive sites in Malta, Blue Hole, P-29 wreck, Rosy wreck, Um El Faroud wreck (awesome), Comino Caves, etc. A lot more fish seen then when I was there in June. Amazing. I also enjoyed the two extra courses I took being Nitrox and Deep Dive Spec. With success! 

Um El Faroud

Right, well now I'm back in my cubicle. Meanwhile I have had the chance to summarize the answers I got and they all point in the positive, right direction. I am now even more motivated than ever to start this journey and make the best of it.
These good talks all-round gave me a lot more confidence really, just what I was looking for, initially it's why I went back a second time, I knew this time would be swell different.
Truly? I can't wait to give this job up and will have to cancel my current contract around the 1st of January because I'll have to respect a resignation period of 2,5 months.
My deadline at this moment is the 1st of April 2015. I won't be fining myself if I don't make it exactly the 1st but for sure it will be maximum the 30th of April 2015. 

Some of the most important things for this dive instructor life are (apparently in the first place) knowledge of multiple languages, being social, open-mindedness, patience, the ability to teach, flexibility, loving to dive, being happy with what you have, choosing a different life, and some more. But these are the ones that relate most to me, and I now feel ready to take it on.
Most of the instructors where a bit jealous they said when I told them I spoke 6 languages, because it's so important in this job, especially for finding one. They went: Well what are you waiting for? :-)

To the side, I now also made my reservation for the boat license course. 2 days begin November to get all the theory and explanations you need to participate on the examination 2 weeks later. Up to me to prepare myself to the max and get a good result. It will indeed come in handy when I need it.

Second goal was to have great fun and great fun I had, diving during the week, partying in the weekends making I had a good chance to socialize, also giving me a lot of satisfaction. I always was used to get in touch with the locals in Italy where my family lived. You get around with your cousins and meet other people automatically. But on this Island it was very special, thanks Aaron, Mei, Sarah, Rodrine, Erick, Luke, and others for this second gorgeous welcome to your rock!
I'll be back!

The new dive club I was at offered me an internship as in 'work there for my courses and get professional divemaster education in the meantime'. It sure feels great to have been offered that from a rather small dive club. I am going to take this in consideration, the staff at H2O Divers Orange Shark are very nice people and they have some very experienced instructors. I felt really confident with both the bosses and the employed instructors. It was good for me to have chosen to change, now I could see the differences. 
  
The other options I am looking into are Middle America (Mexico) or Thailand. I have been recommended a few clubs by now, and am getting in touch with them as we speak. That's my biggest concern at this time, finding a good dive club where I get a good package, with a professional instruction level, in a country where it is cheap and good enough to live and where I can concentrate me on getting a good instructor education to finish my DM and my IDC and my DM specs to become an MSDT.

Other concerns are getting ready, saving money and working as much as possible at my job and also at my second job. Well they are not really concerns and above all totally worth the effort.

Another thing is going back to the gym to get even more in shape. When I'll leave I want to be fitter than I am at the moment. I lost 10kg before my first vacation in June, and now I want to loose another 10kg, after that I will be pretty fit.

So yeah, thanks to diving my life is finally turning into what I want it to be. I have a real goal. From now on it's time to focus till I can start enjoying the real ride, when I will be abroad and under water, diving and working, working and diving.

It's the best feeling ever, I feel reborn! Like a reborn maggot.




By the way you can also follow my blog via Bloglovin