"A funny thing happened to me, when I moved to the strictest Islamic country on earth, shortly after my 40th birthday, my life stripped of drugs, alcohol and women: I felt happy."
In middle age, English Teacher X makes a major life change. He leaves behind a world of debauchery, darkness, drunkenness and devoshki in Russia, and takes a job in the strictest Islamic Kingdom in the Middle East. His life suddenly full of sunshine, sand, sobriety, and an adult-type salary, he also unexpectedly finds himself in a long-distance relationship with a sweet and loyal yet oh-so-stubborn and provincial Russian girl. With plenty of money, plenty of holiday time, and new health and optimism, finally it seems that a "normal life" is within his grasp.
However, things rarely run smoothly in the world according to ETX, and he soon finds himself adrift again, returning for the first time in many years to his homeland, a very troubled and sick America, with a new career as an independent author of "erotica" and an untoward yet timely interest in survivalism. More alienated than ever and haunted at the image of being the oldest guy in the club or one of the younger guys at the whorehouse, X bounces around exotic destinations (including Cyprus, Costa Rica, and return visits to his old home of Vodkaberg in Russia) and struggles to find a place for himself in a rapidly changing world.
But a new high-paying job in the Middle East looms, which might be the best thing that ever happened to him ... or the worst ...
Packed with eccentric English teachers of all ages and plenty of sexy-but-difficult Russian women, set against a backdrop of the Great Recession, the Arab Spring and the Mayan Apocalypse, X's latest memoir is another dystopian look at the profession of TEFL, expat life, and the myth that travel broadens the mind.
WARNING! Contains bad language, graphic content, middle-aged white guy angst, and a complete lack of authentic cultural experiences.
In middle age, English Teacher X makes a major life change. He leaves behind a world of debauchery, darkness, drunkenness and devoshki in Russia, and takes a job in the strictest Islamic Kingdom in the Middle East. His life suddenly full of sunshine, sand, sobriety, and an adult-type salary, he also unexpectedly finds himself in a long-distance relationship with a sweet and loyal yet oh-so-stubborn and provincial Russian girl. With plenty of money, plenty of holiday time, and new health and optimism, finally it seems that a "normal life" is within his grasp.
However, things rarely run smoothly in the world according to ETX, and he soon finds himself adrift again, returning for the first time in many years to his homeland, a very troubled and sick America, with a new career as an independent author of "erotica" and an untoward yet timely interest in survivalism. More alienated than ever and haunted at the image of being the oldest guy in the club or one of the younger guys at the whorehouse, X bounces around exotic destinations (including Cyprus, Costa Rica, and return visits to his old home of Vodkaberg in Russia) and struggles to find a place for himself in a rapidly changing world.
But a new high-paying job in the Middle East looms, which might be the best thing that ever happened to him ... or the worst ...
Packed with eccentric English teachers of all ages and plenty of sexy-but-difficult Russian women, set against a backdrop of the Great Recession, the Arab Spring and the Mayan Apocalypse, X's latest memoir is another dystopian look at the profession of TEFL, expat life, and the myth that travel broadens the mind.
WARNING! Contains bad language, graphic content, middle-aged white guy angst, and a complete lack of authentic cultural experiences.
