the roads are getting nearer
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Sunday, December 18, 2005
` Sunday, December 18, 2005
Yet another year of rather intensive travelling for which there were pros and cons. I realised the more I resisted the urge to throw in the towel and do something completely different, the more I'm resigned to the fact that the job has been rolling in the dough sufficiently and I shouldn't be complaining about losing personal time back home. Especially when it has given me varied opportunities to experience living in different cities without the touristy elements of an itinerary-packaged vacation. Of course, the reality of it is when rental and miscellaneous daily frustrations cloud the picture (sans company funding), the appeal of living overseas drops to below sub-zero ratings (add the cold weather element and the possibility becomes absolutely non-negotiable due to my own zero tolerance).
I dreaded being away from home 3 weeks in a row, stuck in a country where transport and infrastructure was poor and although the government promised improvements, things would probably never change. I enjoyed the ability to move around a city with ease, the ability to navigate the local trains and buses and not being afraid of getting lost because of the tremendous sense of safety late at night.
I dreaded having to take room service because you never know if you'd step into a restaurant with suspected hygiene issues. I enjoyed stepping into the same restaurants over again, knowing that whatever I had ordered previously would taste deliciously similar on a repeat visit.
I dreaded going to the local shops and getting bored and dismayed at the inability to venture to other places because of the fear of getting lost exacerbated by the language barriers. I enjoyed walking into shops filled with massive varieties of curios and what-nots that would never have been found back home and being able to afford buying them home for friends or family.
I absolutely dreaded pointless but essential business lunches and dinners where people engage in pedestrian talk just to pass time. I enjoyed lively meal discussions with locals not directly involved in the daily grind of work but were sincere enough to chat about real-life encounters and experiences.
Last but not least, I dreaded being alone at times, fearing I might turn into a MSN-reliant chataholic capable of making conversations only via the keyboard and incapable of verbal crosstalk. I enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of a city at my own pace and timing without having to compromise on the destinations.
So there you have it. It's a love-hate relationship with a job fuelled by departure lounge waits, in-flight entertainment, repulsive business-class meals, 7-pillow menus, healthy allowances, too much shopping and last but not least, sporadic non work-related human contact. Don't blame me for turning dysfunctional, but this lifestyle is unreal and I have been living like this for at least 4 years. Do I want to return to reality? I keep asking myself this question but the answer is possibly as elusive as the Black Hole in the universe.