Post Travel Rollercoaster

Not many people talk about the readjustment into "normal life" that you have to endure after travel. Probably because most travellers come back desperate for a pay cheque and follow the path that leads them to income.

I have a few extra pennies in the bank to give me the opportunity to get the "right job" (sometimes quote marks are required I am sorry!). And in my journey to get this illusive job I am finding that its like a damn roller coaster. I could throw in life in corporate life to make tailored dresses, I could go back to the BlackHole I left a year ago which sucked my will to live and left me heartbroken or I could walk the long lonely road to the career I can see is a good fit with my experience.

Everyday I am troubled with the what next and as my Christmas deadline comes glaringly into sight I learn more about myself. How I want to learn more about Myanmar and the confining state that has captured my heart. How I question if living in London is the right place for me. How much time can be wasted being consumed by the what if? and when? and what is wrong with me? Even looking after my chicken poxed nephew had me feeling helpless...when really he usually puts everything in perspective.

Then I pull myself up and remember the good things I can see in this world. The long walks, the museums, the friends I can surround myself with, the concerts I can enjoy, the beautiful city I live in, autumn leaves to kick (best done with a 2 year old so you don't look like the big kid you are)

I think this is all very normal for returning travellers and job seekers alike. Taking the leap of faith to follow your ambition is hard. I just have to stick to my plan - and if Christmas comes along then the game plan will change.

Comments

ticking boxes has never been so enjoyable

Arriving in Vienna hadn't started well. The door to the train wouldn't open. Finding another open door, I was left with a mother and 1 year old with a Trunkie, no husband, 4 year old, luggage or money. Turns out the family were Hungarian-Australian and on their way to the airport Oz bound so doing my good travellers deed for the day packed Mum, son and Trunkie off to the airport in a shuttle. I really hope they all made it home together. I found my way to the hostel and then given the bright sunshine took to the streets having missed the opportunity to take photos of every other city in sun so far! I made my way to the central Basilica and then wandered the streets finding a Schnitzel house filled to the rafters, a ornate clock, music singing through the streets, pianos being practised on and some of the most beautiful shoes I have ever seen (fit only for Elton John let it be said!). The film festival on that evening started at 9pm and with a rain shower about to hit I opted f...

Hills of His Holiness

The state of Himachal Pradesh is one of mountains and rivers, winding roads and toy trains. Here are a few of the famous tourist highlights I enjoyed between 10 hour bus journeys! Shimla Famed as one of the great Raj Era Hill Stations where ladies of the Raj spent monsoon summers sheltering from the heat, I had to see this. In my experience this is anything but a shelter from the heat! On arrival you are deposited in a new bus station 8 km from the town forcing you to use either the public bus (R10) or a taxi (R250) neither takes you to the top of town or even close to a hotel. So I opted for the R10 bus. They deposited me at the bottom of the hill. Porters were waiting at the bottom but how hard could it be? Hard. I walked for 3 hours in the hot sun with my 20+kg trying to find a nice clean hotel room, eventually ending up on the ground floor of Spars Lodge. You can’t open the windows due to monkeys so the task of finding a room in Indian summer season is hard. Really th...

The day I saw the Polish countryside

After taking a night stop off in Warsaw to ensure I got a speed train for 3 hours to Krakow I was directed to platform 3. I got on and 6 hours later I am still not in Krakow. But I have had the privilege to see the beauty of the Polish countryside. It’s lush and green. The sun is shining and my mood has lifted along with it despite missing a day in a city I have been fascinated by since my early days in London. The rail roads are simple and the trains and the children squealing out the windows remind me of Hollywood films depicting happy children departing for respite from the war. Again I have been a cabin this time with the same space as yesterday but with 4 seats each side. No-one deared speak to me today! The farms are orderly and attempts at growing hay in the wettest summer the Poles have seen in years are well underway. It seems simple here and its definitely very appealing. I can see why my Polish friends speak so happily of life in Poland. Or maybe it’s the news ...

Jo Herrings Adventures

Search This Blog