Come My Way (Colorado Springs)
22 December 2017
Five years ago, I always spent Sundays packing for my next trip. I washed my clothes on Sunday morning and packed my one piece of luggage by lunch. And then I would take the Midlevels Escalator from Soho (in the winter) or hail a red Hong Kong taxi (in the summer) to the Airport Express at the bottom of the IFC in Hong Kong. I always got depressed when I found my seat on the Airport Express train. I always wanted to stay. Live a little. Enjoy my weekend without being whisked away to another country with another language.
Now I spend the same days the same as the last days - in one city, one state with the same language - and more than that - the country of my birth. And I am seen as everyone else. No difference. Just another American.
Looking back a decade of non-stop traveling I never knew where my home was. But I looked forward to the people of who I hung out when I landed. They were my home. And I frequently dated and broke up because they couldn't deal with my travel schedule.
I tried to date a flight attendant who I thought would understand the aspects of travel. And yes two people circling the earth and trying to schedule meet ups all over the world sounds exotic but having phone calls at differing aspects of jet lag - she is in Paris and I am in Australia became taxing.
And it was harder for air stewardesses as they are seen the objects of desire for every man on the planet - businessmen passing their business cards to get play, their ass being grabbed as they are pushing the snack cart, and the worst was when they actually dated a 'normal' guy. That means - finding a guy who lives in one city that they can come home to every week when they touch down. In the beginning, it started off amazing. But over time, the man would feel inadequate as the woman he was dating had selfies all over the world - with different people - especially men - and then comes back to his homebody self. Then he would feel lonely and start dating women while his girlfriend was out of town. Or accusing her of cheating him on trips.
But the secret of travel is - we go from airplane to customs to taxi to hotel. Then from hotel to office - to meeting - back to office and then back to airplane and back home. Yes the distance travel is exotic. But the actual immersion doesn't happen. That's why people are baffled when they ask me how many languages I speak and I say none. Well also - I am a stupid American.
Now I am the homebody.
In the beginning, it was great. But when you meet someone you can't wait to start your life with - who lives on the other side of the world, you long for those Sundays where you are always packing to leave. Because you can always schedule a layover here, rendezvous on a tropical island for a long weekend, or running off the plane to meet them at a bar in the CBD area.
Now our intimacy is chat messages, video conferencing for an hour or two at a time, or this blog. And every time we talk she says the same thing, "Come My Way."
Soon baby soon.
