I just past my four month anniversary - how the time flies - and one third of my term now done should I choose only to stay one year. Does time really fly when your having fun or does time just fly? As I look back I know I made a sagacious choice as to my future and my future memories. Also I knew that should I have said no to this I would be kicking myself, today, tomorrow and everyday of my future.
I'm back after my leave and started fresh for a couple of reasons: one, unlike when I came in January I knew what I was coming "home" too, and secondly I finally slept on a plane. While I would like to say it was a natural sleep, it was most likely a combination of two things, being tired (it was about 4 am Wpg time when I caught the flight to Hong Kong), and capitulating to drugs. I met a nice Vancouver couple in the Winnipeg Airport lounge and after taking about long haul travel they quickly extolled the virtues of melatonin to help you sleep and just as quickly flipped me a couple of these little wonders. It worked and I must have slept 6 of the 13 hours of the flight and arrived in Hong Kong at 7am local time quite refreshed. My internal clock was still askew though as I had a beer at the time waiting for the 10am flight to Bali.
My first few days back at work were good - everyone at my apartment and the office greeted me warmly asking if I had a good break. However getting back into the office routine while seamless (back for 30 minutes and its like you never left) I realized that the work environment is different than at home. At home after a few days you are back in the midst of the issues that need to be dealt with and stress levels rise. Here it is quite the opposite, the first day the stress and frustration levels quickly escalate to the extreme, with each passing day that level gradually dissapating to normal levels. It dissapates because you realize just as quick that you choose to fight those battles you can win vs. those you never will.
On a pleasant note, I came home with a bit of a heavy heart knowing that I would be spending my birthday for the first time away from home. However those feelings were largely unfounded as I was treated to a wonderful day. I started with a phone call to my Mom - we have always shared our birthdays as she is only a day before me on the 25th - what made it memorable for both of us was that due to the wonders of global time zones when I called it was my birthday and hers as well. This was followed by a nice drive out of town into the hills to show a workmate some of the sights of the place (he flew back with me and only here for two weeks too help us out with some work). The hills were wonderful as we passed little villages nestled in the jungle. On a few occasions we got out and walked around and I realized how serene it was compared to the city we came from and said to myself I need to come here more often. While alive with the sounds of the many forms of life that hide in the jungle around us it was a beautiful silence compared to Dili. Thankfully I didn't feel in danger as this tiny island nation doesn't have tigers/leopards or other flesh eating carnivores. In fact up high seems to be the safest place currently as everyone is afraid to snorkel or scuba because of a rash of salt water crocodile attacks. The Aussies are quick to point out that the salt water variety are the most ferocious and deadly. I'm fine with that as the last time I was in the ocean I got a raging ear infection and while I love to look, I very rarely touch. While croc attacks are generally not a big problem, as it hasn't happened in quite some time when it does it grabs alot of attention. Once done our tour we had a nice lunch and then back home for a few precious hours around the pool on another perfect, cloudless day. At 5 I went to where the rest of my team lives for a little celebration in my honor. It was a nice event with not only my immediate team, but other as well. My first international birthday both in terms of location and participants. As the photo at the top indicates our generation guy Curtis fashioned a nice birthday hat for me. This hat is now the official birthday hat of MHI in Timor Leste; I sign and date and hold until the next birthday and so on. People here don't appreciate the connection to hockey, but the hat will look like the Gerry Cheever goal mask after a few birthdays I'm sure! After a few beers and some snacks it was time for birthday cake - with my name on it! It was special for me on a number of fronts, but especially that the guys took the time to do this for me. As my luck wouldn't quit I got home 'safely', flipped on the TV to find to my great surprise that I was 10 minutes away from the start of the Bahrain F1 race. Pretty much the perfect day.
The work week started the next day obliterating any happy thoughts of the previous day. The week did start initially with optimism in that my Timorence calender indicated that May 1 is Labour Day in this part of the world - and a much welcomed long weekend. However holidays here I find the most frustrating as I think I have explained previously. One would think that if it is marked on an official calender it is a day off. Note so in this glorious country - every holiday that I have been here for holds the same element of suspense: the call/communique from the Prime Ministers office informing all his loyal subjects what the day is about. The frustrating part is that this communication happens at 5pm the day prior to the holiday. In this case he informed everyone that it is only a half day off - every civil servant must first show up (7 - 10am) at a designated spot to clean up public spaces. Frustrating in that if one did make plans they would have to be broken (any reported absences would lose a day's pay) not to mention dashing the thoughts of ruining a long weekend at the last minute. While not officially staff - all of us did participate in a show of solidarity with the staff that were required to participate. Just one of these days I would like a scheduled holiday that remains as such. May 20 is another such day so my fingers remained crossed.
A wonderous world is what I soughtA different life or an experience bought?
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