I’m writing this post from the Atlanta Airport, while I wait for my flight to Santiago, Chile. I’ve been travelling a lot lately, for work, mostly visiting schools around the country. In April I went to Idaho, and in May I’ve been to Chicago, Atlanta, Tennessee, and now I’m on my way to Chile. It feels like I’m finishing my full-time status at my job before starting my Ph.D. program with a whirlwind of more work rather than less.
I enjoy and dislike work travel at the same time. Of course, this trip is more fun, because it’s a new country, I get to visit my friend and roomate from Stanford, and the work is actually pretty interesting and enjoyable as well. I enjoy the reflective space of being alone sometimes, of having time to write and read. But it’s hard to be away from home so much-and gets harder, as my home life gets richer and more complete. It’s hard to get home, unpack, and pack another suitcase 4 or 5 days later. It leaves little time for hobbies at home. Makes seeing friends and family, and keeping connected with the people I love, a bit more rushed.
Travelling also makes me appreciate home life and the small things we do together so much more, like our baseball night on Monday. Juanjo got tickets that afternoon, and I caught an early enough train home to catch the game. The seats were great (kind of protected from the cold winds that are always blowing over night baseball games in San Francisco!) and the Giants beat the Cardinals (though number 715 from Bonds didn’t contribute to the win).
Of course, all the travel changes in August. I’ll be in classes, working half-time, and spending a lot more time at home reading, writing, reading, and writing some more as I work on my Ph.D. at Berkeley. I bet I’ll write a post then saying how much I miss getting away!
