It's time for New Year's resolutions! AGAIN!
Here I am. Landing on Heathrow for the Xth time this year...of course it is raining.
I remember the first time I came to London 5 years ago.
Everything was so strange and different. I was so different. So shy. So insecure.
Look at me now, I am pulling my 2 suitcases with no problem.
I know everything about airports and trolleys and tax free shopping and emergency exits on airplanes. I regularly write "complains" or "thank you" letters on flights while being bored. Not for anything else, I just know what good service is and if I don't get it I am concerned for its improvement and if I do get it I want them to know that it's been appreciated.
I have a blow-up-pillow that I use on every flight longer than 1,5hrs. I can pull out anything I need from my hand luggage bag without looking inside, I just open the zipper and slip my hand inside: an ipod, a book, the pillow, a bag of nuts, an apple...this is how organized my suitcases are OR how much used to them I am.
Talking about nuts and apples, at some point when I was traveling quite often I could even tell you what airline had the best food. KLM was really good. Swiss always give you chocolate at the end. Lufthansa used to be good with wholegrain bread and all but after even they started saving by serving a bretzel on short distance flights, which later turned into a some 15gr bag with mini bretzels. Until on a Hamburg-Framkfurt flight they just had coffee and juice. British Airways I don't recommend. The most complains I've written on their evaluation forms, which I'd ask the flight attendant to bring me. Bad food, dirty planes, even on long distance...but the frequent flyer program is really good! It gets you to book a lot cheaper flights once you fly around with them a bit. Oh, I didn't mention Air France. I generally don't like them, there is
always something when flying with them: delayed flights, changes in the
schedule, impolite check-in people! But for once I had luck. On one of
their delayed flights I met a person, who I consider one of my best
friends now. We started talking while we sat for 2 hours in the plane before
it took off, because of severe weather condition last winter... we
talked for hours. It was the most enjoyable delayed flight ever! And now
we're still friends!
I can pack a suitcase for 3,5,30, 90 days trip within an 1hr. I can also pack for a journey with an undefined end. This means leaving but not knowing when/if you're coming back and where are you coming back or even which season. This is all what this job thought me.
I feel home everywhere.
I can buy coffee and order food in 6 languages, 7 if we count Portuguese.
I can have a fluent conversation in 3. I can have a little small talk in 5.
So where is home?!
Everywhere and nowhere.
I feel home as soon as my thoothbrush is out of my toilet bag. At first I ALWAYS used to forget my hairbrush, but now I don't even do that anymore! I have had the same hairbrush for about 3 yrs now, which means I haven't forgotten it ever since, which in turn, is a serious sign of maturity!(or maybe it turned out to be my favorite hairbrush).
I was thinking all that while getting a trolley for my 2 suitcases and going to the luggage band. I always get a trolley if they're for free. In German speaking countries crazy for "Ordnung": forget it! I either never have change (I think 1 or 2 Euro), or i just can't be bothered to return it later.
London is more like landing in India than in Europe. At least judging by the people who work on the airport! But they are so nice and friendly NOW. First time I landed in London back then, it was different, at emigration they asked me 5 billion questions for why was I coming, how long would I stay, how much money did I have. All that made me feel like a criminal or like I owe something to those people. Luckily, thanks to EU and all that my fellow citizens and I don't have that problem anymore...and then I think: those same people who looked at me as if I were some filthy cindarella (before she turned into a princess) are now just scanning my passport and thanking me. When I get my new passport with an electronic chip or whatever those new passports have next year, I will even be able just swipe it myself on that scanner machine, and I won't even need to see customs any more...
Isn't it weird how much everything has changed in such little time...me and my traveling habits, me and my idea of home, me and my passport...me and the food I eat, me and the food I cook...this is another issue, but every country and place enriches your perception of everything around you! So that your national identity partly vanishes. But this you only realize once you go back home and talk to people you've known forever and then you realize that you talk different languages...
Or you look for pesto or humous in the local supermarket and they don't know what that is.
And a whole year has gone like that...is there a reason to be happy??? or be sad?! For myself I can tell I've acomplished 2 things (if those can be called accomplishments) I ve been dreaming of for a while. First, I went to Hong Kong.
And I finally went to New York.
Check!
Check!!
I'm still dreaming of the Maldives and Rio,
and next New Year's Eve in Thailand, Cape Town or Punta del Este...
For now I'll settle with London.
This past year I've even gone to places I never dreamed of, like Portugal and I ve met some people I never imagined I would. I ve done things I d never suspect I possibly would...but there I am the same old me. Maybe wiser and different. But still me, even an upgraded version!
Next year should be better!
New Year, new begging! Yesterday has nothing to do with tomorrow! So does last year has nothing to do with next year. Sometimes you wish you can turn some moments back and laugh until your stomach hurts so much, but you can't. Sometimes you wish you fast forward the bad times so this is finally over!
It's never late to become better! It's never late to say sorry, it's never late to say I love you! It's never late to risk, it's never late to fall again. It's never late to stand up after you fall. At the end this is all that stays in mind when it's all over! The memory of: VENI VIDI VICI!
In fact, there is only one thing we lose in life: TIME!!!!!!! Let's not waste another year! Let's dare to challenge ourselves!
You won't end up homeless or alone! I promise you won't. I've tried it out! It's proven!
We are NEVER ALONE!
Happy New Year!
I can buy coffee and order food in 6 languages, 7 if we count Portuguese.
I can have a fluent conversation in 3. I can have a little small talk in 5.
So where is home?!
Everywhere and nowhere.
I feel home as soon as my thoothbrush is out of my toilet bag. At first I ALWAYS used to forget my hairbrush, but now I don't even do that anymore! I have had the same hairbrush for about 3 yrs now, which means I haven't forgotten it ever since, which in turn, is a serious sign of maturity!(or maybe it turned out to be my favorite hairbrush).
I was thinking all that while getting a trolley for my 2 suitcases and going to the luggage band. I always get a trolley if they're for free. In German speaking countries crazy for "Ordnung": forget it! I either never have change (I think 1 or 2 Euro), or i just can't be bothered to return it later.
London is more like landing in India than in Europe. At least judging by the people who work on the airport! But they are so nice and friendly NOW. First time I landed in London back then, it was different, at emigration they asked me 5 billion questions for why was I coming, how long would I stay, how much money did I have. All that made me feel like a criminal or like I owe something to those people. Luckily, thanks to EU and all that my fellow citizens and I don't have that problem anymore...and then I think: those same people who looked at me as if I were some filthy cindarella (before she turned into a princess) are now just scanning my passport and thanking me. When I get my new passport with an electronic chip or whatever those new passports have next year, I will even be able just swipe it myself on that scanner machine, and I won't even need to see customs any more...
Isn't it weird how much everything has changed in such little time...me and my traveling habits, me and my idea of home, me and my passport...me and the food I eat, me and the food I cook...this is another issue, but every country and place enriches your perception of everything around you! So that your national identity partly vanishes. But this you only realize once you go back home and talk to people you've known forever and then you realize that you talk different languages...
Or you look for pesto or humous in the local supermarket and they don't know what that is.
And a whole year has gone like that...is there a reason to be happy??? or be sad?! For myself I can tell I've acomplished 2 things (if those can be called accomplishments) I ve been dreaming of for a while. First, I went to Hong Kong.
And I finally went to New York.
Check!
Check!!
I'm still dreaming of the Maldives and Rio,
and next New Year's Eve in Thailand, Cape Town or Punta del Este...
For now I'll settle with London.
This past year I've even gone to places I never dreamed of, like Portugal and I ve met some people I never imagined I would. I ve done things I d never suspect I possibly would...but there I am the same old me. Maybe wiser and different. But still me, even an upgraded version!
Next year should be better!
New Year, new begging! Yesterday has nothing to do with tomorrow! So does last year has nothing to do with next year. Sometimes you wish you can turn some moments back and laugh until your stomach hurts so much, but you can't. Sometimes you wish you fast forward the bad times so this is finally over!
It's never late to become better! It's never late to say sorry, it's never late to say I love you! It's never late to risk, it's never late to fall again. It's never late to stand up after you fall. At the end this is all that stays in mind when it's all over! The memory of: VENI VIDI VICI!
In fact, there is only one thing we lose in life: TIME!!!!!!! Let's not waste another year! Let's dare to challenge ourselves!
You won't end up homeless or alone! I promise you won't. I've tried it out! It's proven!
We are NEVER ALONE!
Happy New Year!
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