I have less than a month to go before I return everything to my storage locker and hit the open skies again. Last time I departed I headed south and ended up in Argentina. This time I’m flying west and hitting a little island off the coast of Thailand called Ko Samui
One of the aspects discussed in the book Vagabonding that seemed was relavant to me this summer was the concept of reintegration. The author claims in the book that after an extended trip it becomes difficult to find a way to fit yourself back into your old life. That was definitely the case for me this time around, and lately I’ve felt like I’ve been stuck in a bit of limbo. Given that I’m living out in a new area of Vancouver and that the majority of my belongings are still in storage, I imagine feeling a bit out of place is only natural.
Like last time, I’m probably going to rent a hotel room near the airport for my last night in town. For whatever reason, it always seems more fitting to me to hit the airport alone than with a pile of people. I’m not one for goodbyes, or even “see you laters” really, so it’s just a bit easier emotionally and logistically to wake up and get going. That way you spend the day being excited instead of feeling down because you had to say goodbye to friends or family.
The month of August is going to be pretty busy. I’m heading out to Toronto next week for business, and then I’m taking the following week off to hopefully go camping. After that I’ll be boxing up my North American life for the storage locker, and getting ready to take off again.
This time around I’m planning on being gone for five months. Whether or not I end up back here earlier or extending my trip remains to be seen. But if I’m back early, I owe at least one friend a pitcher of beer this time around. And if I do manage to pull it off, it’ll be the first time I’ve been away from home for Christmas, which will be a weird experience.
It’s never about goodbyes; it’s about “see you again very soon.” I’ll tell you this – Christmas during the 1st week of (southern) summer may seem a little strange, but it does not suck when it’s sunny and +25C outside. 🙂
Ya, the being away from family at christmas is always a bit weird and even isolating feeling. But generally you can always find people in the same boat who want to get together and have a good time :).