Traveling

Hey folks!

I am afraid that today's entry won't have much to do with the YOG. However, since I am lying here in my bed in a hotel in Innsbruck (yes, that Innsbruck!), being awfully tired and stuffed with food, I can just jot down some thoughts I had for a couple of years. So for you this is one of the rare chances to take a break from the daily routine of reading this blog ;).

When I was a teen and I was thinking about jobs I'd like to have one day (back then, astronaut and professional athlete didn't rank too high on the list any more), I always knew one thing for sure: It has to involve a lot of traveling. Don't ask me why, but for me, nothing spelled success as much as having to go to foreign places to work. And although a lots of things have changed since (e.g. the job I actually have - btw: What IS my job exactly? - and that I'm not a teen any more and thus certain things have become embarrassing) I still feel the same way: The further away a job is, the more attractive it becomes.

Thinking about it a little closer, I guess it's a rather stupid thing. Because after all, you are going to a different place to work, i.e. you got a job that needs to be done, and not for some leisure activities. So when in the past you've been jealous of people telling you that their work leads them around the globe, don't be! They are absolutely right when saying that all they see is the airport, their hotel and the job site. At this point, I might want to point out that I am no expert on these matters, however, I draw the experience I lack from what other people tell me.

I guess that's also the reason why so many people you meet 'on the road' are annoyed about the fact that they spend too little time in their own beds. If you talk to people whose job consists of going around the globe in a little under a week, they usually don't share your excitement about the whole process of moving yourself from one place to another. For them, it's just part of the business. The annoying part that is. I mean, to a certain degree I get their point. If you get older, I guess you start to cherish the simple things in life (your house, your spouse, your kids - in short all the things I don't possess) even more.

However, I take pride in saying that I am still in the phase where having to go away somewhere to work just adds to the overall excitement. I can't explain why, but somewhere in the whole process - from going to the airport to checking in to trying out ridiculously expensive colognes I'm never going to buy - I start to get this special feeling: This feeling that I am out for a new adventure and that I can show my skills in a new part of the world. Maybe it's also just the humbleness that somebody likes my work so much that he/she is willing to invest in airfare and lodging for me. Be it as it may be: I hope that I can conserve the attitude of liking to be on a business trip as long as possible!