The Other Side

Travelling to new places affords some unique experiences, and my most recent trip is an exceptional example. These are just a few highlights:

The Eurostar is a high speed (180mph) train that goes from London to Paris via an underchannel tunnel (chunnel). Nice way to travel unless the AC dies (which it did).
The picture is a bit blurry because I had to act quickly before the security guards took me away - cameras were supposedly not allowed, but everyone with their phone-cams and digitals were snapping pictures, and I didn't want to be left out. Unfortunately, I could not crack the Da Vinci code.

The eifel tower is actually much bigger than it looks on TV.
In Spain, they love their jamon, a.k.a ham. My collegue couldn't leave without it, so he bought 25 pounds of jamon iberico. (Those are pig legs)
Strawberries and cream with a free-range egg sandwich can mean only one thing...
...Wimbledon.
And it just happens that my good friend from college was in the area.

So, certainly I have been blessed with some special opportunities, but they are tempered by my thoughts in the last update.

There's No Place Like Home

I have known people who could be described as "home bodies" or people who weren't thrilled by travelling and enjoyed simply being at or around home. I always thought there was something suspect about these people - kind of boring and unadventurous. "Don't you want to get out and explore something new?" I would wonder.

In this last year, I have travelled more than the rest of my years combined. But the more I'm gone, the more I appreciate home. Maybe there's something to staying at home...

* I have a beautiful wife and 5 month old daughter.
* Interacting with Friends and Family is much more fullfilling than doing business with coworkers and clients.
* I have spent thousands on my house - I'd kind of like to be there to enjoy it.
* Travelling is tiring.

The jet set life is often glamorized, and I'm sure there are some who really love it, but at the end of the day, its not all its cracked up to be. Perhaps absense makes the heart grow fonder, but whatever the reason, there really is no place like home.

Preparation

At the moment, I am trying to improve my portuguese using a computer CD. There is no guarantee that knowing that language will help me right away, but I am trying to be prepared for what may come.

Education and training many times, if not most of the time, provides very delayed gratification. Most of the time when sitting in a class or reading a book, it is tempting to think, "I'll may never use this stuff." It may take months or years between learning something and having a chance to put it in practice, but when circumstances require the skill, it is too late to start preparing. I think this perspective is critical for instilling patience in both students and the teachers.