On travel...
Apr. 24th, 2007 08:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khiemtranBack again from Frankfurt and more-or-less re-adjusted to Australian time.
I'd forgotten how exhilerating it can be and how alive it can make you feel afterwards. I'm still in a bit of an adjusting state after coming back.
When I was still playing soccer, I used to come off the field at the end of the game feeling frustrated every time. My mind would be filled with all the things I hadn't done or hadn't done properly. The things I would do the next time I got the ball, if only I could get the chance. Then, as I'd head home and start to think about the game, I'd start to remember all the good things I'd done. That pass, that tackle wasn't too bad, that move to get around the defender. Bit-by-bit, my mood would change and I'd start to get a more balanced appreciation of what I'd done.
I'm sort of still in that mode at the moment. The things I did and said are playing over in my mind and the analytical part of my brain is picking over them. Did I say the right thing? Did I embarass myself? Did I make a good impression?
The meetings I attended were both hardwork and exciting. I had to walk into a room full of smart people knowing that I'd be judged by everything I did and said. There was a sharp divide between genuine respect and false courtesy. Some people were openly respected, others were merely tolerated. Looking back now, I'm still not sure which group I fell into.
Away from the meetings, it was nice to get out into the world again. I'd also failed to realise how much of a comfort zone I'd fallen into at home. Getting out into a new environment seemed to wake up my senses again. It's interesting how friendly everyone seemed in Frankfurt. I'm not sure if it was really such a nice place, or if the people I met were simply reflecting my own behaviour. One thing I did notice was the body language and tone of voice. The cashiers at my local woolworths might say "how are you?" each time I arrive, but their voice and body language more often than not say they're just going through the motions. The German equivalents thew me completely. A sing-song "Tschüss!" had me convinced that everyone was good natured and friendly, until I realized the same tone of voice was used everytime. (Okay, so I did see a waitress get gruff with a group of English-speaking Singaporeans, and i did see a number of German-speakers arguing with shop assistants.") As usual, there was also the embarassment of realizing how well English-speakers were treated in Germany, compared with non-English speakers in Australia.
Some highlights? Ordering a meal in broken German and getting what I had in mind. Hearing a question and giving an answer, without having to think about it (although no doubt with flawed grammar - three separate genders don't give you very good odds). Sitting at an outdoor table on Fressgass, watching the world (as represented by visitors to Frankfurt) go by. Walking at night through the streets of Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, trying to remember the places I used to visit (okay, so it's not Germany, but it was on the same trip). Äpfelwein at the airport, knowing that the meeting was over and my job was done. Sharing a joke with a cashier with only about six words spoken. Lindt and Feodora and Coppeneur and Leysieffer (yes, not all of those are German either). Getting home again and getting a hug from Liem and giving him a yodelling bear (its voice a little hoarse from potentially yodelling in my suitcase all the way across Central Asia).
I feel like a part of me has woken up again.
I'd forgotten how exhilerating it can be and how alive it can make you feel afterwards. I'm still in a bit of an adjusting state after coming back.
When I was still playing soccer, I used to come off the field at the end of the game feeling frustrated every time. My mind would be filled with all the things I hadn't done or hadn't done properly. The things I would do the next time I got the ball, if only I could get the chance. Then, as I'd head home and start to think about the game, I'd start to remember all the good things I'd done. That pass, that tackle wasn't too bad, that move to get around the defender. Bit-by-bit, my mood would change and I'd start to get a more balanced appreciation of what I'd done.
I'm sort of still in that mode at the moment. The things I did and said are playing over in my mind and the analytical part of my brain is picking over them. Did I say the right thing? Did I embarass myself? Did I make a good impression?
The meetings I attended were both hardwork and exciting. I had to walk into a room full of smart people knowing that I'd be judged by everything I did and said. There was a sharp divide between genuine respect and false courtesy. Some people were openly respected, others were merely tolerated. Looking back now, I'm still not sure which group I fell into.
Away from the meetings, it was nice to get out into the world again. I'd also failed to realise how much of a comfort zone I'd fallen into at home. Getting out into a new environment seemed to wake up my senses again. It's interesting how friendly everyone seemed in Frankfurt. I'm not sure if it was really such a nice place, or if the people I met were simply reflecting my own behaviour. One thing I did notice was the body language and tone of voice. The cashiers at my local woolworths might say "how are you?" each time I arrive, but their voice and body language more often than not say they're just going through the motions. The German equivalents thew me completely. A sing-song "Tschüss!" had me convinced that everyone was good natured and friendly, until I realized the same tone of voice was used everytime. (Okay, so I did see a waitress get gruff with a group of English-speaking Singaporeans, and i did see a number of German-speakers arguing with shop assistants.") As usual, there was also the embarassment of realizing how well English-speakers were treated in Germany, compared with non-English speakers in Australia.
Some highlights? Ordering a meal in broken German and getting what I had in mind. Hearing a question and giving an answer, without having to think about it (although no doubt with flawed grammar - three separate genders don't give you very good odds). Sitting at an outdoor table on Fressgass, watching the world (as represented by visitors to Frankfurt) go by. Walking at night through the streets of Causeway Bay, Hong Kong, trying to remember the places I used to visit (okay, so it's not Germany, but it was on the same trip). Äpfelwein at the airport, knowing that the meeting was over and my job was done. Sharing a joke with a cashier with only about six words spoken. Lindt and Feodora and Coppeneur and Leysieffer (yes, not all of those are German either). Getting home again and getting a hug from Liem and giving him a yodelling bear (its voice a little hoarse from potentially yodelling in my suitcase all the way across Central Asia).
I feel like a part of me has woken up again.
