Back to the UK for a Week of Hectiness
There is one good thing about being an expat and that is when you come back to your home country, people are genuinely happy to see you.
Well, that’s not entirely true. Some people, despite living only a few minutes drive from each other, you might not see for more than a year. Your absence and your subsequent arrival will not be heralded as the “great return” you had imagined. Of course, when you do eventually tell them about your absence due to “Hong Kong calling”, they do muster some excitement.
It’s as if you’ve been to the hell and back, interacted with the oh-so-feared “locals” and well, congratulations on surviving and making it back. Not that I have any experience of such, but I’d imagine it would be the same reception one would get after a short stint in jail (go ask Kalle).
Anyway, this trip to London originally started off as a short trip. I was due to only be in London for three or four days. Luckily, because of the Chinese Ching Ming Festival (Chinese have to sweep their ancestors graves), I managed to trade three days holidays with 10 days more or less. Us boys in marketing are smart, eh?
Anyway, not nearly enough time. I realised one thing, and this is partly more to do with entering the working world, and that is people take their holidays at different times. This does mean that other people are likely to be working while you’re sunning your arse off. It’s only an accentuated feeling when you are an expat.
Of course, some of my friends remain unemployed and hence its a nice reminder of the time that once used to be (student life, in English). And some, like my friend Chantal, who tells me she works only three or four days a month, makes me more envious than anything else. But as they say, “nice work, if you can get it”.
But in any case, juggling between family and girlfriend, and friends, a week was not going to cut it. In fact, I’m sure that all three groups (exception of my girlfriend, who is not a “group” although I wish it were) were not too entirely happy with how much time I really did spend with each.
All I can say is that it was good to see all of those that I did manage to see, albeit briefly. I expect to see some of you in HK soon, you know who you are. Those who I didn’t, well, it was a shame but there is always tomorrow.
A longer trip is short listed for August or September. I promise to spend more time with each of you etc and not to pile you all into a single birthday party.
