In recent times I have found that it is common for people from my demographic to have friends all over the world. Currently my friends have been stolen by America, Holland, Canada, France, Mexico, Scotland, New Zealand and finally the biggest friend thief of them all, England- specifically London! Once you combine all the communication technologies available it is a wonder we even notice people have left home soil. We can Skype, email, Facebook and text travelling friends as if they were living around the corner. In my parent’s generation if someone went travelling it basically meant that apart from the occasional postcard, those back home would rarely hear from their loved ones. This meant that a big farewell party was necessary. Having just completed roughly four years filled with 21st cellebrations I am now faced with “farewell party” season. Another welcomed excuse to drink too much, stay out all night and laugh as friends fly out of Sydney still tipsy following the events of the previous evening. For me, farewell parties such as these are followed by a day recovering, moping about how much I will miss my friend. Then, less than 24 hours later, text messages and phone calls begin roll in, alas, it’s as if they never left! I’m not complaining about this at all, in fact- I love it! Sitting up all night feels completely justified if you are talking to a friend overseas. Thanks to Facebook we can share in every traveler’s experience as photo updates serve to remind us of what we are missing out on. But what is the effect of this on those who stay home?
I sit here loving my job but not feeling as settled as I should. I can only link this to the after effects of the travel bug. I speak from experience. I am lucky to hold a passport full of stamps. I have been to roughly 100 cities in 15 countries. For me, the only thing threatening to uproot my newly planted career tree is exposure to the international adventures of my friends. I am in the habit of looking up flights all over the world as I procrastinate by dreaming about far away adventures. I feel that once issued with passports, patrons should receive the following warning.
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Does Sasha have a passport too?
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