Some time ago I wondered whether I’d be a victim of reverse culture shock being at home in Dubai after 18 months of living and traveling in Europe. Much thanks to all those readers who offered their advice on dealing with it.
Having been here 10 days now, I’m not sure if it’s reverse culture shock, but these have been my most repeated thoughts:
- “How did I live here for 8 years?”
- “I love living on the road and not having concrete plans. I want to be floating as long as possible.”
- “I never want a 9-6 corporate job again. But how long can I wing my vagabonding stint without being poor my whole life? What about 10 years from now? Do I want to continue living abroad and traveling on a shoe-string when I’m 40? Perhaps I need to try following the 4-Hour Work Week ideology.”
- “Do people party like maniacs in Dubai on Monday nights because they want to escape the reality of their corporate life? Why don’t they save that AED45 (approx.$12) they pay per shooter and travel over the weekend instead?
- “Am I choosing to live in Madrid / vagabond to escape responsibilities as long as possible?
- “For the last 2 years, everything in my life has been unstable: city of residence, job, income, and boyfriend. It’s been exhilarating and awesome, but I’ve also often felt like a mess, a complete disaster. Do I need to stabilise at least one of those factors, for my mental stability if nothing else? Perhaps I should look at making Madrid my home?”
- “It really doesn’t matter, I will deal with issues when I have to, pre-empting issues is just silly.”
- “I’m 28 and loving life. But I’m totally off a career track, blogging/writing doesn’t comfortably pay bills and I refuse to wait tables again!”
- “Perhaps I should go to grad school.”
- “Life is too short to be doing what you “should” rather than what you “want”. I’m lucky to have the means to do what I want, I’d be a fool to not make the most of it.”
Yup, even vagabonding has its ups and downs. I think these thoughts are healthy though. It’s always good to pause for a bit and comtemplate what you’ve been up to, especially when you’ve chosen an unconventional path.
I’ve been surrounded by many people I love and have shared these thoughts and got nothing but support and advice from different perspectives. And, I still believe that everything has its way of falling into place…so it’s all good I guess. No?
June 16th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
I wish I’d discovered your blog sooner. I spent two months in Venice and Bellagio and I hated to come “home” to San Francisco. I’m in my early 50′s and I’ve traveled to lots of destinations but I’ve never traveled the way I’d like to…going for a year or two. I did spend a year in England…wonderful! I was working but met some great people. I’m definitely coming back to read more. Thanks so much!
June 17th, 2008 at 7:52 am
As a former wanderer and college counselor, I had many of the same discussions with family and friends at around the same age. Staying in one place can be just as interesting as traveling all the time. I loved my time in the Pocono’s, and exploring its nooks and crannies was part of the fun of being there. Small coffee shops, rare book sellers, and waterfalls only the locals knew right off the Appalachian trail, etc. I also waited tables for most of my adult life, and took a 60% pay cut from serving to get a new career. It worked out well, but mostly I learned financial aid to get a free Master’s degree. This diploma was supposed to lead to yet another line of work afterward. That didn’t happen, but I’m pleased nonetheless. It’s been nine years; let’s hope I’m happy. Losing the merry chaos of the hospitality industry for an office job was a shock, and moving home to Westchester County was reverse culture shock in the extreme. When I moved away, I promised myself I would never return to my home town, which is as money and status obsessed as any area I’ve encountered. Still, I have prospered in ways I could not have imagined by coming back. These choices weren’t easy, but developing some stability and staying put has its own subtle rewards. As far as your specific questions, I am qualified to answer only one: Grad school may have its merits, but begin with your goal in mind. Don’t go with only the vague notion of earning a degree or using it as a way to force yourself to focus on the future. I don’t know the tuition structure where you would be attending, so I can’t comment on how much it would cost.
June 18th, 2008 at 3:52 pm
It is interesting to see you dealing with these questions after having travelled for a while. I am in the process of preparing for a year long trip starting in October. It will probably require me to quit my job. Even though I have prepared by saving money, getting vaccinated, etc, I still think about these same issues you list in your post.
I thought it would be something I wouldn’t have to deal with after (and if) I made the decision to go.