jeudi, août 07, 2008  My mother was a Malaysian, and as a result of her nationality, I spent most of my childhood holidays en route to places with strange-sounding names, like Batu Gajah, Ipoh, Taiping, Perak, and Butterworth (whose name afforded many afternoons of childhood musing.)My acceptance of travelling as a way of life grew from that, I suppose. There was always another world out there, just beyond the border - or, in my case, the causeway (whose name still affords many afternoons of grown-up musing.) Travelling was simply a thing that you could do, and quite affordably if you didn't mind some occasional discomfort. From the acceptance of travelling as a way of life grew the love of travel - it became a puzzle, something to work out. How can one get from Point A to Point B in the cheapest way possible, while visiting Point C, D, and E located in between, and within 3 days? It's a challenge to fit it all in, and I've learnt a lot about what I prioritise in life because of these perpetual exercises - for example, I'd give up a good meal anytime for a packet of sandwiches, if it means I can save money for London theatre tickets at The Globe. I'd give up the upgrade to the air-conditioned train if it means I get to spend more money buying trinkets at Malaysian pasar malams. All these feed into my absolute joy at hearing excited stories from SX who just returned from a hard-won trip to Leipzig, Germany. The happiness of poring over the quintessential LP guidebook, the joy at finding accurate maps, the wonder at the scenery and architecture of a foreign city, the excitement of figuring out train times and ticket prices, the curiousity when meeting new friends from foreign lands, the awe that grows when you see your bros and sisters worshiping God together, the amazement when you find out that you read the same crappy websites, the agony of eating bread and butter to save money, the slight fear at not being able to afford it all when you come back and pay it off... ...but above all, the absolute delight in enjoying God's creation. Grief shared is grief halved, and joy shared is multiplied exponentially. I am so glad that my absolute glee at travelling is now multiplied manifold. [The love of travelling] |
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