I wanna travel the world ...

Coming back from Taipei reminded me how much I love travelling and exploring new places. Sure, I go out of Singapore at least once a year, but its always to places I have already been to.... namely AUSTRALIA!

Exploring a new city, taking in the sights, sounds and smells of a foreign land, learning their culture, taking their transportation, admiring their fashion, their language, etc has once again reminded me of my love for anthropology and culture. The very reason why I studied Sociology and Social Geography in university.

Deep within me, I have a strong desire, an urge to get out of this city state, this place in which I call myself a citizen of. My colleague has been given an opportunity to teach English in Laos for a month, and I envy her. My sec sch friend is currently working in Sydney. My JC mate is applying for architectural jobs in the UK. My friend is moving to Khazahstan to work in August. My church friend is moving to US to further his studies for at least the next 5 years.

I envy them all.

I too want to live a life away in another place, another country, somewhere where no one knows me, somewhere where i can start my life afresh, anew. Somewhere where i can experience life, where i can live life. Where there ain't people I need to worry about, cycles i keep getting trapped in.

Perhaps i'm just being idealistic that things would be different in a different place.

But I just want to live my dream. And yet, it seems so difficult to attain it.

I can never forget my 1st mission exposure experience in 2002. Being with the children in a rural town up the hills in Myanmar. Playing games, singing songs with them. Their wide-eyed innocence untainted by the world. Their simplicity in their words, actions, thoughts, lifestyle. Their generousity; I remember the way they would spend their little money to buy gifts for us when we were leaving. Things like little hairclips. Their meals consist of glutten, rice and lots of vegetables, but because we were guests, there was always chicken on the table. I can never forget my toes turning blue in the bathtub because we forgot to tell the hotel staff to heat up the water. (to get hot water, we need to inform them 2 hrs prior to bathtime so that they can heat up the water with charcoal at the central watertank..haha) I relish the mornings where one gets awakened by the crowing of the rooster and the smell of crisp fresh air. I love the rickety wooden lorry-bus which serves as our means of transport.

The experience planted in me a great desire to return back there one day to teach the children.

I never did ... I'd like to think "not yet anyway..."

But it paved the way towards my willingness to travel 2 hrs up to Kluang, Johor to teach English to M'sian adults every Friday a few years back. Their eagerness to learn, and their hospitality and friendliness really made the travelling there worthwhile. The experience I gained thru' it was immeasurable... even when the ministry failed to take flight.

I guess I've always wanted to do that.

To go somewhere else, to dwell with people different from me, yet the same.

I want to see the world.

In the aeroplane, looking down at the tiny islands, the sea, the mountains ... I feel that there's so much I've not yet known, not yet seen, not yet experienced.

You know what I really feel like doing?
I feel like quitting my job at the end of the year and just Fly.