Snapshots of Life!

Sabbatical Part I - Closure

Professors take sabbaticals to the most random places. I'm not sure why they do it but the idea of being able to disappear for 6 months to a new place "for a break" sounds excellent to me. And so that is what I did... I went on a "sabbatical" from life.

So after ending my time with Mindvalley (in May), I embarked on a trip to the states...something which I had been planning since Feb this year. It might not have been the most rational decision given that I was making MYR (ringgits) and spending in USD, but for some reason...I don't think I really got to "say good-bye" to the place where I spent a good number of years as a young adult. Perhaps it was driven by several unfulfilled desires - my attempt to address my regrets and areas where I felt like I had failed in.

In retrospect, I'm glad I did it (despite the financial constraints). In the 6 days that I was in Singapore before heading to the States, I was feeling very out of place. I missed my friends in Malaysia, and has dreams about being back at Mindvalley. The heat seemed more oppressive in Singapore even though it was only 4.5 hours away by car from KL. Thankfully the disconnect didn't last too long and I got to LA relieved and excited all at once.

The weirdest thing about the whole experience was that I actually felt like "I was home"...or rather back to where things were familiar once again. The space, the cool weather, the ease of banter with random people on Amtrak and at the airport, getting answers when you asked, and the usual neurosis that's come to define America.

And I partied...like there was no tomorrow. I'm not sure if it was to make up for all those months in Malaysia...but my friend, Jo made sure I was out every night at a different club. We even battled a nasty 3 hr traffic snarl and crawled into LA to visit some warehouse club. Later on, I told my girlfriends that I had been to clubbing bootcamp and back. It made getting over my 12 hour jet-lag a wee bit easier. I don't remember having had so much fun the last time I was in California...that was when I was 19, and got a lovely citation from some cop in Santa Barbara to remember my West coast experience. :T

The company makes all the difference no matter where you are. :)

Anyway, the later leg of my trip took me to the Mid West and East Coast where I got to catch up with more friends. Of course, there were folks I didn't get to see and if you're reading this --> I'm sorry!...once again, I was reminded that budget travel meant sacrificing several luxuries and I don't think i would have made it very far if not for my closest friends who let me crash in their apartments!

The cool part of this trip was that I had plenty of quiet time to think about where I was in life and where I wanted to be. As I write this 2.5 months after the trip, now I know that things didn't work out the way I wanted it to be. At that point, I was seriously contemplating life in the Middle East and working to make things happen. But a series of disagreements with the organization in the last few weeks meant that life in the Middle East will have to wait...for now.

Looking back, the trip was one of many firsts.... Most importantly, it allowed me to achieve closure on certain chapters in my life, as well as create new memories to replace the past. By the time I left, I felt like I had released the ghosts within and was finally at peace.

posted by Li'er @ 1:14 PM