A complacent ‘business traveller’ ?

Being in Kiev for one night has been an odd experience. I literally arrived at lunch time, got in a car and taken to the hotel, and as I was already late, walked straight into the meeting I was there for. We stayed in the same room in this hotel until dinner, where we then went to eat. By this time, my best attempts to get colleagues to go into town so I could see some of Kiev were failing, we comprised and went for a drink at a local bar around the corner from the hotel. We all got talking and before I knew it it was time to sleep.

The next day; breakfast, then straight back into the meeting, which over ran, so I went straight from their into a taxi back into the airport.

Before then, I texted one of my best friends in the morning, moaning about the meetings, saying how bored I was. She replied saying however bored she was in the meetings, she’d be so happy and excited to be in Kiev.

She was so right.

Am I becoming complacent? So many of my friends, like her, would have loved to have been in my position – and here I was, moaning,

Had I not made the effort I should have to see Kiev? After all, when would I ever get back there? Had I missed a real opportunity? Was I taking for granted the great places I get to see with my job?

I know I am not becoming the complacent business traveller you have probably met and thought how much they miss by just ‘seeing the inside of the airport, a taxi and the hotel’, but this was a little wake-up call.

I am always so lucky that people in YMCA never let that happen, and are always such amazing hosts. But this was a wake up call for me that when you go somewhere for such a short time, make sure you appreciate every tiny bit it!

I do travel so much, and it does knacker me out and has real affects on my personal life back home, but I need to acknowledge the negatives, and in doing so also realise I am so so lucky and must savour every second of it.

Speechless

I realised in Kiev how important language was.

I admit I have been so busy before going that I didn’t have a chance to look up any words in Russian. I was only there two days, so was being lazy and thought I’d just try and get by. I’ve not learnt Russian before, so the language was completely new to me.

When I got there I really felt helpless, totally helpless in fact. I couldn’t even say hello or thank you to our driver who took us from the airport, and embarrassingly used English, hoping he’d realise that I wasn’t some language imperialist! I’ve always made such an effort to learn the basics of whatever language is spoken where I go. Creole, Hindi, Tamil, Zulu, Arabic, Hebrew…I’ve made a poor but committed effort to speak them all. But this time, going to Ukraine, I hadn’t, I’d been lazy. And boy did I feel so uncomfortable that I couldn’t manage even a few words in the language.

It made me think how people can go to places for weeks, and not be able to even say the basics needed to appear polite. Communication is so important and making the effort, however basic so vital to relationships.

I hope to not be ‘speechless’ again.

Smug vegetarian

I have officially become a smug one. I know I’m not a real one, I eat fish, and have no real moral leg to stand on…but still.

Flying to Kiev the airline had not ordered enough veggie meals. The staff were so apologetic, but as I could see my fellow passengers tucking into their food and thinking I was just being difficult and should just suffer the consequences for being so ‘fussy’.

So for about 30 minutes I began to doubt my vegetarianism as I sat like a social lepper, with my tray table down in front of me, empty, with no food, whilst everyone else tucked into their meat meals.

Self doubt…

Then the nice steward came back from first class with a veggie meal from first class especially for me. So there I was with my large tray, polished silver cutlery, real cotton serviette, feeling like the smuggest man on earth, as I tucked into my freshly cooked food, warm rolls, French chesses (veggie I am sure?!), freshly cut fruits and chocolate profiteroles.

Newcastle’s doors

I was in Newcastle this week, which is where we now have a new office.

Its really special for me as this is where I studied and spent 4 very happy years. I still go back every so often to visit friends, but to come here for work was a nice treat.

When i was there the city seemed to be consistently changing for the better. Every week there seemed to be a new restaurant, shop, bar or arts project! Its culture was also very distinct and rich, which is a rarity in England. It really felt distinctive.

Yet one change when i went back was not so much fun and i can’t quite get my head around it….

Newcastle has a fantastic ‘Metro’ system, linking the city to it to Sunderland, Tyneside and the surburbs of the city. It was famous though the city for it distinctive noise, everytime the doors close. If you’ve been there you’ll remember it

There is a loud ‘urrrrr’ sound, followed by the broadest geordie accent saying “Stand clear of the doors, please”.

Yet now, this has gone, replaced by a standard dull monotone voice simply saying ‘mind the doors’.

It got me thinking about how we seem to want to please by stripping everything away of our individuality and culture. Someone, somewhere has clearly decided that the voice was too broad and localised and wouldn’t be understood by us all.

Yet we have so little culture that is distinguishable and different, should’t we be celebrating difference, rather than trying to standardise everything? I guess I always struggle with culture here in the UK, espcially being ‘english’. The countries I work in have such rich proud cultures, which always make ‘home’ seem so deviod of anything that could meaningfully be called culture.

I know the sounds on the Metro doors is only a minor thing, and i’ve probably read too much into it, but it did make me think….