A Stick Of Gum

Well we are in the second week of January and it is fair to say that Christmas is well and truly over. That may not be quite the case for some folks I know who have a couple more days of celebrating on the beach to go, but for most normal people, it is a distant memory now.

Our Christmas was excellent once we eventually got to Canada. Good times, with good food, good drink, and good friends and family. You cannot really ask for much more. It was a little short after the cancellations and delays, but HJ and I were just happy to have gotten there. That said, waking up on Christmas Day in a hotel was slightly surreal, but the fantastic free cooked breakfast made up for it.

Our return back to Switzerland was less eventful though there was one moment that sticks in my mind. We had to take a shuttle from Freeport to Halifax – a small minibus if you will – that squeezes around eight people including a driver in. The journey was smooth and pleasant apart from an hour in when the chap behind me found a piece of chewing gum in his pocket. I have mentioned before that I consider myself to be a relatively easy going fella, but somebody chewing gum in my ear is one of those things that will bug me until the cows come home. It is irrational in some ways though I have yet to meet somebody who loves the sound of gum being chewed in their ear lug. I well and truly hate it. With a passion. It got me randomly thinking about what annoys other people. If I chew gum in your ear, will that annoy you as much as it does me? And if not, what things really really annoy you?

Living abroad has many advantages but Christmas time is always a tricky and difficult situation, filled with highs, and then ultimately the final low. Going home is great, and means the world to most folks. Leaving is tough. Apart from the odd whinge about some attitudes in Switzerland, we are pretty lucky to have the lifestyle that we have. I notoriously hate saying goodbyes however. The worst ever was when my mum and dad dropped me off at Liverpool University back in September 1998, the first time I had ever lived away. The car pulled away as I marched off to my Halls of Residence with my note book and pen and as I turned back, Mum mouthed ‘I love you’ through the window. An absolute killer for me. It certainly gets easier the more I come and go, and it definitely makes seeing my family much more enjoyable when I do get to spend time with them all. But it is never easy and I feel for everybody who goes through it.

I deal with it by thinking of the next time I will see them. It comes as no surprise to anybody to see me online searching for flights, planning my next trip. It is not always possible to do, but if I can have that next trip in mind or booked, it makes the world of difference to know when I will see them again. I would recommend that to anybody to solve the early new year blues. Alternatively, if you cannot afford the flight or have the time to take off work, buy a pack of gum and hand it to the guy sat behind you on the bus, and you will feel a different emotion.