Memories awakened

I was in Boston once. It was snowing and bitterly cold, with temperatures that were nothing like you'd ever experience on the worst Sydney winter day. At least the cold was refreshing after living in planes and airport lounges for the past 20 hours. It was my first solo trip overseas and I had just checked into my nondescript hotel, the cheapest accommodation work could arrange. Typical. The small room was well heated thankfully, but remained feeling as sterile as the cold beige hallways that led me there.


The night outside was frozen to stillness. It was late and cold enough that no-one, except those with pressing need, braved the street. Snug in my room and relieved that the travel was over, I called home, dialling +61 to Australia, to reassure my family that I had arrived safely. After all, the first anniversary of 9/11 had passed not long ago and fears of a fresh attack were still lingering in peoples minds. The near empty United Airlines aircraft I had travelled on were a testament to that fear. The media was in a frenzy over the impeding war.

Sitting alone in my motel room, I tried to avoid pondering over the busy days ahead. Uncertainty and a sense of pessimistic inevitability threatened to dominate the eagerness in my thoughts of the work I was sent over to complete. Ultimately, my memories of that 2 week visit are filled with immense stress, pressure and satisfaction that was associated with surviving the 12-18 hour working days. During that time, I was absolutely pushed to my limits of physical and mental endurance. With the work done, I returned to Australia with a feeling of achievement, a greater sense of independence and more importantly, a fresh new stamp in my passport.

That was quite a few years ago. Now I'm back in Boston. Not for days, but for years this time around. My passport may have acquired a few more stamps, but the familiar mix of uncertainty and eagerness that I experienced during my first Boston trip remain. The war in Iraq still wages, but I've certainly changed over the years. On this trip, there's more at stake. It's not only work that I must conquer, but also a new life to establish.

Bring it on.