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October 14, 2005
Boredom and the Foreign Guy
To those who don’t know me well my lifestyle may seem rather idyllic. I don’t work, I pursue academics only part time and so am gifted with a great deal of free time. To this I say, “the grass is always greener on the other side”. I envy those who attend full time studies or hold down work. For all the down sides, a dependable income is nothing to scoff at.
Mostly, what I want to talk about is the idea of boredom in a foreign country. For all the sites and splendour, it happens, especially if mobility is a concern. I can think of a half dozen things I’d like to do in Edinburgh alone but none of them are really spur of the moment activities. Climbing Calton hill or taking a bus tour involve planning and a certain amount of preparation for me. Money, schedules, pain levels, weather and the like have to be considered. I love doing these sorts of afternoon trips or day trips to interesting Castles and Abbeys but they are not the answer to too many quiet afternoons.
The other facet of boredom in a foreign country is that linking up with friends, be it a regular get together or spontaneous doesn’t happen. Friends are in a different time zone of significant separation. Meeting new friends is great but takes time. Depending on how out going a person is it can take more or less time.
Boredom also carries another facet that many friends and I have talked about. Objects at rest tend to stay at rest. At this moment I can think of a half dozen activities I could be doing. None of them are exceptionally inspiring but they would keep me busy. Instead my afternoon has been spent in front of the computer. Logical this may not be, but when you’re doing things and energised it becomes much easier to do those less inspiring tasks, like dishes.
Rereading this post, boredom really doesn’t change a lot even in a foreign country. The sites are less a cure than one might assume at first glance and isolation does play a factor. The rest is pretty much the same. Keeping active and doing things is really the best cure wherever you are. If in doubt there’s always a blog post to write and as some of my readers know I should probably do more of those.
cheers
Posted by Bluerevolutionist at October 14, 2005 05:12 PM