Show Good Then Bad Then Good Again

view from mount wellington in Hobart, TAS

After 4 months and a week or working in the kingdom, my first vacation finally arrived. Even more exciting, I went to Australia to visit my partner. I started counting down the days about 9 weeks before I left. Surprisingly, the time flew by.

Leading up to the vacation there were a few items all employees have to arrange. The first is an exit re-entry visa which is provide by my employer for a fee of $55 CAD. You have to apply for the visa 2 weeks prior to departure and it is crucial to leave the country. Without it, I am stuck here. A week before I left I had to pick up my passport for which I traded in my Iqama (residency card). A few days before I left, I booked hospital transport to bring me to and pick me up from the airport.

After a long flight through India and Bangkok – I found a cheap flight but it took me around the world, I finally arrived in Tasmania. Jesse and I started our 3 weeks of fun traveling to Sydney.

I wasn't sure what to expect once I arrived back in the 'real world'. Would it be shocking to me? Would I feel extremely happy to be 'free'? In general I found it was the same as any vacation, the tough or bad part arrived as I approached leaving Australia to return to Saudi Arabia.

The good was the entire vacation as well as the time leading up to my first exit from the Kingdom. It was nice to have something to look forward to and super exciting as I was on route. While away, Jesse and I drove around the north and west coast of Tasmania. We saw a platypus, Tasmanian devil, pet a koala and fed kangaroos (in a sanctuary). We drank delicious cider made by friends of Jesse's at Dicken's Cider and delicious local beer. We wandered around Melbourne for hours taking in the art that is everywhere! And the many free sights the city has to offer. We spent the last week in Sydney relaxing, visiting with Holly (Jesse's sister) and house-sitting for a friend of Jesse's. I ran, enjoyed goofing around with Jesse and drinking real good coffee.

The bad part arrived a few days before I was about to leave Australia and lasted, oddly enough, until I returned to work. The thought of leaving Jesse yet again and having to go back to a country that is challenging to live and work in was overwhelming. You see when you are dreading something all you can remember are the negative aspects. I had lived here for 4 months and I knew exactly what I was returning to. To make matters worse there was a problem en-route through India on my cheap flight. I had a stopover in Delhi before flying to Mumbai and then back to Jeddah. In Delhi I followed the signs to domestic transfers to find myself at the customs counter but I didn't have a visa. If you are Canadian and have traveled to India you know that you have to have a visa to enter the country and you can not obtain a visa on arrival. I knew I needed a visa to go to India, but I wasn't going to India, only traveling through. As it turns out I needed a visa to leave the international terminal and go to the domestic terminal! I went to the airways and was told, "ma'am you are in big trouble, you will have to fly back to Singapore!" Long storey short, I was able to book another flight to Jeddah and cancel the connection in Mumbai. Lesson learned, if you have a domestic connection en-route, you will have to clear customs to catch the second flight so make sure you have a visa. Or even easier, don't book the flight!!!

The good returned once I was in Jeddah and especially once I returned to work. I am fortunate to have a lovely housemate, friends, and co-workers. It was nice to see everyone and catch up. Now a week has passed and I am right back in the swing of things. Work is busy and crazy as always but I have started as the primary pediatric OT, although challenging it is a welcomed change. It's now the weekend and I am enjoying the quiet relaxing downtime. It is nice to be back and really, it's fine here. Plus I go to Jordan with my mom in 4 weeks!

I had heard from friends that once they returned from their first vacation, everything all the sudden became clear. They knew if they could last the year and found clarity with their life direction. One friend said to me before I went away that she " got back from her first vacation and all of a sudden it was clear exactly what I needed to do in my life." It sounds so funny but I had the exact same experience while I was traveling back. I knew that I would be able to last the year, maybe two but that ultimately I need to go back to Canada. It is easy to think about all the grand and adventurous things you can do with your life. However, as I saw on my way back to Jeddah, that adventure comes with its own set of challenges. I am not saying don't do it, just the opposite, go out, explore, enjoy, experience the world but ultimately everyone needs to go home.