I took the weekend off from writing and went up to Dauphin to attend my Uncle’s birthday. You might wonder why I haven’t taken off to warmer climes given that my original plan was to stay in Winnipeg for only a week or so and then head down to the States. Well, I figured that my current job in China has me bouncing all over the place so if I didn’t have to move, I wouldn’t.
It’s interesting though, that this feeling has crept into my own thinking. “I’m tired” basically sums it all up and reminds me why I went to China in the first place: I was tired of moving around so much. I’m enjoying these longer periods of staying in one place. Further, there are have been so many times that I’ve come back to Winnipeg and immediately I thought about leaving again. This time, since I will be leaving again anyway, I can focus more on being here in the moment. Overall, this vacation is a time to recharge.
It’s been a good run. On January 1, 2019, it’ll mark ten years since I basically left Winnipeg for greener pastures (which involved moving to South Korea to teach ESL). Since then I’ve been to some 30+ countries, lived in a few of them, had jobs in others, and been back to Winnipeg a few times. My neices are certainly older and it’s good to spend time with them now when they’re interested in seeing me, but give them a few years and they’ll no longer want to hang out with their uncles. I mean, how often do I call up or visit any of MY Uncles or Aunts?
I’ve seen a similar occurrence with the other travel bloggers out there (not that I really consider myself a travel blogger), many of whom got their start around 2008/2009 during the great financial crisis. Now that they’ve travelled a lot, met others, and spent most of their travellings living out of a backpack, they’re getting tired. They want homes or at least a place to call home. I can’t say I really need to find “the place” to “settle down in” but it sure is nice to have at least one place (and not my parents’ house) to keep coming back to. China is it for now, I’ve been there for just less than four years and, though my current job isn’t permanent, I’ll probably be there for a few more years at least.
Here’s a quick thought: I had $10,000 in savings when I left Winnipeg the first time. Had I kept that money in the bank and carried on here in Winnipeg, it’d be worth anywhere from $10,252.83 (at 0.25% per year) or, if I kept adding $1000 a year, it could be worth $20,391.37. Sure, if I added even more, maybe $10,000 a year, then it would be worth $111,638.20, a nice sum of money. But, I don’t see or hear anyone saving that kind of money.
The one thing I could’ve done is to have bought a house. When I left Winnipeg I could’ve put a downpayment on a house worth about $180,000 and that house would’ve gained in value about 4% per year since then, which would mean that it would be worth somewhere near $266,000 now. Not bad. But, that would’ve meant I would be in Winnipeg and, not in South Korea, Cambodia, Ukraine, Australia, or even China soooo, you know, choices.
But that’s just money. Anyway, for now, I’m content where I am and content to have a “staycation” even thought I did hop across the pond.