I wish everyone a wonderful new year!! I haven’t even opened my blog site in almost a month now.
Thanks to everyone that’s visited my blog and sorry for not even reading any comments let alone writing replies. I dunno if it’s writers block or just lack of motivation. The latter I think.
Here’s a picture from Bangkok as I was there for a few days last month shopping!!
The new year brings many challenges. Going back to Europe will be the biggest one in the coming months for me. Almost 2 years ion Asia now and I guess I’m so used to the way of life here that I might be in for a massive culture shock back in Berlin and London.
Reasons for going back are of course to spend time with my daughter, family and very close friends. And just as important I need to earn a bundle of joyful cash so I can get back here to Cambodia and continue living my life in joy and piece:-)!!
The downside (okay, there are many to going back but the biggest one…) is I’ll be leaving my partner here. And I don’t think I’ll be coming back for at least a year. I’ve also got family matters in Bangladesh to deal with. In Europe not seeing a partner for that long is unthinkable. In many Asian countries the wife not seeing the husband for anything between 1-10 years is totally accepted as the husband goes off to various economically better off countries to earn money and send remittances to support his family.
I’m no stranger to long distance relationships but this isn’t a quick plane ride away like between countries in Europe. And of course the possibility exists that one of us will meet someone else. It’s a hard battle to beat off fear with the power of love. That love doesn’t primarily come from a partner but from our hearts. And the fear comes from past hurts and stupid thoughts in our heads that we suddenly deem as ‘reliable information’ just like Bush’s ‘weapons of mass destruction’ doctrine. The mind needs to be kept busy so it doesn’t have time to come up with stupid wasteful debilitating thoughts of all the negative possible outcomes. And I will be busy aplenty in Europe-I don’t know yet which country I’ll be living in-depends totally on where I can get a decent job.
So who knows where this relationship will go?? We both want to be together regardless of time and distance apart. That’s a start. I guess we’ll see…….!!
I’ve missed you!
The words you say are so inspiring to me. It’s so refreshing to read someone else’s thoughts about life and love and relationships, especially from a cultural perspective. I absolutely agree, one must keep their mind and body busy in order not to obsess over stupid crap 😀
You are the best, and good luck in your upcoming travel and family time.
Yep!! So true!! Of course much easier said than done. The stronger the love, the bigger the obsession and fear of losing that person. I haven’t had a look at your yet. Lotsa blog catching up to do. Look forward to it!!
Thank you very much!! Your thoughts/feedback are as always worth gold!!
We’ve spent time apart, and geographically apart with countries and thousands of miles apart on different continents. Here in Gib, many people work while their families are in Morocco. In the UK, as you’ll know, men worked while their families remained in India and Pakistan. It’s a pretty common practice, and perhaps more widely understood than we all realise. Good luck for the coming year.
A huge percentage of Bangladeshi men who go abroad don’t come back to Bangladesh to their families for many, many years. I was fortunate enough to be born with a passport to the freedom of the west. At the moment the thought is daunting because we can hardly spend a day apart!
Thanks a lot!!
I hear that.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” and all the little quippy quotes are hardly consoling when you think/feel that you have found your match and now there is a possibility that the relationship may not make it through the allotted time apart…
The only words of wisdom that actually help me, that I use as my mantra in situations like this:
“Who ever is for you, wont go past you.”
My grandmother and my mother have spouted that saying at me more times than I can count…and with good reason.
They have also been so inclined to remind me that people are in my life for a reason, a season or a lifetime. Each with equal importance.
I have learned, all I can do is my part in keeping the flame alive…the rest is up to the other person and a little fate from the gods (whether one can prove the existence of ‘fate’ or not is irrelevant…just acknowledging that there are things beyond our individual control).
Anyway, I wish you and your love many blessings…we can use all the blessings we can get these days…especially with regards to matters of the heart.
Peace, Love & Uncertainty.
-me
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your kind words, blessings and advice!!
Your grandmother’s quote I have been following for half my life during many unhappy, unfulfilled or just plain non-existent love situations! It is soo true!!
I can only wait and see. I will do my best to keep the flame alive and I will surely make many mistakes, but what I do right will hopefully far outweigh them!!
Lots of Peace and Love to you too!!