Post-Travel Blues: Now What?

So it's been some time since you got back from a long trip, you finally managed to get used to your old surroundings (dare I say: back in your pre-travel routine?), there is no longer that sense of wonder and amazement from the people around you. The pictures have been edited and posted on your wall, the different version of the same stories have been told, the same questions have been answered.

Now what?

If you're like me, and your original plan of travelling indefinitely did not work out the way you wanted, your mind is in on 'back to the drawing board' mode. Because I will admit, when I left for Argentina, my plan was not to come back home...so soon. My dream was to live the expat life, in a completely different and new culture. So, now is the time to evaluate and think over what it is I did right and what I need to improve on for my next adventure.

So what happened?

To start, I have to be very honest. Buenos Aires was a bit of a let down for me. For as long as I can remember, I have been dreaming of the day that I would finally make my way to Argentina. I read so many bloggers' account of their time in the 'Paris of South America', and it sounded like a fantasy world. But my personal account differed. Granted, I enjoyed my fair share of cheap wine and steak, stuffed my belly with delicious medialunas and empanadas (the best I've had while in South America), met some lovely people and fell in love with tango. I even learned to embrace (and now miss) castellano and  how everyone greet each other - one kiss on the right cheek.  Ultimately though, it wasn't enough to make me want to stay (maybe come back to visit...one day). I thought this trip was going to be the 'love at first sight', but the initial sense of wonder quickly dissipated into the depleted infrastructures, the unwanted attention and ill-displaced gifts to nature (I'm talking about dog poo here!). Buenos Aires is far from perfect, and in that aspect, it is no different from other major cities (e.g. in Montreal, construction sites = hell!) It was just not where I could see myself making a home, as permanent or temporary as it could be. I felt more at home in other cities (San Francisco, Barcelona, Beijing?!).

Strangely enough though, I now find myself comparing Montreal to Buenos Aires; I surprise myself when I start a sentence by: 'But in Buenos Aires, they do it that way...' which is a slippery slope. It only makes it harder to be at peace with the fact that I am no longer in that not-so-magical-place that I learned to appreciate, in spite of its shortcomings.

This trip was far from a complete lost. I cannot put a value on all that I have experienced in the 3 months I spent in Buenos Aires and South America. So I took a leap of faith...and fell short. But you know how the saying goes ' Fall 7 times, stand up 8'. So Argentina and I were not a match made in expat heaven? Maybe the timing wasn't right or I'm just not that into BsAs. Who knows. What I do know is that there are dozens of countries I want to visit. And maybe one of them will be a perfect match!

“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall. ” - Vince Lombardi Jr.