At Passport Controls

I have been travelling so much that I can literally wake up in the morning, not remembering where I am at that moment in time.

OK.  That doesn't mean I haven't got the time to blog.  No excuse really because precisely, as I have been travelling to different countries, I should be incredibly inspired. 

And I am.  By the immigration process. 


So often a scary or tedious thing for travellers is it not?  I mean just imagine, an unidentified officer can fire at you with a variety of questions such as the duration of the visit and for the sake of what (can't they read what I wrote in the form?)  And quite often people can feel uncomfortable when these creatures watch faces intently as he/she matches the photo on the passport stamp.

I have been reasonably inspired.   I am fascinated by the fact that certain sounds in nature are beyond the range of human hearing - like the “ thank you” spoken by the immigration officer at passport controls.

 

Shouldn't they be glad someone is visiting their country?  The influx of foreigners are actually the ones keeping them in their jobs.  And I am thinking, perhaps a thank you would be nice, or a return of a smile if the former is too much to ask.  

It Is Good To Wait

The fact that we inhabit time with a past and a future, we end up sticking our neck out, waiting for something, someone, all the time. 

Standing in line, waiting to be served. Often to our disappointment and frustration.

I wasn't sure I had much to say about waiting in a positive light when really - waiting is a painful consequence of someone's bad decisions, is it not?    Doesn't help when our fast food culture of two-in-one shampoo or three-in-one skincare treatments are making us more and more impatient.  Yes.  They even managed to stuff seven years of high school into six nowadays! 

Oh Wait.  We Forgot.

We forgot how notoriously romantic it can be when you are in the wait.  

"I turn on my computer. I wait patiently as it connects. I go online."  Do you remember that Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan movie - set precisely in the era of using a 56K modem to get hooked online?

And what happened to the anticipation for a snail mail to arrive?  Do you recall that excitement when the postman handed you with the one letter you have been waiting for?  And does anyone remember the relish of queuing up for a movie ticket?   Anyone does that any more?   Anyone still with me so far?

We certainly have more conveniences, not a doubt.   I mean, all I need is a smartphone and I can order my groceries, grab my movie tickets, check-in my flight, saving me heaps of time queuing in various places for all these otherwise. 

The paradox is...if the fast food culture we are living in represents time efficiency and instant gratification, why are we constantly feeling the lack of time?  

I stumbled upon this paradoxical thought when I was stuck inside a plane (with no 3G or Wi-Fi network).  The amount of time one spent in "queuing" and "waiting" in airports is indeed - an incredible amount of time.  Worsened of course when you have no internet to fiddle with. 

We should appreciate the beauty of idle time - use that wisely to pause and reflect on our priorities and what is the most needed.  Waiting - won't appear to be so bad after all.