The more I travel, the more I become convinced that there is no other place equally beautiful and fascinating like San Francisco. Here I feel at home, and since our return on Tuesday afternoon I'm on cloud nine.
Already midway through my recent South-East Asia trip I started feeling homesick and I couldn't wait to be back in the land of "Hi, How are you?," strangers complementing each other and starting random conversations that might lead to life-long friendships.
It's quite ironic, as six years ago when I first moved to the US, I was very skeptical towards everybody asking me how I was doing, and I felt it was shallow and meaningless. Well, my attitude has changed 180 degrees since then and now I think it's rude when people don't do it :) I'm a living example that San Francisco makes people soft: "Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft." Too late for me!
I even started to wonder what's the point of traveling if all what's best you can find in your own backyard? It doesn't mean that I'm going to completely stop traveling, but I don't think I'm going to embark on a longer world trip ever again. Being away from my favorite city for more than two months is simply heart-breaking (*). Because of that we also decided to cancel/postpone a 10-day long holidays in Hawaii that we had planned for the end of September. We'll have a better time here, enjoying the city and nature around it, reconnecting with our amazing friends, and getting immersed in work!
Speaking about work, things have worked out amazingly well for us. Anil's job waited for him those past five moths (how good he must be!), and he went back to it this last Wednesday, less than 24 hours after we landed... Somewhat more surprisingly, a perfect job also found me while we were on holidays! I wasn't looking for one, as I was planning to take several months off to work on my personal projects, but when this exciting job offer and great career-enhancing opportunity arrived at my doorstep, I simply couldn't say no. So as of the beginning of this month I've started working as a Director of Retail Marketing at a new and exciting tech start-up that you'll all soon hear about :)
(*) PS My trip and being away from San Francisco for so long made me fully understand where Tony Bennett was coming from when he wrote "I left my heart in San Francisco"
The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay
The glory that was Rome is of another day
I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan
I'm going home to my city by the Bay
I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care
My love waits there in San Francisco
Above the blue and windy sea
When I come home to you, San Francisco
Your golden sun will shine for me
(**) This is only one of more than hundred songs written about San Francisco, some became more popular than others.
Already midway through my recent South-East Asia trip I started feeling homesick and I couldn't wait to be back in the land of "Hi, How are you?," strangers complementing each other and starting random conversations that might lead to life-long friendships.
It's quite ironic, as six years ago when I first moved to the US, I was very skeptical towards everybody asking me how I was doing, and I felt it was shallow and meaningless. Well, my attitude has changed 180 degrees since then and now I think it's rude when people don't do it :) I'm a living example that San Francisco makes people soft: "Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft." Too late for me!
I even started to wonder what's the point of traveling if all what's best you can find in your own backyard? It doesn't mean that I'm going to completely stop traveling, but I don't think I'm going to embark on a longer world trip ever again. Being away from my favorite city for more than two months is simply heart-breaking (*). Because of that we also decided to cancel/postpone a 10-day long holidays in Hawaii that we had planned for the end of September. We'll have a better time here, enjoying the city and nature around it, reconnecting with our amazing friends, and getting immersed in work!
Speaking about work, things have worked out amazingly well for us. Anil's job waited for him those past five moths (how good he must be!), and he went back to it this last Wednesday, less than 24 hours after we landed... Somewhat more surprisingly, a perfect job also found me while we were on holidays! I wasn't looking for one, as I was planning to take several months off to work on my personal projects, but when this exciting job offer and great career-enhancing opportunity arrived at my doorstep, I simply couldn't say no. So as of the beginning of this month I've started working as a Director of Retail Marketing at a new and exciting tech start-up that you'll all soon hear about :)
(*) PS My trip and being away from San Francisco for so long made me fully understand where Tony Bennett was coming from when he wrote "I left my heart in San Francisco"
The loveliness of Paris seems somehow sadly gay
The glory that was Rome is of another day
I've been terribly alone and forgotten in Manhattan
I'm going home to my city by the Bay
I left my heart in San Francisco
High on a hill, it calls to me
To be where little cable cars climb halfway to the stars
The morning fog may chill the air, I don't care
My love waits there in San Francisco
Above the blue and windy sea
When I come home to you, San Francisco
Your golden sun will shine for me
(**) This is only one of more than hundred songs written about San Francisco, some became more popular than others.