keithslater.net

Once again it's been a while and once again I am on an aircraft. This is (hopefully) my last business trip with my present company. As I have explained before, flying on a weekly basis may seem a glamorous job, indeed I have had people saying 'ooh, you jetsetter you', however the reality is far from glamorous. Getting up at 0500, staying in hotels, living out of a suitcase, eating room service food half the time and then getting home at around 0100 - sound glamorous? I thought not.

I am certainly having no second thoughts professionally about the move. I see this as a forward step and am looking forward to it immensely. Another plus point is that this is the first time in 5 years I have had that 'work wind down'. You know the sort I mean - last few weeks and although I will do my job until the day I leave there is just a little less stress, enough to make your job fun. You spend a lot of time discussing your move with people in the corridors, people who would probably not usually even acknowledge your existence.

The only second thoughts I am having are personal ones. I have made some great friends since I have been here in Munich. Some of them I know I will see again, some of them I will strive to take with me to my new job and some I may see again. With close friends it is easy to stay in touch, with more casual friends you tend to drift apart. Sad to say I know but fact. I believe you only make 3 or 4 real friends in your life, I mean friends who you could truly depend on and who will keep in touch. I would say I have made 1, maybe 2 of them in Munich. There are a handful of people who I would say are good friends but do not fall into the above category. I am afraid to say I will not miss many of the German people. I don't think it is the German people per se, perhaps just the Bavarians. They can be incredibly arrogant, bigoted and lazy. My parents were based in RAF Laarbruch up North on the Dutch/German border and the people there were nothing like the people here. They had fun there - here, you look around and see miserable faces, fur coats and BMWs (don't get me started on BMWs).

Finally my references are sorted out. A big thankyou to Annie who more than helped here. Cheers mate. That said I should get my contract within a few days and then I am ready to go. Need to book the tunnel, buy some new travel boxes for the bunnies and that should be that.

posted by keith @ 17:56 Comments: 3