The Best / Worst Assignment Ever
December 5, 2008
In an effort to try to satisfy the desire to have a legitimate job (and not be a homeless vagabond eating spaghetti every night) while continuing to chase the dream of seeing the world, I ended up working in travel almost two years ago. I know it sounds good, but in actuality, I’m sitting in my cramped cubicle right now without a single window in sight. It’s a place so depraved, that it gravitates from far too warm to freezing cold in the span of a single afternoon. I type away at my computer eight hours a day and fantasize about a life filled with the kinds of travel adventures my parents had in their 20s and I try to stay optimistic. The prospect that one day I too will see the world and experience all that life has to offer outside of this teeny, non- temperature controlled environment is out there, and it’s taunting me. While we’re on the topic of torture, get the nerve of this maddening new assignment that just came down the pike!
Me to Boss: “Wait, wait, wait…. You want me to write a travel blog about places you won’t send me, about places I’ve never seen? You’ve got to be kidding. You want me to talk about places I’ve only heard about when people come back to the office after their trips. Every time they look at me with their overly tanned faces and smile, I die a little on the inside. They tell me how nice it was and they probably pity me. I’d pity me if I were them. I’ll never know of their joys. So, wait… you want me to lie?”
The very nature of this assignment sounds terribly unfair. How am I supposed to get in the zone and picture myself immersed in the “sparkling azure” Caribbean water I’m always writing about in my marketing copy when I’ve never seen it? Is this punishment? All I want to do is have a little adventure. What an awful realization to finally get to my 20s and understand that my parents were once cooler than I am today. Is it too much to ask for some funny stories to tell at a cocktail party next summer? Some tales of romance to tell my daughter in 20 years? Or some exploits to inspire my grand kids with when I am old and grey? The good stories that I have up my sleeve thus far have come from traveling, but I want a lot more under my belt before the end of this story. They all usually revolve around one of four things: a crazy person I met, a ridiculously cute guy I flirted with, a breathtaking site I saw or an adventure I had because I decided to be friendly to someone I didn’t have to be friendly to.
At the present moment I may have a small cubicle without the luxury of temperature control and although I haven’t been able to go away on the company’s dime as of yet, I am not going quietly into the night. This assignment might be just the thing I need to leverage myself into a position involving travel. Or at least I am praying to God it is. This past month I was able to grab a little taste of what may lie ahead when a friend and I spent three days in Jamaica. I have to tell you, I loved it. Having a bit of Caribbean sun on my pasty shoulders and taking a swim in the warm water made all my worries disappear into thin air. If only I could find a way to do this for a living? Wink, Wink. Maybe I do completely romanticize travel and for now I might be stuck in this office with no sunshine, but just you wait and see… adventure is on the way. Stay Tuned!
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