Why Paris isn't always a good idea

 

I should have started reporting to Paris today, use my new index number (they disregarded the one in Geneva) and be part of the “international” system. But I refused the offer.

 

Since September last year, it has always been Paris. I don’t know why opportunities seem to spring up from there. But I never liked Paris.

 

I was there for the first time with my mom and I didn’t see the romance most claimed it to have. We cruised the Seine, dined at cafes owned by the Costes brothers, and whiled away hours al fresco watching people go by. My recent visit was with my partner and despite all the museums, history and architecture, that we enjoyed, we concluded it’s not a great place to raise a family.

 

We concluded Geneva is a great place for family. Actually, I think Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands are great for families. Prague, on the other hand, is perfect for singletons. I can only say this because my desire for “international” work and status has brought me to such places.

 

I was based in Germany when my Tatay moved on and I couldn’t go home because my passport was stuck with the South African Embassy. It was a Saturday and the embassy was closed. I had to wait until Monday to request my passport’s delivery, received it on a Tuesday and flew out that evening.

 

Even if the situation is urgent, we must still respect the process.  

Since that time, I stopped counting at moving 11 times. I already lived in three continents and four countries. It’s actually just a short span of time but growth and adventure rest in mobility in the international world.

 

I was told I took my first plane ride (to San Francisco) at age 2. Then and until now, I know I thrive in international environments. I know this entry is replete with that word already but global doesn’t quite capture the meaning. But to be all over the world takes time.

 

We can’t be in two places at the same time although we can have parallel lives. The one we left behind, the present, and the future. We can travel in between this multiverse. I was based in Geneva, constantly connected with Manila, and keeping in touch with the world for what happens next. It was costly and exhausting. And mind you, I was literally travelling in between too.

 

But to stay international, one must live in the world – be a global citizen one country at a time.  It’s like being a hamster on a wheel. While you’re building or enjoying the current one, you’re already eyeing the next assignment.  At least that is how I came to know the system.

 

It’s high-paying and prestigious for sure. World peace and sustainability? Yes. What can be more noble?

 

Perhaps it is choosing what matters more.

 

I was doing my medical exams when my doctor asked me: “Do you really have to?” And he actually had pictures of his family with the Eiffel in the background in his clinic.

 

And in my head, if it meant I can’t be present in my own life because I will spend it hopping from one assignment to another, then, I don’t have to.

 

The dream is still there to be realized at another time but certainly not at the expense of what truly matters.  I chose to be present.