Things of the West that I will miss

 I have written about how this life change feels more momentous than the previous two ones because I am leaving the West. Whether this change will be temporary or permanent I don't know. Yes, I feel a deep sense of faigue and disillusionment with life in the West, so much so that I don't even feel like visiting for the next few years, even though some of my closest friends live there. That said, I will miss many things about living in the West, which I am going to set out today, in rough order of significance.

1) Living in a temperate climate: If one believes there are two type of people--people who feel too hot or too cold--I am defnitely the former. Yes, I come from the hottest country in the world, and Cambodia cannot possibly be hotter than, say Delhi, but I will miss being in a temperate climate and not having to worry about whether the sweat from my back thighs is drawing an outline of my  underwear. I will also miss living in a place which has seasons, not just for variety but also to serve as a bookmarks for the events in my life. 

2) Nature: I have been fortunate to live in places that combine the cultural and social possibilities of large town/small city living with access to nature. The Hague has the sea, Bristol has acres of rolling green spaces, Northampton has the bike path and small hills around. It remains to be seen whether I will keep up my running habit in a bustling city which seems to be as flat as a pancake. 

3) Public libraries: I am not someone who buys a lot of books, so i was spoiled by great public library systems in both Bristol and Northampton/Amherst.

4) Hippie pursuits: I ahve had the good fortune of living in places with a strong alternative cultural vibe. My views about it are not uncritical but i will miss the oportunity to dabble in stuff such as contact improv and clowning. 

5) Conveniences: This one needs little explanation.

Airport Blog San Francisco August 2026

 I haven’t written a blog post in a while and an airport blog in a year and a half. It hasn’t been for want of blogging material. My life over the past six months was fertile ground for blogging ideas. But, I was processing my experiences in different ways—therapy, journalling and conversations with close friends, one of whom I met more than two months after my last blog post. But, it feels like we have been friends for much longer, as we spent a lot of time together during the past four months. To be honest, I didn’t feel the need to blog. I do enjoy blogging but a part of the draw is that it is a succour for my loneliness. And, I felt less alone in the past few months because I felt like I was part of a village. But, now its time to leave, and when I said goodbye to the village a week ago, it was heart-breaking. I can’t remember feelings so desolate about leaving a place since the end of my time at ACJ eighteen years ago. To a lesser extent, at the end of my time at ISS. If I had known at the time that it would be last time I would see my closest friend at ISS, it would have been different. At the same time, it feels like the right time to say goodbye to the West and seek my fortune elsewhere. I don’t think I will be visiting the West any time soon. So, in a sense this farewell feels more momentous because its not just the end of two years of living in the US but the end of 12 years of living in the West. This also means that I won’t see some close friends who are tethered to their lives here. That is the fate of the nomad. People you won’t see for years or ever again take up space in your heart. In the middle of a mushroom trip last week, I blubbered to a friend, “If only we could all live next to each other forever”. But, if bonds of friendship were the only thing tugging at our hearts, we would find a way. Would I have tried harder to stay if I had known that I would become part of such a loving village in my final few months in the US? I am not sure. My time in the US has been great for my personal growth and I will always be glad I moved here. I am not an ambitious person in the conventional sense of the word. But, I am curious about what I can offer the world, and that is what is pushing me eastward.