October 21st, 2022

I feel like I normally start these entries off by stating how I’ve not posted in a minute or something along those lines, and offer some apology or excuse as to why, but let’s switch it up! I’M NOT SORRY! I’ve been on the move! I’ve been making plans – scheming, if you will. I’ve been catching up with friends both from the states and from my previous stint in Scandinavia. It’s been nice. But let’s get back into it.

TIME KEEPS ON SLIPPING…

You’re right, Steve Miller, lead singer of the 1970’s rock group – It is. If I’m correct, I’m about halfway through this journey. I don’t want to think about that, but it’s true. I suppose it’s a good thing.

Our relationship with time is a fickle and tricky thing. Do we battle it? Do we just let it pass over us? What’s a traveler’s relationship with it? One only has so much time to see and experience new things. What I’ve learned on the road is that various people and cultures seem to prioritize their day-to-day activities differently. Sure, this varies from person to person, their personality and lifestyle, but I’m talking about cultures as a whole. A person born in the Western Hemisphere, say Toronto Canada, will have a different way of going about their day and making the most of their time than say someone born in a small village in Thailand. It’s interesting to step back and think how our relationship with time depends on the environment and culture we are brought up in.

When traveling, a normal schedule and cadence is uprooted, and you’re at the mercy of transportation schedules and how the people around you carry out their relationship with time. You might of heard blanket statements like how people in France take 2 hour lunch breaks to sip tea and eat croissants, versus the rushed American who wolves down a McGriddle at their desk in the sake of #HustleCulture. These are well known examples, but I’ve noticed even smaller, more nuanced differences.

TAKE A CHILL PILL, BRUV

The more I travel Europe and as a whole, the more I notice these nuances in how different cultures perceive time and their relationship with it.

A few years ago when I lived in India for a few months, time seemed to stand still. Daily life was slower-paced. People were no more lazy than they were back in the states, but the constant rush was subdued. The overall sense of anxiety to be productive nulled. One of my favorite habits formed during those 3 months was just sitting and watching the mountains, drinking tea.

This same, relaxed, if not downright neglect for time was also observed in places like Nairobi, Hanoi and The Caribbean. It’s not uncommon to be an hour or two late to a meetup or appointment.

The flip-side to that was Scandinavia. Time is precise; trains run on a tight, to-the-millisecond schedule. People are prompt. Yet still, nothing feels rushed. Time managent seems to be second-nature. Their days are short and winters long, it’s important to milk the hours you have. External factors like geography mess with time, like my body clock suffering in Iceland due to the extensive hours of sunlight.

Something I noticed while living here in the UK and Europe as a whole, is that people really value their leisure time and take their bank days/holidays seriously and without guilt. While not as slow-paced as the Himalayas, that rushed, anxiety fueled rush felt daily in the US is subdued here in the UK. The rushed, busy hustle is what made the US what it is, and there are pros and cons to both mindsets. I’m not here to debate the merits of relaxation vs hustle. In the end it comes down to balance - a challenge no matter where you’re from.

Maybe that’s just my unemployed-ass talking as I myself have been taking things slower in regards to my work. But through my observations and what UK friends tell me, people here are a little less anxious than in the States, but not without their own set of issues. The grass is not greener, and time still marches on.

THE WITCHING HOUR

London is a bustling town, but when midnight struck, things shut down. The tube, the train, everything. While the night buses ran, the streets were more or less deserted, even on the weekends. Fast food establishments that would normally be open to late-night stragglers in the US like Taco Bell were shuttered. Sure, there was the occasional commuter, but no rowdy groups of drunkards roaming about - at least none that I witnessed. It was a stark contrast from Amsterdam or even Brussels. For as big and international of a city as London is, it was surprising and at times, inconvenient.

2am walking the streets, looking for a night bus stop.

NECESSARY SEQUELS

One of the reasons for venturing south from Scotland to London was to see my friend’s opening solo art show. Sin Park is an established painter based in Glasgow. She’s lived all over the world but for now, calls the UK her home. I met her through Michael, who knew her through his studies at the Glasgow School of Art. Sin’s work is abstract and expressive and it deals with moments in time. The here and now, and what comes after that. It’s titled Necessary Sequels.

Here’s an excerpt of her Artist Statement:

“Park’s paintings move between chaos and order, in and out of abstraction, as she takes the viewer on a journey through a space that exists between the real and the imagined. Works burst with colour, frantic brushstrokes seem to leap off the canvas, as Park effortlessly captures the raw emotion of the moment.”

It was a fantastic event and I met some great people from all over the world. Great show. You can follow her work here and visit her show in London at anytime in the HSBC Building in Canary Wharf from October 2022 to April of 2023.

FAMILIAR FACES

One of my favorite things about traveling is not only meeting new faces, but catching up with familiar ones. Acquaintances became friends, and serendipitous meetings to catch up over a beer or three were realized. An Australian friend I met while traveling Norway a few months ago happened to be in the UK and we caught up at Sin’s show. A design client turned friend from the Netherlands who I met through Jordan, showed me around Soho and Chinatown. In that same day I caught up with a childhood neighbor of mine who happened to live and work in Peckham, South London. Shit like that is something I can always make time for.

CITY SLICKIN’

An enthusiastic Yeoman of the Guard (aka Beefeater) gives a tour at the Tower of London

Speaking of making time, I had to take advantage the short time I had in the city to visit the sights and do the typical touristy stuff. Off the recommendations of people I met, I got to explore things off the beaten path, but also enjoyed the big hits like Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.

This time I took advantage of one of those tourist passes. You can pick a few attractions and pay a flat rate, rather than just showing up to the attraction and paying out of pocket. I probably saved $40 by doing this, and it was something I regret not doing in Olso, Norway. I picked 3 attractions for $60. The Shard, an observation tower, The Tower of London and the London Zoo.