Since I just got back on the road, working as an English Language Officer with the U.S. State Department,  I thought I'd blog about what's on my mind right now: Hotel life. I've always found that there's negative and positive things about staying in hotels, and I generally focus on the negative, which I'm hoping to change sooner rather than later.

The best part about living/staying in hotels is that you get your own private room. Nothing beats that. Whenever I need to take a break from the world, I can just go chill out up in my room. Relaxing, kicking back, taking it easy: those are all things that hotel rooms provide. Another cool thing about hotels is that the staff is there to serve you (well, depending on how good the hotel is). For example, at my hotel in D.C., I just called down to the front desk so they could bring me up a silverware set. I used to think that this was kind of lazy how I had to actually call someone to get some silverware, but now I realize that it's their job and it's okay to request these things. Also, my mom taught me to always order a fridge upon check-in so I can store food for my stay, and also go to the grocery store so I can eat healthier. I actually haven't followed through very much on this, but it's my goal to always do this so I can be healthier (and save money) while on the road.

There are some drawbacks to staying in hotels, such as everything being the same and not really knowing the areas in which I'm staying. When I'm in DC, I'm usually fine because I know the town well. But if I go to, for example, Chicago, I don't really know the area very well, and sometimes feel lost once I step out that door. Another downside is that I don't necessarily like living alone, and hotel life can be isolating sometimes. When I have free time, I generally try to do things away from the hotel, like exercise, walking around, or finding local events to attend. When I first arrive at a hotel, I get excited because everything is new, like the city, the place, the room set up, but then I soon realize that it's just a place to rest my head at the end of the head: that, and nothing more. So, I try to see it as just simply that.

I've also tried to get in touch with more people I know in the places I travel to -- that's a good way to feel connected and grounded in any city. Like I said before: DC is easy for me since I have way too much family and way too many friends, but in the other cities I really need to make efforts to hang out with people. I may only know 1 or 2 people, in, for example, San Diego. And if I'm not there on a weekend, it's tough to get away and make time for some good relaxing times. It's also good to hang out with the international visitors with whom I travel - it's more relaxed outside of the work time, such as having dinner or doing some sort of cultural/fun activity in a new city. They generally know that it's my free time and I'm choosing to hang out, so there's less pressure to organize/arrange things.

I guess that's it. I hope people learned a little something about me, and what my job is like. Normally, people seem to think that my job is pretty glamorous because I get to travel, go to lots of different places; but the novelty wears off pretty quick and then I realize that I really need to take advantage of my time, just like I'm living anywhere. We have choices about what we can/cannot do, and oftentimes gettin my butt out of that stinkin hotel room and out in the world is the best choice for me. At the same time, everyone knows that there's nothing like relaxing and doing nothing for a half-day or even a whole-day -- I've done that on my days off sometimes. I'm just so exhausted from all the travel that I just need to decompress.

Good luck and certainly let me know if you need any hints/pointers/suggestions when and if you get to stay in hotels...