Two years ago I headed off to South America. I returned to Scotland in July 2012 to see my family and attend a wedding though Two months later, I returned to South America in order to see the whole continent by bus. Due to the sheer size of South America, I did not see everything I wanted to see. For example, I have still not travelled to Patagonia, the Galapagos islands or north Colombia. These destinations will have to wait as I have returned to my home in Scotland. Me and my girlfriend will be here for at least the next 6 months.
The first days being back home after a long trip are always surreal. No doubt this is caused by a combination of a change of scenery and jet lag. As usual, I did not sleep at all during my return trip home. Therefore, I effectively missed a nights sleep. We got back home on Monday night and I slept until at 6.30am the next day. Today I slept a little longer until 7.30am. Despite feeling fresh when I wake up every morning, my body clock is obviously still feeling the effects of living in a different timezone.
Writing is something I really enjoy, however you need to be focused to do it correctly. That means eating and sleeping properly. When I am hungover, I usually struggle to write more than a few hundred words, though if I am feeling good, it is not uncommon for me to write over 5,000 words in one day. I returned home less than two days ago so the jet lag is still effecting me. Even this short article took me around five times longer than it should have because of my lethargicness.
This tiredness should only be a minor setback. For the last eleven months I have worked under less than ideal connections. I frequently worked from a bed as my rooms did not have a desk, putting enormous strain on my neck (which I have an existing problem with). I rarely found a connection that was quicker than 1MB download and connections always seemed to come and go during the day. From a connectivity point of view, South America is light years behind Europe.
With a desk and a fast internet connection, I will be able to be more productive with my online projects in the UK. My hope is that my new setup will help me increase my monthly income over the next few months (or old setup, depending on which way you look at it!).
Here's hoping :)
Kevin