Why am I here?

From my office window the world outside is covered in a thick blanket of water and I am surrounded by the sound of violent winds beating against the Matthews building. It is also freezing in here, and I am sitting in front of a pile of 65 papers each waiting to be marked. Naturally I am wondering what on earth I am doing here.

I flew out of Vientiane on Monday morning, after many tears and culturally inappropriate displays of public affection at the airport (we hugged – several people stared and one even filmed us). I then had the pleasure (not for the first time either) of spending 7 hours at Bangkok International Airport - a place that is shockingly devoid of any decent vegan food, despite being in a country that is so good on this front. I was so tired, from the massive party at our house over the weekend and my inability to sleep the night before I left, that the time actually passed reasonably quickly. I wandered, zombie-like, around the duty-free shops, and indulged in an overpriced massage to pass the time.

For almost the first time ever, I did not sleep well on the flight to Sydney. I think that I was just overtired. As a result, Tuesday was an absolute right-off. All I managed to do was come in briefly to pick up some of my marking and slink back home to bed. Today I am feeling mostly human, but the weather is truly hideous. Laos seems very far away and supremely desirable. If only it was August.