Travel is surreal

I flew up to Vancouver last weekend to see some family and friends, and it is amazing how much a quick 2 hour flight can change the way you see the world.

In this case, crossing international borders, going through customs, of course it gives you an idea that you're entering another country. On the flight back last night, I went through customs and immigration for the US side while still in Vancouver. Very quick and painless, after having done the transition countless times before. However, it makes the landing and casually walking through SFO an interesting experience. After boarding the plane and taking a quick nap, waking up in San Francisco was a surreal eye-opener. It was like I wasn't really here, but I was here. The road ahead of me was there, but I was not really there, driving on it. I was controlling a body that was controlling the car that was on this road.

The differences in western societies, especially the likes of Vancouver and San Francisco, are negligible. You can spot greater differences when travelling longer distances, like I did to Australia. That was a surreal experience in itself! Flying from Vancouver to Hawaii to Sydney, It took a total of 19 hours. Half of it I slept. Waking up in Sydney, only to catch another plane to Brisbane, it was an intense 24 hours of flight.

Why am I bringing this up? Because if you're just starting out in the industry, don't limit yourself to the area you're in. Travel. See the world. It gets smaller the more you go to new and exciting places. It never gets boring, and gives you an insight into other cultures and people and environments that you should see! A great plus of visual effects is that there's film and TV work everywhere you go. While companies may be apprehensive about hiring a foreign worker, if you have the skills, dedication, and talent, you can prove to them that you can make it work.