I’ve “been in one place” here in Cambodia the longest of my adult life, but after recently spending 5 weeks on the road for work, moving between countries and cities by the day, it’s clear life is rarely standing still. Sometimes it feels like the stillest, most peaceful moments are those in the sky, where I get time to let my mind wander, reflect, and unwind. Because here on the ground, life is a crazy storm of constant activity.
As an engineer who loves to also be on the public-facing side of the company, getting to wear both hats is a privilege and a mental game of twister. Unlike the specificity of my goals and tasks when I’m designing or building our products, networking, presenting, and recruiting goals are more abstract. Sometimes I’d land in a city and start with a single contact, requiring me to leverage that first meeting for as many other connections as possible, filling my schedule on the fly. Other times a conference, presentation, or local event could give me a critical starting point. Every opportunity to meet new people is a chance to meet the person that could lead to a useful connection down the line. I find navigating this ambiguity valuable. It pushes me to consciously adopt a “say yes” mentality and embrace a much less planned, much more reactive schedule. The challenge then becomes to find the time and mental energy to sustain the focus necessary to keep up with my engineering side. I often find solace in late-night and early-morning power sessions, but have to confront the reality that there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to maximize the impact of a trip plus do all the work I normally do. Nonetheless, I stubbornly find myself trying to do the impossible.
Being on the road is an entirely different approach to the day. There are so many more variables. I make plans around wifi connectivity, how many hours I can justify sitting in one coffee shop, potentially limited transportation options, and the constraints of all the people I’m meeting or crashing with. It’s hard to maintain any semblance of personal routine; my routine is molded by the people I’m around. I’m generally not one for a strict routine anyways, but even still, parting with the normal elements in my day-to-day is more taxing than I might have expected.
On the flip side, every day is an adventure. I end up reuniting with amazing people from my past and meeting new, fascinating people from all walks of life. I connect with other leaders in our field, continuing to build a network that spans the globe. I get to further my relationships with friends and family when they graciously offer couches and spare bedrooms as I pass through. Traveling for work means I see new places, from angles I never would as a tourist. From exploring in off-grid communities to immersing myself in a city’s startup life, there are endless opportunities to learn about a new place, especially when skipping out on the usual attractions.
Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, the fun and games of roaming the world loses its charm a bit during personal lows. Navigating loss and family struggles, sadness, and loneliness is even harder than normal. The usual comforts or shoulders to cry on are missing. It’s convenient to push through and ignore the harder feelings, but that has its limitations too. My grandfather passed away 2 days before I kicked off that long work trip (thankfully seeing family in India could be included in my travels), and the energy that it took to process, be present with family, and mentally keep switching between emotional states put a serious strain on my normal “machine-like” productivity, often frustrating me even though I knew I should be more patient with myself. It was harder than usual to be away from the people who understand me the best, and perpetually confusing to oscillate between normal life and this new reality. Thankfully, even when nothing can replace in-person experiences, staying in touch with friends and family digitally became a safe space to let my walls down a bit. Having my team “by my side” at all times, supplying endless banter, collaboration, and enthusiasm, kept me motivated and reassured. Laughing until my stomach hurt on the phone with a childhood best friend helped overcome feeling alone and tired. And any interaction with Natasha reminded me how lucky I am to have a relationship like ours to get us through absolutely anything.
At the end of the day, no matter how tired or what personal state I’m in, representing our vision, passion, and team is a surefire way to fill me with energy. I love what I’m doing and the life I get to live while doing so, and I very much value the ways in which it means I’m not always comfortable. Pushing myself to adapt to new situations keeps me feeling challenged, and figuring out strategies in the tougher times is part of the growing process. I didn’t foresee this going into 2019, but somehow I will close out the year having made over 15 international trips, which is insane. But instead of being burnt out, I am more committed. I had the chance to gain so many new experiences and get out of my comfort zone, and I also now have a stronger appreciation for my sense of home back in Phnom Penh. I can navigate this airport with my eyes closed and am very fond of both the anticipation of leaving as well as the peace of mind of returning. Life on the go is spontaneous, the emotions along the way are complicated, and the adventure stories are ones to hold onto forever.
Catching up on some old photos I missed! The beautiful wedding of Marga and Ashwin was a weekend of insane fun and hilarious events. And then a photo with one of my closest friends from childhood, Nina. She and her partner stopped through Cambodia and spent 3 weeks contributing amazing enthusiasm and knowledge to Okra!
Part of my long trip away was in India for both networking/recruiting and family. I got to co-host a startup event with an exciting young startup called Nymble. And I got the rare opportunity to spend Onam, a special festival from my family’s region of India, with my mom’s side of the family.
I didn’t take many photos from my trip to the States, but I got to spend time with Blanka in Boston, a friendship that has gone all over the world and started way back in Myanmar, which was incredible. The rest of the trip was for the Global Finals of a competition called Empower a Billion Lives. I got to pitch, go through judging sessions, and present to a bunch of power electronics folks; and then came away winning our division. A nice boost at the end of a long trip!
My most recent trip was to Seoul, to speak at an international renewable energy conference, KIREC. The insane part was that both Natasha and I were invited to present, meaning that we also got to sneak a mini holiday together! Even when it’s short, any time together is enough to make me feel on top of the world.
Absolutely Amazing, Nithya… Our Deepest Condolences on the loss of your Grandfather… We loved the pictures of all your family…
Warm regards,
David and Mika