Fancy for a trip to Antartica?
One of the things I like about my job is it takes me places. What makes it even better is I have a husband who just loves to follow me around.
But I knew, it would be completely different with the arrival of the kids. I have mellowed down tremendously. I now plan my work carefully to accomodate or to suit the family.
And again, in terms of research (which I think now can take about 60% of the workload) it is quite flexible that we are free to choose what we want to do, plan our own schedule etc.
This year, I'm planning for at least two trips with the family in tow. They are overseas trips. The limitation is of course money and hubby's leave days from his office. Say, if nothing works out, I just plan to let them go. It is just easy as that.
But it does not sound that easy when someone came knocked on my door and asked "Would you like to go for a trip to Antartica?". He just came back from a this year's trip, and already plan for the next one. When the team decided they needed a geomorphologist, the only person he could think of was me.
The plan is the research team will leave in Mid Dec and return in February. That's the ONLY time to be there. He enticed me with the story of it is a once-in-a-life-time experience, how nice the place is, how the place is all volcanic rocks of Cretaceous to Recent age (he knows my current research interest), he talks about the sun, amazing flora & fauna....I didn't really get it as I was just thinking how to drop a bombshell.
Finally..."Errr...you know what? I'm pregnant!"
I'll be 16-week soon, but at the moment I still look like a skinny woman with a little tummy problem. I would stay like this for another 2 months
He was surprised but upon learning the baby will be 6 months old at the time of the trip, he further convinced me I could do it. He bargained, he would put up another RM15k for a trip to bring me out early, if all I could do is one month.
He missed the first two weeks of his baby's life when he was there, should I be tempted?
Really, really tempted, I was. I was not really there at the school door when Bea2 talked about what she ate, when she peed, she washed her hands ...she talks about anything, anyway.
At the babysitter's, I gathered some courage and told her over and over that I might not be serious but finally asked if she would love to take care of my 6 month old baby for a month. The other 3 will stay with the father at nights. She said, of course she would do it.
I weighed the pros and cons the whole afternoon. I'm positive the cons score higher. Spending the 6th month of my 4th baby with her/him is also a chance of a lifetime, so as the 27th month of Bea3, so as being with the two other girls for their 6th and 4th birthday. Besides, Bea1 would stomp her feet hard and say "Nak ikutttttt!", and Bea2 would echo.
I have not told hubby as I don't want that to sound that exciting. He'd be green with envy as he can't follow. But knowing him, I know all I get is a nudge, a little push to just go ahead.
It is nice to know that now it is all up to me. When the time comes, I would just say 'no' and maybe 'I help you find someone else'.
But I knew, it would be completely different with the arrival of the kids. I have mellowed down tremendously. I now plan my work carefully to accomodate or to suit the family.
And again, in terms of research (which I think now can take about 60% of the workload) it is quite flexible that we are free to choose what we want to do, plan our own schedule etc.
This year, I'm planning for at least two trips with the family in tow. They are overseas trips. The limitation is of course money and hubby's leave days from his office. Say, if nothing works out, I just plan to let them go. It is just easy as that.
But it does not sound that easy when someone came knocked on my door and asked "Would you like to go for a trip to Antartica?". He just came back from a this year's trip, and already plan for the next one. When the team decided they needed a geomorphologist, the only person he could think of was me.
The plan is the research team will leave in Mid Dec and return in February. That's the ONLY time to be there. He enticed me with the story of it is a once-in-a-life-time experience, how nice the place is, how the place is all volcanic rocks of Cretaceous to Recent age (he knows my current research interest), he talks about the sun, amazing flora & fauna....I didn't really get it as I was just thinking how to drop a bombshell.
Finally..."Errr...you know what? I'm pregnant!"
I'll be 16-week soon, but at the moment I still look like a skinny woman with a little tummy problem. I would stay like this for another 2 months
He was surprised but upon learning the baby will be 6 months old at the time of the trip, he further convinced me I could do it. He bargained, he would put up another RM15k for a trip to bring me out early, if all I could do is one month.
He missed the first two weeks of his baby's life when he was there, should I be tempted?
Really, really tempted, I was. I was not really there at the school door when Bea2 talked about what she ate, when she peed, she washed her hands ...she talks about anything, anyway.
At the babysitter's, I gathered some courage and told her over and over that I might not be serious but finally asked if she would love to take care of my 6 month old baby for a month. The other 3 will stay with the father at nights. She said, of course she would do it.
I weighed the pros and cons the whole afternoon. I'm positive the cons score higher. Spending the 6th month of my 4th baby with her/him is also a chance of a lifetime, so as the 27th month of Bea3, so as being with the two other girls for their 6th and 4th birthday. Besides, Bea1 would stomp her feet hard and say "Nak ikutttttt!", and Bea2 would echo.
I have not told hubby as I don't want that to sound that exciting. He'd be green with envy as he can't follow. But knowing him, I know all I get is a nudge, a little push to just go ahead.
It is nice to know that now it is all up to me. When the time comes, I would just say 'no' and maybe 'I help you find someone else'.
posted by mama23beas at 5:24 PM
4 Comments:
Whoaa!! Antarctica! What an opportunity!
But what a dilemma ....
As much as I would like to have an opportunity to travel to an "out of this world" place like Antarctica, I can't say I envy the choices you have to make between going for the trip and being with your family. *gulp!*
Moby, thanks for dropping by here.
Yes, I always found myself in a dilemma but after being separated from my first one for 5 days, I try hard not to get tempted and plan, even without much travelling, I still can perform;)
Thought I would bang my hean on the wall, but after talking to hubby last night, I'm ok...though still, it is Antartica *sigh*
You're going to antartica??!!! cool... (pun intended)
fazila...I can take that, hehe. Besides, when the kids all grow up, I visualise myself and hubby there, doing research with my own grant...hehe
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