During my early years in SATCOM, I often became restless being another cow in the herd of night-shift bench techs spending my nights following mundane tuning procedures or scanning countless PCBs for solder-bridges and incorrectly oriented components, all the while wishing I was out partying with the rest of my generation. To call it a structured environment would be an understatement, as everyone on the production floor was expected to function in unison like a mass of symbiotic organisms sharing the same vital organs and controlled by a loud, screeching buzzer that paved the only sanctioned exit from my assigned duty station.
Then one night it happened there it was on our internal job-post bulletin board, displayed seductively over the drinking fountain. Field Engineer needed for International SATCOM Division requires extensive world travel. My juices immediately began to flow as my brain constructed a fantasy comprised of exotic ports-of-call and a whole new set of experiences that were hardly visible from the confines of my tiny cubicle and hamster-wheel ruled life.
Fortunately for me, my technical experience was supplemented with years of service in various blue-collar trades, the combination of which positioned me well to become an Earth station installer, a global mercenary a rookie member of an elite society of field-hardened nomads with the elemental resilience of Rambo and ingenuity of MacGyver. So I tossed my tweaker and embarked on an adventure into a new world.
Unlike today, international travel in the 80s was much easier and a bit more respectful. Though carrying weapons and incendiary devices onto a plane was certainly frowned upon, it was unlikely you would be groped or tackled for possessing such sinister items as toothpaste or bottled water. Come to think of it, back then, I dont think they put water in bottles.
As I hadnt traveled much outside of the southeastern U.S., its fair to say that my knowledge of international culture and protocol was slightly less than mature. But here I was heading out to make my mark on the world, armed with a new mission, an impassioned spirit, a sense of adventure and that all important corporate credit card ready to tackle whatever trials and tribulations were tossed my way.
The years that followed led me to countless locations abroad Asia, Latin America, Middle East, Europe, Africa and the untamed wilderness of Alaska. Due to the nature of SATCOM and its irresistible appeal to under-developed geographic regions, many of my destinations were of the sort that failed to make travel magazines list of top vacation spots.
Ah, but every foreign excursion ends with an eventual homecoming and one last hurdle to traverse U.S. Immigration.
My local airport is home to a pair of beagles, four-legged members of the Homeland Security Team that includes Linus trained to detect illegally imported food items, and Remi, who searches for large amounts of undeclared currency. Both of these intrepid, four-legged sniffers could be seen regularly in the international baggage claim area, dragging their human assistants around the carousels, winding and weaving through the bags of returning travelers in search of contraband.
On one of my trips abroad, I became addicted to delicious praline-covered peanuts I purchased from a foreign market. I mean, really addicted! My desire was to continue to support my addiction, or at least to delay a cold turkey withdrawal until such was unavoidable.
Other locations, seemingly unable to support human life, also dot our vast planet and most have an earth station standing like a shrine to the testament of past sacrifices made by one or more of my fellow travelers .
In closing, some words of wisdom from the world traveler taken directly from the Chronicles always ask the price, never leave your drink unattended and you can gargle with the tap water, but DONT SWALLOW IT!
More Radford ruminations at this link.