There is a slang in Japan — Narita Divorce.
It refers to a common situation in which newlyweds fly off on their honeymoon, and by the time they get back to Narita Airport, they can't wait to get divorced.
To me, honeymoon should take place before the couple get married. If the couple comes back, and no longer in a “honey” mood, they should go their separate ways from the airport, before making any big commitment.
In junior year of college, I went on a lengthy trip during fall break with three seemingly sweet, kind and considerate girls.
The trip turned out to be catastrophic.
All four of us were so relieved by the time we returned to our campus. We couldn't wait to part our ways and never see each other again.
I learned an important lesson — Travel with a companion, and you'll learn about a lot more than just the destination.
Travelling together tends to bring out the ugliest side of your personality. Psychologists have said the best way to test your compatibility with someone is to go on a trip together.
For us, problems arose from the second day.
First of all, as an extreme introvert, I've never experienced anything as torturing as spending every waking and sleeping hour with someone around.
Therefore, putting me with three alive people and spending every breathing minute together for such a long time is definitely killing me.
Second, our spending habits are entirely different.
While I despised them for sneaking onto the subway without a ticket in order to save a few extra cents, they mocked me being a “rich spoiled kid” for ordering a $15 worth of dish without bat of an eye.
They count every penny they have spent, while I only allocate a certain amount and roughly estimate the amount of my spending. Their constant mumbling of saving several cents here and there dampens my mood, and they accuse me of being a rich spoiled brat again.
Third, none of us is willing to compromise and be considerate of others.
For example, we are in constant disagreement of where we should go, and how we should go there. I was very pissed off that two of them woke up at 10 a.m. while we were supposed to set off at 8:30 a.m. They always demanded that I walk slower, yet I had already intentionally slowed down significantly in order to accommodate them. To make things worse, they took turn having periods, suffering from menstrual pain, mood swings and so on. Having little knowledge about periods and getting totally pissed, I couldn't help but act like a total misogynist.
In the end, we all consider each other as “spoiled” while seeing ourselves as the only reasonable one.
When you're spending every waking hour with someone in an unfamiliar place, making decisions about every little thing—from seats on the plane and restaurants to tours and lodging—requires constant communication.
Not voicing your wants and needs or ignoring the other person is a surefire way to ruin a trip. Want to rest instead of taking another walking tour or hike? Say so. You'll probably regret it later when fatigue makes you crabby and ignites a fight.
Travelling together is a crucial way to learn about the other person. It imposes a unique and meaningful challenge the relationship. Do it before it's too late.
I'm surprised so many people take the “taking turn having periods” part so seriously.
Okay, need to explain a bit about the period part. I'm well aware that women cannot control their period. The way I phrased it is simply to vent out my frustration. I'm not angry with anyone being unreasonable on periods as long as they are reasonable off periods.
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