Hard Beat

In the life of a foreign war correspondent, chances to distance yourself from the harsh reality of the modern world are few and far between (if they occur at all), so it’s not hard to recognize why it’s so easy for me to fall for someone while we’re ensconced in this self-imposed bubble. The lifestyle in the hotel where all the journalists reside is all about the status quo. It’s not like stateside where you and the person you are dating go to work separately, hang with friends or have individual hobbies, and then see each other occasionally on the weekend. No, here on the fringe of civilization, you live, work, breathe, and socialize with the person you’re interested in. It breeds an intensity between two people that’s unrivaled, an acceleration of feelings equivalent to months of dating when you’ve only been together for a few weeks.