As much as I never believed it would come, my graduation is just around the corner. Only three weeks left in my final semester of undergrad – whaaatttttt?! Craziness.
When it comes to making a decision about a post-grad plan, let’s just say I’ve been indecisive. Anyone who knows me well knows that I’m terrible at making decisions, so it’s only natural that one this momentous is completely weighing me down. For the longest time now I’ve planned to attend UBC’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing but I’m somewhat on the fence now. Author Andrew Westoll spoke in my class a little while back and he himself attended the program, having geared his entire life towards primatology up until that point. He said that the writing program wasn’t for everybody and that, in fact, it was the people who had been “writing their whole lives” that seemed to need it the least. I probably should’ve gone and discussed it with him further but I’m also not a person to initiate an academic conversation with, well… anyone. I’m slowly regretting this more and more. I’m not entirely sure if I fit into that category or if I’m truly one of those people he spoke of but I do know that his comment made me reconsider my entire future. Hence, my decision for at least a two-year hiatus from academia.
I understand that many people warn of taking “too much” time away from school and then returning, but I’d like to think that school as I’ve known it thus far is nothing like what I would be doing in a Fine Arts degree or creative equivalent. Considering my other option is interior design, I think it’s safe to say that I won’t have to worry about struggling through another theoretical essay post-April. Or, at least, let’s hope…
I’m sure countless people are wondering why I would possibly want to postpone getting “a real job” until I’m thirty in order to live as a wandering traveller, but considering that my main career aspiration isn’t really a legitimate career at all, I would probably still be in the same place at the 3-decade mark anyways, even if I remained on Canadian soil in between. I hate to think of being a writer as a “career” at all, anyways. It seems a bit presumptuous to assume that getting published is a sort of guaranteed thing that you simply work towards and achieve. Half of it is probably the luck of your manuscript landing in the right hands at the right time. I suppose my writing aspirations begin and end with the fact that I simply enjoy doing it. If my enjoyment could potentially be profitable, then, heck yeah – I’m in. But I hate to put it out there assuming that I can complete a Master’s and suddenly, voila! I’m a writer. Clearly my English professor, who has been addressing this issue since Day One in my “Canadian Writer” course, is having an adverse affect on me. Can one really call one’s self a Writer? What does this mean? Blah blah blah… Actually that is my favourite class. It just made me question my future, is all.
Naturally, all this means I’ve been mulling over my next big trip for some time now. Getting on the road again has been on my brain since I landed in Toronto last August and anyone who has me on Facebook probably knows that (perhaps more than you’d like to. Sorry…). I’m incredibly overwhelmed with all the amazing options out there and it’s been difficult choosing just one place to go. There are so many!
Many of you also probably know that Australia has been on my agenda since I first saw Our Lips Are Sealed back in ’03 and, yes, I’m talking about the Mary-Kate and Ashley film where they venture down unda’. Cute surfies? Pet kangaroos? Groovy boat cruises with rich friends? What’s not to love! Now I would apologize to all my Aussie friends for just insulting their country with this disgrace of a film but it truly is where I got my itch to travel, specifically to Australia. Not to mention, all the people I’ve met from there have been nothing short of amazing so I’m sure I’d love it.
Next big move is to Australia?
Nope, sorry. I’m heading to Scotland! I think. While there is no doubt that I’ll be heading to the other hemisphere in the next few years, unfortunately it won’t be up first. I just can’t shake the European bug out of my system. There is so much more to see and I’ve been longing to experience the continent from another cultural perspective. Sweden was lovely and now it’s time to live abroad somewhere else. I fell in love with Edinburgh while backpacking this summer so I’ve made it my unofficial first-stop for my return.
The general plan is to jet off around November, though I may wait until the new year in order to secure enough funds (and I might also be a little hesitant to miss a family Christmas for the first time). I was inspired last summer by all the travellers residing in the hostels, working there during the day to pay for their beds and then holding a part-time job at a pub to have a little extra cash flow. While I struggled to fit in all the sights and experiences in each city, they were taking things as they came and staying places for months at a time.
This is my goal. We’ll see how much it morphs and changes over the coming months, but this is my initial idea. I’m hoping that I can get into the hostel of my choice, Castle Rock, since I’ll be arriving during the low season. Living at the base of the Edinburgh Castle for a few months? Not too shabby… My other destination for a little taste of hostel-living is Austria, hands down. I absolutely fell in love with the country. I’m not entirely sure which city yet but I’m leaning towards Innsbruck or Vienna. We’ll see!
That’s enough procrastination for now. Stay tuned for future travel updates! Canadian road trip with the besties this summer? I think so.
I just can’t get enough!
heroic hearts 