Hopes and Goals?

I watched a 'dramedy' put on at Fools and Horses last week as part of Winnipeg's Fringe Festival called "Joe Job." At one point in the play, Sam, is encouraged by her former high school teacher, Joe, to write down her goal of earning her GED. Writing down one's goals, hopes, or aspirations was here meant to help solidify intention into action. Up until this point, this trip has been primarily conveyed through oral conversation with the thought that if I tell enough people I am going to do something, at some point I will have to do that something to preserve my own pride. The key advantage to the written word is the ability to revisit previous plans in the near, or distant future to see what may have gone according to plan, and what may have changed over time. Over the course of this trip I have a couple goals, some are small or integral to the trip, others are a little more abstract and more difficult to set meaningful targets or markers of success. In no particular order:

1. Experience new places -- I have travelled before, but this will be my first time in Europe, and what should shape up to be my first time in the near East. My current route includes the United Kingdom, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Italy, The Vatican, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Macedonia (FYROM), Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, and Ireland.

2. Experience what lies in-between cities -- The majority of the trips I have taken in the past have been a whirlwind of concrete jungles, jumping from city to city by way of plane, train, or bus. This time I plan to ride my bicycle for the entirety of my time in Europe. That is, provided I do not have to leave the Schengen Zone more quickly than my two legs can carry me. Winnipeg is nearly the furthest thing from a cycling friendly city, so I am intrigued by how other nations and cities facilitate cycling infrastructure, and the relationship between cyclists and motorists. A co-worker recently returned from Sweden with a similar goal of understanding cycling provisions in northern urban centers.

3. Decide where I would like to live -- I have joked while leading up to this trip that this is my "quarter-life crisis," which isn't entirely untrue. I am twenty-five, recently graduated from post-secondary, and I am not sure what the next chapter holds for me. I have spent the last five years living, studying, and working in Winnipeg, but I am not entirely sure Winnipeg is where I want to be. Spending time away from family has provided its fair share of low points in the past, especially around the holidays. Further, the lack of access to outdoor activities makes it much more difficult to keep this girlish figure. I feel a strong pull back to British Columbia, even though, as my friend Mariette would be quick to point out, I have built a community of friends, acquaintances, co-workers, and the like, over the past five years.

4. Decide on a career path -- Decide for now, at least. The last time I listened to the radio with any degree of regularity must've been at least five years ago, and perhaps the statistics have changed since, but, apparently the average person will go through seven careers in their lifetime. I realize that the career I choose to pursue when I return to Canada from this trip may not be the one that I continue in for the remainder of my occupied life. Currently I am torn between pursuing something related to my university degree, or continuing to pursue coffee. Jobs in international development come with their own moral quandaries, (western expert, detached from place... ect.) while jobs in coffee, on the surface, appear to have limited upward mobility.

5. Be aware my privilege -- It is not lost on me that I am among the world's elite. I don't mean to say that in a prideful way. Considering others around the world of a similar age, there are few who are able to plan (what could be) a year on the road, without working, without worrying about student debt, and without fear of discrimination. I have been fortunate to work for a generous employer, which has allowed me to save up funds for this trip. I have been blessed by my grandparents, by the government, and by private donors, to be able to come out of four years of studying without debt. In planning I was often confronted with images and news stories of those leaving war torn regions in the Middle East and in Northern Africa. I am fortunate in this instance to be a heterosexual, caucasian, male, from a developed nation which has strong, reciprocating relationships with foreign governments. I have somewhat facetiously dubbed this trip the "Tour de Privilège," and I hope to reflect more on this, using the lens of my academic background in International Development.

6. Connect with others -- Speaking in clichés, variety is the spice of life. Different people, different cultures, different worldviews (looking at you Ray Vander Zaag) makes life immeasurably better. Coming in contact with different ways of being forces self-reflection and perhaps even some change in understanding on how the world works, or should work.