I was at a pub w/some old friends last night and we got talking about travelling experiences: where you've gone, what you liked/disliked, where are planning on going to. I realized that I had almost nothing to contribute to the conversation. Unlike tedious beer coversations, this is one which i wanted to be able to participate and share with my friends.

I have travelled before, but as more like a tourist. I either went when i was super young or there for a day and couldn't really get a grasp of the culture and history of the place I was visiting. The only place which I feel that I feel i've "travelled" is NYC (manhattan) and may be montreal. I hate being a tourist. It sucks. I don't like the bling of the city for long - I just want to feel it's everyday energy, history, arts, culture, and everyday people.

It got me wondering whether I should have travelled right after university was done. I don't regret that decision because it just didn't feel right back then. I didn't get the coveted "travel bug". Fast forward 2 years and now i hear from so many friends w/the bug who have travelled to so many places for extended periods of time (>2 weeks). I wish I had similar experiences. That's not to say i need to go to the same places as all my friends, but just other travelling experiences.

So do i quit my job and go travelling for a year? Not exactly. Let's get back to reality here. I have a new job that i like a good Canadian non-profit org. I have all my roots are based here. SBF is here! This is my home and I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. But I do need to start being more worldy. The best place to start would be immersing myself books/movies/history outside of Canada - may be read some novels about the WW, or about the Incredible (and unsustainable) growth of China, or IRAQ.. I don't know. One thing is for sure: I need to branch out of the urban bubble! And that doesn't mean to the burbs like Richmond Hill or Pickering :).
I've got to grow and get a better grasp of the World other than daily topline newspaper articles.

May be they have interest courses you can take; i'm all about seminar classroom discussions - I miss those from school, espeically in 4th year. Too bad most of them were talks about Leveraging and Sustaining Bright Ideas in a Hi-Tech World or Marketing Strategy!

Take care,

RE

"eat drink and be merry"