Wanderlust
30 Before 30
In light of my 25 birthday coming up in a week or so, I’ve been thinking a lot about where I am in terms of my life and my goals. I think that it’s very healthy for one to set goals, to try and work towards something. For me, I find that I am the most productive when I am able to clearly define what it is that I want to accomplish, and how I am going to accomplish them. So, since I’ve been thinking lately about the next 5 years of my life, and where I really hope to be by the tender age of 30. Inspired by this blog: http://www.30before30project.com/ I’ve decided to compile a list and put updates on my progress as time goes on; I’m hoping that these are entirely all achievable.
- Learn 2 languages (fluently)
- Practice those languages in their native countries
- Go mountain climbing
- Go sky-diving
- Live in Paris for a year
- Have strong, healthy and progressive friendships
- Travel across America (the quintessential road trip)
- Pass the LSAT with a mark in the upper percentiles
- Get my law degree and get into a position within the constitutional law or human rights career track
- Backpack through Latin America
- Backpack through India
- Go on a yoga retreat in the Himalayas (where you don’t talk!)
- Teach a yoga class
- Have a healthy relationship with an emotionally-healthy male
- Travel somewhere with said male
- Move to downtown Toronto
- Jump off a waterfall
- Learn to bake a perfect madeleine or pain au chocolat
- Learn to sail
- Take a comedic writing class
- Take a speech writing class
- Learn everything about wine
- Help the GOV2.0 movement find it’s place in Canadian society
- Write an article for an accredited newspaper
- Get a dog and love it to bits
- Start my aged wine collection
- Try every national cuisine for the places I visit
- Take a dancing class of some sort
- Own a piece of real art
- Have a blog with a strong readership and constantly be engaging people, maybe even a political/opinion blog that sparks discussion on the national discourse
I know some seem far-fetched, but I am sure that with some work and proper planning, I can get somewhat close to accomplishing these things. Or so the idealist in me thinks! But what is life without a bit of idealism, no fun. That’s what it is… no fun. haha
Anita
Summer, I knew thee well
I love summer! It’s my favourite time of year and I basically wait all year long for it. I am more social, happier and just generally not as grumpy – I think it’s the sun shining on me, all the time! I’m just visibly happier when it’s around, really.
But I’m kinda down this summer! I’ve essentially forfeited my wanderlust and fun to work, and work hard. I even backed out of a cottage trip with my family (in retrospect, I’m glad I did it now – DRAMA!) to work! I feel like such a grown up, and a crotchety one at that! #GrumbleGrumble.
I’ve been working 4 jobs this summer, along with attempting to study for my LSAT, dating, and being all around social. It’s been hectic. I noticed in the last couple days, that I really truly need time off if I’m to be productive. My weekends are now jammed with work, my evenings spent trying to balance my friends, my budding yoga practice, and freelancing, but all in the name of one thing: moving out. I have made it my goal, finally, to move out, and I am trying to do it with out any help from people, most importantly, my father. I feel like although I am able to get help, I shouldn’t so readily take it, fruits of my labour will be much, much sweeter if I put in the time and effort for myself, don’t you think?
So for now, as sad as I am inside about not being able to go away anywhere, not being able to party my socks off with my friends or even, not even have time to just laze around with my sister, I’m remembering that the sacrifice I am making right now is going to get me what I crave the most – freedom and growth.
To make up for lack of travel, I’ve been just going through old pictures from my last amazing summer trip, the one I took in 2010 through Europe. Here are a couple shots of me in various cities. I’m dreaming of a beach right now, friends. The blue, cool water, the warm breeze… the alcoholism. I love, and want it all. I’m hoping that through hard work comes good things, and that next summer, I’ll be lounging in the sun, maybe trekking my way through Latin America or even India. But until then, I’ll just revisit my past travels, wistfully longing for the touch of that warm summer air and the taste of another country on my lips.
Hope you’re all having a wonderful Sunday!
Anita
Me on my 23rd birthday in Marseilles.
Boats! My favourite people to hang out with.
My friends, Bhaven and Connie and I in Paris at a small bistro. Beautiful.
My heart is dreaming…
I often get pangs of wanderlust rippling through my body on days like this. Today I found my box of mementos from my trip to Europe in 2010 (I’m clearly overly sentimental, since I’ve saved just about EVERYTHING from my trip… ticket stubs, maps, receipts), and promptly cracked it open and rummaged through it. The result was immediate: I wished that I was back there and longed to be vagabonding once more.
I get itchy feet all the time. Even though I was in NYC just a month or so ago, I already feel the need to move there. I mean, my room isn’t really helpful either – I have French paraphernalia everywhere. From art to style, my whole room is a throw-back old French style. And today, I spent about 2 hours in the morning watching time-lapse videos of Paris… and I swayed my sister into making a French dinner (it was AMAZING, FYI). I think I’m feeling a need to go back. The smell, the feeling, the beauty of Europe, specifically Paris, is so astounding. ahhh. ANYWAYS, I just wanted to share this AMAZING time-lapse video with you from Paris. It’s gorgeous, and iconic. Loved it.
http://vimeo.com/14502628
Hope everyone is having a great Family Day weekend! I totally forgot that it was Family Day until my friend mentioned it to me. I’m spending the day the best way I know how: a bottle of wine (I have a nice French Chablis I bought today), a baguette with brie and basil. Heavenly!
Anyways, night everyone! 
Anita
On being positive.
Yes, that is a hilarious picture of my sister and myself in Chicago… lol
Carrying on.. I used to carry a lot of pain with me in everything I did, and the things that I would put out into the world were always less than positive. I was somewhat of a negative person… unsure of myself, what I could do, my abilities and how to handle myself in situations. It was not until the last few years that I have really felt like I am living my life the way I have always wanted to; happily and confidently.
I don’t think that this was by chance. As a person, I have always been inclined to have a tad bit of wanderlust and through travel I have found a very solid way of learning about myself. I return from each and every trip with a renewed interest and hope for change – and this happened as well when I came back from NYC earlier this month (I wrote a blog on it as well… one which is just teeming with positivity and hope). ANYWAYS, I really think that over the years I have learnt that in order for me to continually progress without having to constantly resort to travelling, which is something my coin purse and my back can’t seem to take very frequently, I must keep an open and positive attitude in any and everything I do.
This is cemented by my beliefs in a concept of energy and when you put good out, you get good. I maintain that, through and through. Anyways, after a couple days of indolence and just generally being blue (for no reason, may I add) I have come out, happier than ever. This may have been a side-effect of hanging with my sister all day – I guess I kind of missed her. Anyways, I’m pretty happy today as opposed to anti-social as I’ve been for about a week now. I want this feeling to ride out until the weekend… AND FOREVER.
Hope you’re all having a good week! It’s Thursday tomorrow! Hoo-ray!
Anita
NYC: Awakening
This year started off with a bang… and WHAT a bang. Let’s preface the situation at hand before I dive in: I, Anita, have been a staunch anti-America traveller for as long as I can remember. I think through my studies and general political reading I have built up a negative view of the country, its policies and its people. I never thought that there would come a day when I would be looking for jobs in the States, willing to move down there just so I could live in NYC. I think with this happening at the beginning of the year, I should take a cue and realize that I shouldn’t generalize and maybe give things a chance before completely writing them off, which I had clearly done for every part of that country.
Truly though, I’d like to think that you can’t blame me in this case; a country which has developed and created such an indolent, ignorant and intolerant society as a standard to be achieved is not a place that I would like to visit. But really… I think I may have spent too much time focusing on the negatives when there were so many positives to come out of the country as well. While the politics and the culture of the majority may not entirely be in line with my own, there are people who definitely are in line with my beliefs and understandings. I still have so many opinions on the country, but the city of New York is somewhere I can see myself.
I visited the city last week with a good friend of mine, Neha, and she said something interesting to me on the way there. This statement became more and more true to me as my trip wore on. She said to me, “I think you’re a New York City person and you don’t even know it.” She clearly hit the hammer on the nail there. I just couldn’t believe how great it was, with so much going on and so much to see. It has taken the spot right after Paris and Istanbul of places that I would be willing to live. Since the first two cities on my list are part of a system on the verge of collapse, I figure that moving to NYC shouldn’t be as harrowing of an ordeal.
Either way, what a gorgeous place; bustling, lively and cultured, with some of the kindest people I have ever met. Going with Neha was even better, she knew her way around and introduced me to so many good people that my Facebook friend count went haywire after the trip (not so much, but you know I like exaggerating! haha). I spent many nights there having good food, good conversation and good laughs. My time there was short, and I walked around so many parts of the city and saw so many things… but I know that I barely scratched the surface and there was much left to explore.
I’m already planning my next trip. I just can’t wait, my foot is halfway out the door already!
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