I've heard that once the travel bug has bit, there is no known cure :). How short sighted I was, to have named my blog [sheenainafrica.blogspot.com], not anticipating that there were more long-term adventures on the horizon for me, hence the name change to a more general: sheenastraveling.blogspot.com So what's happened between the last time I posted and today?
Welllllllll.... A lot. Here is a ten second rundown. The summer after East Africa, I worked as the Partnerships Intern at Arts & Communications (a boutique PR company in Toronto) before heading into my FINAL YEAR at McGill! The last year of my undergrad was all that I could have asked for - I was surrounded by so many people near and dear to me but every happy moment was a bitter sweet one, knowing that things would never be the same after we all moved back home and didn't live approximately 5 steps from each other. My friends will tell you that I did a lot of smiling, crying and wondering... How was I going to move back home? What was I going to do with all my stuff/how did I accumulate so much crap in 4 years (did I seriously keep every single one of my notes from every single one of my classes in 4 years at McGill? Yes. Yes I did). Why did my roommates and I take in a stray cat named Toby? What was I going to do with my LIFE?....... That was a big one, "SERIOUSLY....WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO WITH MY LIFE"???
Then I became another intern during the school year for McGill's Institute for Health and Social Policy where I coordinated a conference for international policy makers on the topic of Disability and the Workplace. That was fun and I learned a lot about how there's great people doing great things to make a difference in this world but that there's a LOT of bureaucracy to deal with as well. I was hoping to find my life calling but at this point, it was the end of the school year (where my ONLY AND LAST final exam of university was cancelled and rescheduled due to a fire alarm which almost caused me to have a legit mental breakdown) and I still didn't know what I wanted to do with my life and I most definitely did NOT want to leave Montreal....
So I got a job as a research assistant with the Evolution and Education Research Center and WoW Lab with Dr. Anila Asghar who is the most wonderful woman. I had THE best summer I could have asked for - traveling to nearby cities on the weekends for cottage timez, Canada day, Williamstown etc. and taking in Montreal during the week with the Jazz Festival, the Comedy Festival, Afro Fest, Tam Tams, street fairs (sooo much street food!!!!), St. Jean Baptiste Day, Montreal Festival of Fire and so so so much more. I had initially told my Mum I'd come back home after Graduation in early June.... and I came back at the end of August :).During the summer, I realized that it didn't matter what I was working on. What mattered was where I was living, who I was surrounded by and what I was learning. So I decided that what I wanted to do when I eventually had to go back home was something that had all of these qualities. And so, I applied for a job at a company in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia called Mindvalley (This was no easy application. I had to make a video). What attracted me to this place was it seemed draw in a number of innovative, interesting, adventurous people AND it had a great educational culture AND asia could be my new place to explore! Here's da VID:
And here's an awesome video of KL:
Kuala Lumpur DAY-NIGHT from Rob Whitworth on Vimeo.
AND. I got the job. So here I am now, getting ready to go off to Asia for my cousin's wedding and then - fingers crossed - start this job in January. Anyway this blog will hopefully keep you abreast of my travels and the things I do... sooooo stay in touch. AND COMMENT YOUR HEART OUT.
love,
Sheenz
