#95 - Accomplished!

This summer gave me the perfect opportunity to "discover" myself. Sounds cheesy, I know, but I think it's vital that most people do this, as some people are seriously lost, trying to find themselves amongst a wide array of possibilities. I constantly was encountered with the conflict of staying in Victoria and moving to Toronto, and while that doesn't seem significant, it was hindering on my happiness. So, the adventure to find myself to then determine where I was going to move began.

It started in May, where I took two summer courses: Politics of Development and Gender & International Politics. At the beginning, I was not looking forward to these two classes, but later into the term, I discovered what I'm truly passionate about. International development is my area of focus in political science and after extensive research not only in my classes, but as well in my own time, I was able to discover how development works, what development means, and the approaches that are used to help states develop. After finishing both classes, I knew that I wanted to work for an organization that focused its interest on international development. It is also my goal to change the views held by neoliberalists in regards to development, as I firmly believe that neoliberalism does not answer the question of development, but rather hinders the progress of development in third world states and disregards the micro level of economics.

After discovering that, I had all of July off to do whatever I felt like doing. Research is what I did, and I continued to research theories that are applied to international development. I also started volunteering for Urpi, a non-profit organization that grants scholarships to children in orphanages located in Ayacucho, Pero. The volunteering position is small and consists of doing translations at meetings. This opportunity further allowed me to get a sense of the magnitude of poverty that exists in this world and the overabundance of resource and money held in first world states. July also gave me the opportunity to spend quality "me time", to discover who I was, what I wanted, and where I wanted to go. I, personality wise, did not change, but my attitude towards certain aspects of life certainly did. I do not care about minuscule details in life, about insignificant people that in the long run have no effect on my life, or the petty drama that surrounds various people I know. I have detached myself from caring about many things that I used to worry about, and thankfully I'm much happier now.

August rolled around and I left Victoria for the entire month. The first half was in Calgary, and being there for 18 days allowed me to realize that I never want to return to Alberta again. I cannot stand how conservative Albertans are, how close-minded they can be, and how they refuse to adapt to modernity and the constant evolution of society. The 18th saw my leave to Toronto, where I stayed until the 2nd of September. Being in Toronto is always exciting for me as I adore the city and love the culture and speed of the city. Never did I miss Victoria while I was in Toronto and that alone answered my question: Victoria will not be my home next year.

I hope that by July 1, 2010 I will have moved from Victoria to Toronto. I hope that I'm able to find a job that deals with international development, that allows me to use my knowledge of dependency theory and that enables me to make a difference (even a small one) in this world. I hope that what I discovered during the summer will never leave and that my move to Toronto will be the next step towards a great future.

Lady S.