Watch This Space

Nothing motivates me to write like a deadline, and that last post came right before a pretty big one. Tomorrow evening, as Americans set off fireworks for Independence Day, I'll be on a plane to Chile. My impending departure reminds me that I have not kept readers of this blog up to date on my future plans, though some of you may have heard them in bits and pieces.

My original idea for the year after teaching in Quebec revolved around South America, one of the remaining items on a mental checklist I mentioned previously. Teaching English seemed, again, like a convenient vehicle to allow me to live and work in a foreign country for a set amount of time. I had my eyes on a job in Brazil, with an idea to travel through Latin America by various means before ending up there in August to start teaching.

As I started putting this plan in motion, I also fell/jumped into a relationship with another anglophone in Quebec. Suffice to say I began to waver in my convictions about my plan for next year. Brazil almost felt like a default choice, as if traveling is what I do, and therefore I should go to the next place I want to go and do the work I can to make it happen. Don't get me wrong - it didn't seem like a bad choice, but teaching English for a third time seemed less interesting than pursuing this new relationship. And when it came time to say goodbye indefinitely, it was abundantly clear to me that I did not want to do that. So we didn't.

I've never based my plans around someone else's, making this decision more adventurous, in some ways, than moving to another country. Instead, I'll "only" be moving to Edmonton (in Alberta, near the Rockies, for those not familiar with Canadian geography), where she will be doing a Masters and I will be doing something else.

Edmonton, soon to become the largest city I've ever lived in.

As a result of this change in plans (and an assessment of finances), I have had to adjust South America's role in proceedings. Over the next month and a bit, I will be traveling around Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. Two friends from Dalhousie have managed to convince themselves to join me, spending their hard-earned summer vacation in the South American winter (thanks, guys). With any luck, we'll have an awesome time, send lots of postcards, and avoid the Zika virus.

When I return, I will have a hectic August including family visits and a bicycle repair training course before a cross-country drive to Edmonton. Will I have time to post on this blog? Maybe. Will I have enough material for several posts? Definitely.