End of a Decade, End of a Blog

This blog started in 2010, when I was about to turn 23 and head off to Spain to teach English for the first time. If you’ve been reading it since then – thank you! – you will have noticed that the number of posts I produce has declined over the years. It took me until 2019 to finish writing about a trip that took place in 2016, and I haven’t written about anything that happened since then.

My original goal with this blog was to replace the regular emails I had been sending to family and friends about my travels and studies. I have tried to maintain that spirit as I’ve changed along with my audience. Over the past few years, the nature of my exploration has changed from seeing what the world has to offer to finding my place within it. With that in mind, I believe it is time to retire Adult Under Construction.

This does not mean I believe the titular construction is complete, nor does it mean I am finished writing in general. Presenting my observations as those of a globetrotter without a care in the world has begun to feel odd, as my trotting became limited to Canada – admittedly, the second-largest country on Earth - and a few cares presented themselves here and there, to put it mildly. As we conclude the 2010s, the time seems right to post here for the final time. But I feel I at least owe you a summary of the past three years, so here it is.

In a previous post, I mentioned the fact that I would be moving to Edmonton, Alberta to pursue a relationship. That I did, at the end of the summer of 2016. I found a job in a restaurant while my partner studied at the University of Alberta. I enjoyed my job, and highly recommend that you stop at the Highlevel Diner if you’re ever in Edmonton.

The Menzies bridge over the North Saskatchewan River.

The Women's March on the Alberta legislature, January 2017.

Pyramid Lake in Jasper.

However, my traveler’s feet had not stopped itching. I had still not worked in my studied field of urban planning. I had doubts about whether or not it was for me, but I also realized I would never know if I didn’t try. I began applying for jobs wherever openings came up. Simultaneously, I began to feel less than content in my relationship. When I received job offers from opposite coasts, I faced the most difficult series of decisions I’ve ever had to make. I took a planning job in Victoria, British Columbia and ended the relationship that had brought me West. There is no such thing as a good breakup, but I did my best to reach that standard anyway. She and I have stayed in touch and I can happily say that she’s doing well in Edmonton.

Looking at the Olympic Mountains from Victoria.

Once in Victoria, things were all laid out for me. I was working in my field in a unionized position with benefits and a good salary. I earned a promotion relatively quickly and my work was generally appreciated. I was living in a picturesque city with an agreeable climate. My job included regular travel throughout the province of British Columbia, which calls itself “the most beautiful place on Earth”, somewhat justifiably. But I was screaming on the inside.

West coast sunset.

Fall near Lake Cowichan.

Getting paid to travel was all right.

I couldn’t exactly place the origin of my discontent, given the amount of change that I’d experienced in the previous year. Some of it was the job; my perception that I would not enjoy the 9-to-5 office life had been accurate. Some of it was processing what had happened in Edmonton. And some of it was feeling out of place in Western Canada. As 2017 turned into 2018, it was becoming clear that I was not long for Victoria.

I reflected at length before deciding to leave, as I did not want to bounce to a different situation for a change and encounter the same tumult again. When I’d been thinking of leaving Edmonton, I had been happy to find I had a strong support network of friends and family; I drew on it again in Victoria. I also saw a psychologist who was quite helpful. And I spent a lot of time on long walks trying to get clarity, thinking so hard I’m sure there was steam coming off me.

I kept thinking about the balance of time and money. In our many phone conversations, my Dad had told me this was a difficult thing to find, and it was likely I’d always have too little of one when I had enough of the other. I agreed. But then, I reasoned, time is effectively fixed. With enough time you can find ways to make more money, but there is no amount of money that will buy you a 25^th hour in a day. Given the diverse array of interests and talents that I have, it did not make sense to me to devote one third of my waking hours to a job that I resented.  

Once I’d hit that point of clarity, I needed to develop an alternative. In thinking of what would give me a better balance of time and money, I arrived at the conclusion that what I really wanted to do was return to Quebec and try to make a career out of teaching English.

I made a quick stop on the Icefields Parkway on the way home.

So it was that three consecutive summers found me relocating across Canada by car. At the beginning of August 2018 I loaded up a rental car and headed back to my parents’ place in Ontario, soon after to return to Quebec City. I’ve been living in la Capitale Nationale for 16 months now, with no plans to move. I occasionally miss the mountains out West – and my old salary - but I continue to be content with the decisions that led me here.     

And that, my friends, is that. Thank you for reading for the past decade. If you miss my occasional posts, feel free to get in touch or maybe come visit – I’ve got the time.   

P.S.: My time in Victoria included brief trips to Mexico and the Yukon. Here’s one photo from each.

Looking over the Yukon River in Dawson City.

Looking over Guanajuato.