Since 2015, many things have happened. I've tried 3 or 4 treatments for my disease. I achieved symptomatic remission from August 2018-April 2020 when I've started to relapse a little. None of that precious time was taken for granted however and I've appreciated feeling normal for the first time in years in my body.
It was emotionally hard returning to Canada, in defeat in 2015. Yes, I had lived in two countries and tried many new things. But I was not where I expected myself to be. I was supposed to be working on a career and making money. I was not supposed to be chronically sick or in therapy for leaving an abusive relationship. There's no coincidence that becoming chronically sick coincided at the same time as experiencing abuse with a partner. I tried to hide so many things from my friends, family and co-workers but my body couldn't lie and it literally tried to kill me. That's the power of having feelings and experiencing shock and stress on the body.
Now at 30, I'm still not at the place that I thought I would be. I had higher expectations of owning a house and having children and lots of money (not by marrying rich though). Instead, I'm in a career in a dying industry thanks to the pandemic (which is actually okay since this industry is very corrupt). I have really developed lots of skills and experience ever since finishing my CELTA in 2015. I worked really hard when I returned to Vancouver in 2016 to get to where I am today.
Archaeology? I volunteered in the Laboratory of Archaeology for the summer of 2017 while I considered doing a masters in archaeology in the Netherlands. But I started teaching at this school that fall and suddenly I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be and that feeling hasn't gone away. I found community and purpose and I fell in love. So the masters in archaeology has been shelved for the foreseeable future.
Traveling? In 2016 I traveled to Kelowna for my sister's graduation, Castlegar for my grandmother's funeral, upstate New York to visit a friend (and ran into a former co-worker from Hong Kong in Newark airport.....small world!). 2017 started off in upstate New York and ended with a conference in Toronto then back to New York for my grandma's funeral, and then the UK and the Netherlands in the summer. 2018 was the first year of many roadtrips: Vancouver - Oregon roadtrip, San Fransisco to San Diego roadtrip, Mount St. Helens roadtrip. 2019 was the second year of roadtrips: Vancouver to Oregon part 2, Las Vegas/Valley of Fire day trip x 2, UK and Scotland roadtrip and then to Canal Flats to visit my sister.
Writing? I've finished two episodes of a screenplay series. And I'm also still working on that novel I started in 2015 - we're at 80 ish pages , most of which I've rewritten.
Concerts? I've seen Rural Alberta Advantage again (Vancouver, 2017), Camila Cabello (Vancouver, 2018), Kesha and Macklemore (Las Angeles, 2018), Aqua (Abbotsford, 2018), Robyn (Vancouver, 2019), Christina Aguilera (Vegas, 2019), Tove Lo (Vancouver, 2020) and almost Dua Lipa in 2018 and almost Christina Aguilera again in 2019.
What else? I had a grandmother die today 4 years ago. That was the last time I went to Castlegar -for her funeral. My other grandmother died less than a year later. I went to Long Island, New York for her funeral.
What else? I started a Meetup group in 2017 to meet international people called "Vancouver Walk and Talk". It was so successful and I made so many wonderful friends. The premise was to go on an adventure once or twice a month and provide a chance for international students or new immigrants to practice their English.
What else? I discovered the magic of teaching during the fall of 2017 after quitting for 10 months. There is such a thing as a teacher's high!
What else? I became even more passionate about labour rights and interested in how immigration works in Canada. This summer I graduated from a program in immigration consulting.
What else? I was involved in starting a teacher's union and that changed my life in 2018-2019. Especially when I was wrongly terminated along with the interim union president. Ironically, it lead me to a better paying teacher's position at another school and then into management within 5 months.
What else? I've tried to help out as many people as I can. I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the people and friends who helped me when I was terribly sick and crippled in Hong Kong. Even when I returned to Canada, my friends and family supported me and helped me (literally) get back on my feet. It's important to give back and you never know that something that you say or share or do could really impact a person. That's what's become very important to me.
Dreams? I still want that house and those kids. And that published novel. And that screenplay made into a movie. And the treehouse venue. I want the opportunity to travel, to connect, to live abroad again. My passions are still there but the last few years have been focusing on saving for a down payment and to meet someone who wants to have a family with me. I'll remain optimistic.
