green beam city

I've been told many times, if you're not sure about what you want to do with your life, travel.

While perhaps I am fortunate enough to know (at least in part) what I want to do with my life, I find that travelling is a very sobering experience, behind veil of good times, good eats, good photos, good sights.

I haven't travelled to many places but when I do, I try to absorb the place in me. I imagine myself living in that environment and assessing whether this community speaks to me, and whether the city fits.

Bowie and I visited our high school friend Leo in Boston a couple days ago, and after being there for 4 days, I could tell you from my short time there that the city "fits". Boston is beautiful, cultured, historical city that is one of a kind in North America. I've save that talk for another blog entry.

Yes, I recognize that I have a narrowed vision of the city, as obviously people tend to see what's good in a city when they travel. But nevertheless, it makes me question whether I've become perhaps too comfortable in Toronto and in Waterloo, specifically when pursuing my professional goals.

My reality is centred around the Greater Golden Horseshoe, and while it is a great place to learn and understand my field, I think there's a more more for me to know. Sure, I've read about "best practices" about planning and transportation in this continent, but there's nothing better than to just being and living in an environment to understand the broader and underlying issues facing a community-- something you just can't realize by reading "best practices" papers.

I guess it bums me sometimes when I think I could've burst my comfort zone and took more chances. Perhaps there's an opportunity to "burst" in the future, and I'll surely look into it as I start my job search. But at the same time, am I ready to say goodbye to my family, friends, and places familiar to me?

There are no easy answers.