Postcards from Thailand

I just received about 15 postcards from my old grade three class. You can imagine how happy this made me. I don't have much to say other than I hope you like them. I do.

"Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy those are who already posses it."

When to give up on your major

I don't know the answer to this question. I'm also not sure that  'give up' is the right term but with each year that passes, I find it less and less likely that I will find a job in the field I went to university for.

I studied Sport Management at Brock University, near Niagara Falls, Canada. Kind of like learning about business but everything to do with sport. Research in sport, sport globalization, sport law, sport marketing, sales, event management, entrepreneurship, etc...I liked it. I enjoyed going to class, I liked the people and I liked the small school and class size. I decided on Brock because I didn't know what I wanted to study, it was far from my home town, had easier winters and heard it wasn't the hardest department to study in. I met some of my best friends there and don't regret it at all. The only thing I might regret is not going to Teachers College right after University and spending the next two years in jobs that you wouldn't want to write blog posts about. Hindsight is 20/20 and maybe I needed to go through that and meet the people I met to be where I am today and where I am headed after New Zealand. (future post!)

I probably should have figured it out sooner that I wouldn't get a job in my field. Right after I graduated, the 2010 winter Olympics were hiring and other SPMA people were applying and getting jobs for it. I didn't have the money to go to BC and the whole thing didn't sound like it would be that fun. I'm sure I was wrong and was apparently an amazing experience and a great way to meet new contacts. In the back of my head I always kind of thought I would do something with my degree. I love sports and thought about something in the event management side would be interesting. I mean, I spent four years studying it, I should probably get a job in it. I feel like I should have some sort of career path by now (27!). Have been thinking if I meet the right person, I'd like to get married and have cute little babies. As I've discovered, apparently women and children cost a certain degree of money that I do not currently have. When I first moved to Ottawa after graduating from school, my cousin Debbie offered for me to stay at her place. I said I would stay for three months, I moved out just before three years. When I first got there, I told her I needed three things:

1-Cell phone

2-Job

3-Girlfriend.

I got the first two fairly quickly, the girlfriend part eluded me for some time. Shocking eh? I feel like now if I were to have that same talk with her, my priorities would be:

1-Career

2-Wife

3-Babies (They are going to be so cute!!)

And right now, I feel like that is a career not involving what I originally intended. Lots of people study subjects they don't go on to make into career paths, right? And who knows what will happen in a few years from now. That doesn't mean that you can't still read about it or volunteer for causes you feel passionate about. It isn't a zero sum game.
I'd eventually like to own/run my own business or company and for the immediate future, teaching English makes me happy and enables me to travel. If you like, let me know if you ended up studying what you became or how you decided not to pursue your major or any other thoughts you might have on the subject. In the end, having a degree certainly opens up some doors but realistically it is who you meet that will open up the best doors.

A career path is rarely a path at all. A more interesting life is usually a more crooked, winding path of missteps, luck and vigorous work. It is almost always a clumsy balance between the things you try to make happen and the things that happen to you.

Tom Freston

A New Zealand norm

I haven't done a ton on NZ focused posts because I haven't traveled as much as I had planned. If you feel like you don't have a better grasp on what New Zealand is like after following me the last few months, I apologize. You get what you pay for.

New Zealand and Canada are very similar. Both extraordinarily beautiful, well respected around the world, friendly people, good food, wine and a love for the outdoors. There is one cultural norm that stood out to me immediately that I find pretty innocent and fun. While this is more of a trend in the country and rural communities, you would also find it in cities.

Kids don't wear shoes. They own them, they just aren't overly keen on the idea. It is my understanding that most kids leave their homes with shoes but will ditch them on their walk to school or once at school. They will play outside without shoes. If you go to a store, you will see shoe-less kids inside. SHOE-LESS!! My dad would not be impressed. It has crossed my mind to take pictures of this phenomenon, but taking pictures of little kids you don't know is universally frowned upon. However, taking pictures of an old man taking money out of an ATM is widely praised.

I'm okay with kids doing it, I can see the appeal. Heyyyy no shoes!!! If you are an adult though, this is just reinforcing my last post about savagery. People here also love netball, sort of similar to basketball but only girls play. I'm a fan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mrgmy9clLro

"You can do anything, but not everything"

David Allen

People are savages

This is a discovery I made while living with my cousin in Ottawa a few years ago.

People are savages.

While it is also true that people do extraordinary things every day, people can be incredibly generous and kind, that just isn't as fun as learning about our savagenaturous lifestyle...

Let's first define savage.

Oxford dictionary defines savage as a member of a people regarded as primitive and uncivilized.

One of my main thoughts (I don't have many) before writing this post was if you put 20 men and women together in the same place for a few hours to a few days from different countries who do not speak the same language, they will soon begin sleeping with each other.

If you put a group of people together for an extended period of time who can speak the same language, they will certainly hook up, fight and create drama. Think MTV's Real World and Big Brother.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DapUtTDIk4

If a city is in the Stanley Cup final and ends up losing, rioting will ensue. Savages. 

If you leave people unattended, the amount of savagery could be unprecedented; food fights, debauchery,  etc..

Feral children who have literally been raised by wolves. Savages.
Although I don't blame them for their savageness, just happy they are alive. If you are interested, research feral children, really interesting and sad.

http://listverse.com/2008/03/07/10-modern-cases-of-feral-children/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sStqKtxI0IM

Coliseum gladiator fighting to the death? Savages.

Public hangings? Savages.

Getting caught for intercourse outside? Savages.

Ever been inside a public bathroom? Savages.

Rock stars trashing a hotel room? Savages.

Have you ever seen people eat ribs?

Savages are all around us people. While it might be part of our nature to act this way, let us all try and keep it together. We are trying to live in a society. 

"Laws are made not to be broken. They are made to curb our savagery." 

Toba Beta