bcom

Another day goes by, and I am supposed to feel more wise. I don’t really, but I definitely can take some time to look back on the things that have taken place in the past year, and maybe share some thoughts on how I had thought things would be, versus where they are.

This time last year was GURU week at Ivey, because I was working on the orientation team to help bring in the new HBA students. I think we actually would have been in Grand Bend on the beach right now, tossing around a ball. Then we later went to Gables bar, and I remember leaving early on the first bus, so that I could get home to meet Casey, since she was coming up that weekend.

I think back and my thoughts at that point were that I was going to start HBA2, get a sweet job in consulting and just spend time with my girlfriend. I had thought that within the next year I would be working in downtown Toronto, would have bought a condo, and that Casey and I would still be together. Needless to say, I am VERY glad things did not turn out exactly like that.

The first half of the year went by well, I enjoyed my classes, and got some great grades considering the minimal effort I put into doing my work. I attended a lot of information sessions and interviews with recruiters. I applied to only the best jobs, and I was sure I would get an offer. I didn’t. Then I got a call from my manager back from my summer job, saying that the project was done and the team was having a final gathering at her house. She suggested I come down and say goodbye.

No sooner had I stepped in the door than did two senior Accenture employees come greet me and start asking when I would be working for their company. I played the game nonchalantly, and asked a lot of questions. Most of these were centered around how I could stay in Toronto to work without traveling.

Eventually, through an accelerated interview process, I was offered a job with Accenture. Luckily this happened a few weeks before I left for Singapore. When I was getting ready to leave, I really was torn between my friends, family and girlfriend at home, and adventure in Singapore.

I am 100% positive that I made the right decision. I absolutely loved Singapore, and I think I made some of the best friends I have ever had while on exchange there. I learned a lot about different cultures, and I learned a lot about myself. A side-effect of that was that I actually got out more and met different people, and my then girlfriend really paled in comparison.

For example, there is a girl in Singapore who is really amazing. She’s smart, pretty, has a good job, is financially stable, is really really cute, and she likes to talk to me all the time (she’s also a little older than me, but that isn’t a big deal). Anyway, how could I possibly compare the two? It is like asking a snail to compete in a race against a cheetah. There would be one CLEAR winner (and she just happens to be in Singapore).

In any event, after I had been there and come back, I really can’t wait to head back overseas. I really love Asia. I enjoyed Japan and I enjoyed South Korea, and I enjoyed Singapore. I like the people, I like the culture, and I like the environment. Not to mention the language… U ah!

So all in all, this year has been much better than I had expected, but also widely different. I have some plans for this coming year, but they are a lot more loosely formed because I can’t get solidify anything right now. I know I want to go back to Singapore to visit some people, and I’m planning on going in February. I also know that there is someone that I want to be with, and that hopefully the next year will find us together.

We’ll see how things go, but at 22, I feel good with where I am in life.