As published in Drayton Valley Western Review.
I love travelling. If there is only one thing I could do in life for the rest of my life, I would just travel. Ever since I was little, I have always dreamt of visiting new places, learning new languages and immersing myself in different cultures. My first out of the country trip I had was to Singapore when I was about 11 years old. The next one was to Hong Kong when I was about 15 years old. Most of the first few trips of my life were made possible because of my dad. Our family travels once in the summer and once during Christmas. Then I moved to Canada when I was 18 and have been travelling to United States quite frequently. I love travelling so much that I started this tradition where I celebrate my birthday in a different place every year. The tradition started when I was 19 years old. Most of my birthdays in the last five years were celebrated in a different US city because it is accessible from Canada and I was only holding a Filipino passport back then, which really puts a limit on places I could go to. My birthday tradition usually involved a significant other, a friend, or my family to accompany me on my trip. However, on my last birthday, I decided I wanted to go solo. It was a scary thought but it was something I have been thinking about for quite a while. My family and friends were surprised and were not comfortable with the idea of me travelling alone. I was 24 and I thought, ‘I have to do this.’ I was at that point in my life when I did not know what to do with my life or where my life was headed. I was lost. I thought of it as an opportunity to get to know myself better and just focus on me. Sometimes, getting away from it all and going to a new place helps you see yourself and your life in a new perspective. It sounded selfish but I had a strong feeling it was something I needed to do. Maybe I was going through a quarter life crisis? At that time, I was not happy with my life. It had been a year since I graduated but had not found a big girl job and my boyfriend back then broke up with me. So I decided to pack my bags and go to New York City. It was liberating to say the least, to be able to explore a big city where you do not know anyone. It forced me to get out of my comfort zone. I learned to navigate my way alone using the subway in one day. I went from Brooklyn, where I was staying, to Manhattan. I ate one of the best burgers I have had in my entire life at a diner in Times Square, I watched Matilda the Musical on Broadway, I partied it up on 4th of July, I walked around Times Square and saw Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes crossing the street, and all of these I have done all by myself. I liked how I was able to plan my day based on what I want to do and not have to worry about other people’s preferences. I could start my day late or I could start my day early, I could go eat at a steak house or go for Asian food, I could go visit a museum or take a leisurely walk in Central park. I could do whatever I want. By not knowing anyone in the area, I was forced to meet strangers and new people. I met a New Yorker who showed me around Staten Island, brought me the popular Ralph’s Ice, and taught me how to eat pizza the New Yorker way. New York is unbelievable. New York is beautiful. The energy of that city is just amazing. New York inspired me to dream again. It definitely is where dreams are made of. I came back to Canada with a clearer vision of what I want to do with my life. I decided that I am going to pursue a career in journalism and work my way to the end goal of landing a job in New York City. When I got back to Canada, I got an e-mail offering me a position in a small town weekly newspaper in Grimshaw. Two days after I came back from the Big Apple, I found myself moving to Grimshaw to start a new life. Seven months later, I am in Drayton Valley. Is it not funny how life works out? I believe I am in the right path to making my dream a reality. That trip also showed me that there is nothing to be scared about when it comes to travelling solo and that the world is a safe place. That does not mean we have to be careless when in a foreign place and be trusting of people right away. We do have to exercise some degree of precaution to protect ourselves but all I am saying is break out of your shell. Explore the world. Go do it on your own. There is so much more to see than just what is in our own backyard. The tradition continues this year. For my 25th birthday, I will be going on a European tour to explore seven countries. I will be visiting England, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France. I will be travelling solo, of course. Another lifelong goal of mine is to be the first Filipino-Canadian to travel to every 193 countries in the United Nations. At the same time, I want to be able to inspire others to travel more often. I know there are a lot of reasons why most people choose not to travel, whether it be time or money. In my next column, I will write about how to make travelling a possibility no matter how much or how little time and money a person has.
