Odyssey Plan

A Humanitarian’s Dream

This possibility is by far my half-realistic, half-dreamy plan out of all three plans I have set out. Once I get my undergraduate degree with honours at U of T, I plan to take a volunteer trip to Africa, Fiji, or anywhere else in the world that needs help. I have always wanted to do something good in relation to aiding a humanitarian crisis, either by helping to build a school or by helping distribute supplies in a poverty-stricken country. Call me an intrinsic humanitarian, but I have always wanted to just drop everything that I’m doing right now and put my energy in use for a better cause. After that, the plan would be to work for the U.N. or any major human crisis aid agency/organization and do more humanitarian work, but on a larger scale. It has been my life-long dream to work at the United Nations headquarters or represent the U.N. in some way. In order to support my humanitarian journey, I would need to make money however to pay off basic needs; so, I would continue coaching on the side. As a figure skating coach, I can be as flexible as I want. If my job at the U.N. becomes permanent, I would eventually want to settle down. I don’t think marriage would be in the picture in this particular life plan though, but I definitely want kids. Adopting a baby would be ideal for me at this point. The last stage of this process is to retire somewhere nice and calm. Once I retire, I would move to Switzerland with my three dogs and buy a small cottage on the lake in a valley with my own boat and dock. This was my more serene and peaceful life plan, as you can see.

The Traveller

A part of me wants to live a simple life, but I constantly crave fun, adventure, and achievement. This plan is my absolute favourite, however unrealistic it may be. As some may know, I am a food blogger; I have a food Instagram account dedicated to just foods in Toronto and write mood captions or reviews/sentiments of the restaurant and their food. My Instagram handle is @liveforfoodtoronto (for those of you who are interested). Starting out as a joke, I now have over 1k followers; this has opened my mind up to future possibilities. Recently, I have been receiving more publicity and emails from people in the industry - I even have an “Influencer” account that connects me with brands and companies from all over the world. If I continue to dedicate time and energy sharing my love for food, I am determined and confident that I will be rewarded in every way possible. The reason why I mostly want to become insta-famous is not because of fame and popularity, but because I want to be recognized as an avid foodie and food stylist. It is my dream to work with top brands and get paid to travel around the world. Before I accept any big plans however, I will get a degree in Communication Studies or Nutrition and Food. Overall, the idea is to become successful on social media by becoming a brand influencer on Instagram. Once my hobby becomes a career, I’ll earn enough money to buy stocks. That way, investing my money somewhere will allow me to grow money for my future travel plans. The next step, I plan to lead a stress-free life, meaning no kids and no marriage unless I find the perfect someone. Once I’ve earned enough money from stocks, I’ll move to Paris and work for a major marketing company or as a lawyer for a big corporation. Lastly, I would love to sail around the world before I die. I used to sail quite often when I was younger so this would be a great way to celebrate my youth and to see the beauty of nature from the sailor’s point of view.

The Lawyer: Safe Bet

Without a doubt, this alternative plan is my most reliable, predictable one out of the three. Once I graduate from University of Toronto with a bachelor’s degree in Ethics, Society, and Law, with honours, I will take a year off coaching at Forest Hill Figure Skating Club for half a year and then for the other half of the year I will backpack all of Southeast Asia - mainly Thailand because it has been on my bucket list to island-hop in Thailand with friends. Other countries I would explore are Cambodia, Malaysia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Singapore. My main focuses would be Cambodia because I want to see the remotely-located Angkor Watt Temples, Thailand because of the temples and islands, Vietnam because of the Marble Mountains, and Bali in Singapore because it is just utterly beautiful there. Then, I will focus on preparing for my LSAT exam, go to Columbia Law School or University of Toronto Law School, and eventually succeed by becoming a big-time lawyer, either as an environmental lawyer as this is a growing field of interest, or as an entertainment lawyer. Then, I would get married and have 2-3 kids, once my career is set in place (most likely in my 30s). In the case I become a big-time lawyer, I would buy an island or a small Muskoka cottage up north as a summer retreat. Ultimately, the goal is to be happy and financially secure, surrounded by my grandkids in Toronto or New York.