In My Life.doc

I think the Beatles tune I’ve inserted as the title for this entry will have more emotional poignancy when reflecting on this list in the future. The first few chords of that song never fail to make me melt into an indescribable nostalgia for the places and people I’ve known.

You had to know it was coming. I’m too much of a perfectionist to walk off into the sunset without taking a stab at collecting some of the more memorable moments of this wonderful journey. The past sixteen months have been an incredible time of growth and experience away from home. I could rattle off dozens memories from my time here, but this serves as a list of my favourites. The purpose here is to thank the friends I’ve shared these occasions with, and archive snapshots along the way. A look back…

September 2008, Train Station, Rennes, France
After six months of dreaming of Europe and making plans to meet as often as possible, my best friend, Emily, greeted me at the top of an escalator in France. I’ll always remember the freak-out we had having finally made it. The buildup to this moment was insane, and it would prove to be the start of a dozen or so similar meetings. Having Emily over here made the experiences all the more worthwhile.

November 2008, Planet Hollywood, London, UK
Bec and I hadn’t know each other all that long, but we decided to take a train down to London to join thousands of others in one of the largest cities in the world in anticipation of the election of Barack Obama to the presidency. We stayed up until 5am watching the results in Piccadilly Circus, celebrated with the revelers, and took an early train back to Leamington. Magic.

November 2008, Stockholm, Sweden
It was one of my first travel excursions booked on a whim with my friend Paul. Even though there was snow on the ground the whole weekend, we had an absolute blast—late night partying, island hopping, an abandoned swing set, and eating reindeer. The trip to Sweden was a blast.

December 2008, Alanya Castle, Turkey
Just one highlight of a fantastic week spent in Turkey with Emily. I remember the day well. We hiked up (and later down) to the castle the locals said no one walked to, took copious photos, had Turkish coffee, and explored the small fishing village. Way ta go gouys.

December 2008, Christmas Eve, Paris, France
How lucky does one have to be to spend Christmas Eve in Paris? As you can guess, Emily, Raffi, a few clowns, and myself sat before the beautiful Eiffel Tower and toasted to Christmas. If was my first holiday away from home, but it was a memorable weekend of friends and cheer.

January 2009, New Years Eve, Edinburgh, Scotland
Talia and I were just laughing about this night last week. To ring in the New Year at one of the biggest parties in the world, in the company of Talia and Alex, and in the home of my ancestors was truly special—the walk through the crags the next day was also a stellar way to spend the first day of 2009.

May 2009, Queen’s Day Weekend, Amsterdam, Netherlands
I could only pick one event from Amsterdam to throw on this list (when I could find a dozen) and Queen’s Day weekend was definitely it. I’ve never seen a country so lit up with pride before, and so genuinely welcoming of those of us who were along for the ride. The party under the bridge the night before, the Queen’s day beer and breakfast at my place, and the day spent as an “Undutchable” was incredible.

March 2009, Reading Week, Berlin and Prague
Sneaking a week out of a busy Amsterdam schedule was risky, but proved worth it. Courtney and I had a great time checking off oodles of Berlin must-sees, and Milan was a terrific host in Prague. It’s a truly a joy to have a host who knows a city, and he did not spare a detail in showing me his favourite spots.

April 2009, Brussels Weekend, Belgium
The bachelors weekend in Brussels with Michael and Paul was utterly fantastic. Among our shenanigans (a random metro station party, finding a real club the next night, and park sleeping) I think some of my favourite time was spent together pregaming in our hostel room. We tore up the city.

June 2009, Final Night, MAIPR Summer School, Finland
This whole week will go down as simply legend. As expected, the coming together of all thirty MAIPR students from twenty-two countries was epic. Add saunas, Finnish traditions, summer sunsets, and lots of late nights to the mix and you can tell why it was so memorable. On the final evening we presented our practice as research forest explorations/performances, and stayed up until 5am at the sauna and bonfire.

July 2009, Portuguese Family Day, Sesimbra, Portugal
Terry, Maria, and Jessica were such fantastic hosts in Portugal. The week spent in Sesimbra was among the most relaxing of the year. Specifically, one afternoon our hosts invited three families for a sardine lunch. As Terry predicted, lunch turned into dinner, and dinner turned into late night. Like a scene from Mamma Mia, the camaraderie was inspiring.

July 2009, IGLYO Conference, Amsterdam, Netherlands
After original internship opportunities fell through, I was lucky enough to piece together volunteering with IGLYO who just happened to be hosting the largest gathering of global LGBT youth ever. The internship exceeded my wildest expectations. I was given control of an important project, the work bled into my dissertation, and I think it will lead to further opportunities. The week was a reminder about injustice throughout the world, but also inspiring displays of human courage.

July 2009, Barcelona Opera House, Spain
Jessica and I spent a wicked few days together in Barcelona. Since our hostel was a shoebox, we stayed out as long as possible and had a blast exploring all the great sights. Most memorable was our long shot tickets to Puccini’s Turandot that turned out to be BOX SEATS. Not too shabby for my first professional opera.

November 2009, berlinpad.com, Berlin
After four months of not leaving the UK and focusing on the diss, my trip to Berlin to visit Emily and Steve was much needed. In addition, it marked 20 years to the month that the wall fell. We dined on great food, shared a few drinks, and had such a wonderful few days. That trip made me realize why expats love settling in Europe so much.

December 2009, One Night Only, London, UK
The Hunters hit the UK for a quick tour. The one night with Emma was full of unspeakable shenanigans, party party party, stories stories stories, and 5am escapades. If I ever had doubts about returning home, Emma’s visit reminded me of the wonderful things I am heading back to. I was also lucky enough to connect with my friend Jono who also stopped down in Londontown the very next week.

December 2009, Holidays, Leamington Spa, UK
The MAIPR group made the most of the holidays away from our families. Though I was skeptical how great a time we’d have (since we were all the middle of very demanding projects), the holiday was wonderful. The fireworks on Christmas Eve day were a special treat.

January 2010, Finishing the Dissertation, UK
Eight months after sending in the first proposal, I had completed a substantial dissertation of which I could be proud. It was the most challenging project I’ve been attached to so intimately. The reward—one week of eating, drinking, and tanning in Tunisia—has been fitting.

Doc’s Prescription of the Day: More memories than I can count, but these ones strike a chord. Thank you to those who made it possible.