Continuing My Journey
"A good traveller has no fixed plans,
and is not intent on arriving" - Lao Tzu Upon completing the MSW program and returning to Canada in October, it is my hope that I will be able to welcome great uncertainty with open arms. While I appreciated that international social work could take place anywhere and did not have to involve being abroad, until very recently, I was still completely committed to the notion that I would only be content if I pursued a social work career in an international context. My time here in Uganda with HCU thus far has been full of challenges, achievements, learning, amazing people, and truly memorable experiences. What my time here has also given me are the tough but important realizations that perhaps what is next for me does not necessarily have to lie outside of Canada and where I am physically located does not determine my impacts as a social worker nor my personal happiness.
In recent months, more than ever, I felt the immense and unshakeable weight of needing to 'figure out' and 'know' what is to become of the rest of my life. It was as if my sense of appreciation of not knowing what will come next vanished and became replaced with unreasonable despair. Through a lot of reflection and determination to shift my frame of mind, I am resolute to once again embrace uncertainty. While I do not know exactly where my path will lead to next, I do know that I want a challenging, varied, and personally rewarding career in which I can apply the skills and knowledge that I have acquired through my MSW journey. I want to not limit myself as a social worker by predetermining what I think I want to be doing, with which populations, and where. I remain passionate especially about working with immigrants and refugees, but I want to be open to other directions as well and have room to grow. For example, I want to explore applying and integrating development practice to working with immigrant and/or refugee communities or Indigenous communities in Canada. I would also like to pursue further work with youth, particularly in these communities, and would also at some stage want to work specifically with women. Another area that I would be interested in pursuing work in is that of humanitarian aid. After gaining more skills and experience, and building up my confidence and capacity, I would also like to pursue further work internationally in development, possibly in a consultant role. Overall, I want to be engaged with work that I can be passionate about, that gives me the opportunities to keep learning and growing as a social worker, and that creates positive change in people’s lives. I want to be continuously learning and questioning the world in which we live, always have integrity, and never be complacent in anything I do. I want to spend as much time as I can with the people that are most important to me and to value love and relationships above all else. I want to live a life that is honest to myself and that my mom would have been proud of. I want to keep travelling and exploring, but perhaps a rolling suitcase and hotel rooms will soon replace my backpack and hostel dorms. I want balance and happiness in all areas of my life; I just do not know yet what that will look like. And I want to continue to try to be mindful that tomorrow is not a promise and that not knowing is just part of the fun. |