New York, Montreal.... Europe?

Last weekend, I was in New York. I was going to lots of galleries, eating great food and engaging in amazing conversation. When I got back to Montreal, the comparisons were kind of devastating. Coming back from such a weekend to a dark, empty apartment with a vacant fridge is not nice. Having a horrid week after is also not nice. But ice-cream with friends and a bottle of Chilean white wine makes it better. Also, a good nights sleep cannot be underestimated.

But anyway, focusing on the good parts - had a great weekend, saw NY and parts of NJ and Albany, and (really, despite having a shit week) I love Montreal and my life here. Which leads me to think of how sad I am to be leaving so soon. Only 6 weeks. I don't want to go, I want to work and live in the States or Canada, but the possibility of a work visa is just too impossible. I applied for an internship in NY which would be so very brilliant, but I know the chances of me getting it are very very slim to put it nicely.

So, with finances dwindling, I need a Plan B. And, wanting to travel around north and south America... I also need a Plan B. So here it is.... Travelling around Europe from 22nd Dec to begining of Febuary. In Febuary - move to Madrid, Seville or Valencia to get a job teaching English and work on learning Spanish (which would be handy in the US and South America), or, in France working on my French. My gut says Spain though, and has been saying Spain ever since I watched a travel show about the country early this year. S-P-A-I-N! Plus, spain is so close to Morocco... a trip to Africa is very much on the cards (to tick off another continent).

Anyway, so, I'll work in Spain until May. In May, I'll hit up the eastern US (NY, Baltimore, DC, Annapolis, Boston, Philly etc), cross up to Canada to Montreal and Ottawa then back States-side for Chicago and up to Toronto to FINALLY SEE TORONTO then onto California and down to south America (thinking Peru, Colombia and Chile and perhaps Argentina, finances permitting). Brazil - I'll have to save for another day. One of my friends here in Montreal travelled through south America last year and says Colombia is beautiful, as is Bolivia. Time for 'South America on a Shoestring' by Lonely Planet, me thinks. And 21st in the US just sounds too good to be true!

OK... so I'll be back in the land of the euro around July/August to travel a bit before September. Thankfully, europe is cheap if I stay with friends and family. And then onto work somewhere new. If Spain is a go-go first time round, I'll go to France, Portugal, maybe even Greece or Italy. Somewhere with low taxes and C.O.L but high wages (economic impossibility... I KNOW!). Learn a new language, earn some more euros until xmas 2010, which will def be a Polish affair before NY in NY?? possibly. Or anywhere States-side. And hang out there till Feb 2011 when (and I'm going to be kicking myself for this when I am stuck on a 15 hr straight flight from California to Australia) I'll take that plane back to kangaroo-land and try to graduate by November 2011, then.... who knows.

Vague ideas, exciting plans. Knowing I'll come back makes the prospect of leaving easier...