A New Adventure.

I’m going to Canada! 🇨🇦 🍁

Yep, it’s been an awful long journey to get here, where there were a number of times I thought it wasn’t going to happen, but now it’s actually happening!

I’m going to be spending 5 months in the middle of nowhere, a little town called Carcross in the Yukon to be specific, working at this cute little petting zoo/ museum type place, frequented by tourists from cruise ships and staff members from all over the world, otherwise known as Wild Adventure Yukon! The summer I spend there will involve working with a group of likeminded people, cleaning up after the animals (and people) and of course the best part- cuddling puppies 🥰

I remember I came across this opportunity on a website called https://www.workaway.info, which is generally a site for finding volunteering opportunities abroad, HOWEVER, if you are clever like me (hehe 😏) you can also find some paid opportunities on there- you just need to look very carefully 👀

When I first came across this opportunity, I was feeling a bit lost, in a pretty monotonous admin job and stuck in the daily grind, without having seen much of the world…

I felt as though I still hadn’t paved the kind of career for myself that I would one day look back on and be proud of.

One thing that I had realised though, was that my passion did not lie in admin and/or office work. One of my biggest passions in life was spending time with and helping animals. The truth is that I trust animals more than I trust people a lot of the time, as people unfortunately haven’t always been good to me. I’m a textbook introvert, however the second I see an animal, particularly a dog or a cat, my introversion goes out the window.

I open up, almost immediately.

It’s quite incredible really how quickly the real me comes out.

Anyway, this encouraged me to look up paid work opportunities with animals abroad!

My thought process was this: what better way to combine both of my goals of travelling and working with animals than to work with sled dogs in Canada for the summer? At least to me, it seemed like an unmissable opportunity.

Since this blog is a place for realness and honesty, the truth is I’ve also spent the last few years of my life rebuilding myself again from absolute rock bottom. Four years ago in 2020, otherwise known as the year from hell, I was stuck between those same four walls and struggling everyday with crippling OCD that made life unbearable. Like many other mental illnesses do, it also had an effect on my family. I completely lost myself and didn’t want to be here anymore.

I still struggle from day to day with those same inner bullies, but NOW, I am working through it and I believe that through therapy and through my own strength, I have grown a lot as a person. Enough to take bigger steps like this!

People may ask me of course… why on earth are you choosing to go halfway across the world, whilst continuing to fight these demons?

The answer, simply put is that I am sick and tired of waiting around, hoping that something about my mental health will change and will allow me to be mentally ‘well’ enough to do all of the things that I have wanted to do all along. There’s always going to be a reason why you shouldn’t take the plunge and follow your dreams, however there comes a point when you are letting those mental health issues that have defined your life for so long, CONTINUE to define you, by using them as the reason why you can’t do the things you want.

Yes, sometimes your mental health means that you shouldn’t do certain things, particularly if it’s very bad at that time and I’m always going to be an advocate for looking out for your mental health.

The truth is though, particularly in my case, sometimes it’s just excuses. Although I still have a way to go, I now manage those inner demons much better. I have the tools to get through difficult times, whereas in the past I was swallowed up by it. My journey is changing and this is only the beginning. I’m not saying that Canada will be perfect, evidently those demons don’t just go away overnight. But I’m more hopeful and that’s a start.

For anyone else who feels swallowed up by their mental illness or personal circumstances, don’t give up. I wish I could tell the person I was a few years ago that things can get better. I will keep you all updated on Canada and will probably be taking LOADS of photos whilst I’m there, so I will definitely share some of them with you all!!

Lots of love and thanks for reading!

Anneli

Xx