Interview time II
Also from March, but this time from sushidog.
1. How's Straya treating you so far? Do you think you'll stay forever?
Love love love living here. I can't imagine moving back to the UK. I could be persuaded to move to some parts of the US, and France, given the right (and highly unlikely) conditions, but moving country is not something I envisage happening any time in the next decade.
2. If someone offered to fund two years' travel, where would you go?
"Someone" would make my dreams come true. I wish I knew a "someone". In no particular order, Iceland in the summer for the landscape and spend several weeks driving around the country. Then back again in winter for a week for Northern Lights. Africa, for the wildlife, for 2-3 months. South America for the amazing hiking through jungles and ancient ruins, probably 6 months there. Another USA RV trip of more National Parks for a month or more. Antartica, I have no idea how long that'd take aside from "ages" but it'd be the trip of a lifetime. A good few months travelling the interior and the coastline of Australia. And several more places as well but those would be at the top.
3. What did you want to do when you were a kid? If you hadn't gone into IT, what do you think you would have done instead?
I never really knew what I wanted to be when I was a kid. When I was really little I wanted to be a bus driver, just like my mum. Then a prima ballerina. And when I realised those dreams weren't realistic for me (too good for one, not good enough for the other!), I just hung out at school until I was too old to go any more. I read the course synopsis for Psychology in my last school year, and that inspired me to complete that degree, initially to go into child counselling. Then just counselling. Then working at Lifeline (similar to the Samaritans) made me realise that I wasn't cut out to do that sort of thing as a career. I'm really not sure when I would have ended up without IT. Perhaps in retail, I'd gone a little way up the management chain before I moved to the UK. but I've had a lot more management experience now and found I don't enjoy it, so... who knows? Professional bum?
4. Do you think about what your dreams mean? What was your last memorable dream about?
I think my dreams are just reflecting my subconscious and processing my day, either fears or desires or making sense of some crazy circumstance or sparking some creativity. Sometimes the meaning is obvious, other times not so much, but I enjoy experiencing dreams. Thankfully I rarely have nightmares.
My most recent memorable dream isn't really for public consumption... but the one before perhaps says a lot about my current aspirations. I dreamt I was lying in bed snuggled cozily up to Will, except he was on the opposite side of me in bed than he normally is. I dream big. Then I woke up and had that sinking "bugger, this is reality" feeling you get when you wake from a really great dream. But for the first time I can remember in my life, I realised that for once I could actually make that dream a reality, so I rolled over and there Will was. That was pretty ace.
5. What's the best thing you've got out of the last few months, since leaving your job?
My creativity back. My stress levels have dropped below a point they haven't seen in years, and it's wonderful. And from that I was inspired to build a little internet presence for my photography, and I really enjoyed that and I've had some very minor success already. If I could earn the money I work in IT doing photography, then I'd have my dream job. Sadly, for now I need the IT money to fund other important things in my life.
1. How's Straya treating you so far? Do you think you'll stay forever?
Love love love living here. I can't imagine moving back to the UK. I could be persuaded to move to some parts of the US, and France, given the right (and highly unlikely) conditions, but moving country is not something I envisage happening any time in the next decade.
2. If someone offered to fund two years' travel, where would you go?
"Someone" would make my dreams come true. I wish I knew a "someone". In no particular order, Iceland in the summer for the landscape and spend several weeks driving around the country. Then back again in winter for a week for Northern Lights. Africa, for the wildlife, for 2-3 months. South America for the amazing hiking through jungles and ancient ruins, probably 6 months there. Another USA RV trip of more National Parks for a month or more. Antartica, I have no idea how long that'd take aside from "ages" but it'd be the trip of a lifetime. A good few months travelling the interior and the coastline of Australia. And several more places as well but those would be at the top.
3. What did you want to do when you were a kid? If you hadn't gone into IT, what do you think you would have done instead?
I never really knew what I wanted to be when I was a kid. When I was really little I wanted to be a bus driver, just like my mum. Then a prima ballerina. And when I realised those dreams weren't realistic for me (too good for one, not good enough for the other!), I just hung out at school until I was too old to go any more. I read the course synopsis for Psychology in my last school year, and that inspired me to complete that degree, initially to go into child counselling. Then just counselling. Then working at Lifeline (similar to the Samaritans) made me realise that I wasn't cut out to do that sort of thing as a career. I'm really not sure when I would have ended up without IT. Perhaps in retail, I'd gone a little way up the management chain before I moved to the UK. but I've had a lot more management experience now and found I don't enjoy it, so... who knows? Professional bum?
4. Do you think about what your dreams mean? What was your last memorable dream about?
I think my dreams are just reflecting my subconscious and processing my day, either fears or desires or making sense of some crazy circumstance or sparking some creativity. Sometimes the meaning is obvious, other times not so much, but I enjoy experiencing dreams. Thankfully I rarely have nightmares.
My most recent memorable dream isn't really for public consumption... but the one before perhaps says a lot about my current aspirations. I dreamt I was lying in bed snuggled cozily up to Will, except he was on the opposite side of me in bed than he normally is. I dream big. Then I woke up and had that sinking "bugger, this is reality" feeling you get when you wake from a really great dream. But for the first time I can remember in my life, I realised that for once I could actually make that dream a reality, so I rolled over and there Will was. That was pretty ace.
5. What's the best thing you've got out of the last few months, since leaving your job?
My creativity back. My stress levels have dropped below a point they haven't seen in years, and it's wonderful. And from that I was inspired to build a little internet presence for my photography, and I really enjoyed that and I've had some very minor success already. If I could earn the money I work in IT doing photography, then I'd have my dream job. Sadly, for now I need the IT money to fund other important things in my life.