Saturday, April 22, 2006

Dead in its infancy: Assault on the Northern Americas 2007

A great plan had been afoot. A glorious plan. Unfortunately, very little planning had gone into the plan. A plan with out planning is a non sequitur; moreover, it's likely that such a plan will fail - which has happened in this case.

See, Latrobe University, the university that I'm attending, has a sister university in Canada. A student can complete a year of their studies overseas, which would be a great opportunity for someone getting on in years (in scholastic terms), someone just like me. I would have been able to combine travel and study, getting both things accomplished at the same time.

At the end of the study year I was planning on buying a cheap car that I was then to drive south down into the USA. I was going to spend the end of year break driving around America, maybe visiting New York maybe visiting San Francisco. What I hadn't figured into my plans was Canada's scholastic year starting at a different time to Australia's. So although I'd finish the school year here around November, the school year doesn't start over in Canada until September. This would mean that nearly a year would pass until I could start my second year - time I can't really afford.

Thus, and ever so sadly, 'Assault on the Northern Americas 2007' has been killed in its infancy, a casualty of my poor planning. I guess I could do the whole thing in reverse - travel 'round the USA first, working my way north, ending up in Canada to start the school year in September. But that is a whole new plan and it will require some serious contemplation.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dude, I know exactly how you feel.

Unknown said...

dude, i'm horribly offended your priority is to hit the U-Ass-of-A instead of exploring my country! and Canada is kinda big, what uni would it be?!

Don Quixote said...

No, no - you've got me all wrong. I'll only have limited months to do the USA thing, ergo I'll be devoting far more time to Canada by spending nearly a year there studying. I can't remember the name of the city, but I hope it's some place with a funny name like Saskatoon or Coaticook!

By the way, I sent you an email without leaving my website name on it. So in case you were trying to figure out who emailed you - it was me.

Unknown said...

I'm contemplating the same thing. Except I decided the finances couldn't handle a year so hello semester.

I know of someone who, somehow, organised it so they did one 'semester', had the Nth American summer and then went back for their second semester.

Which university in Canada? I'm guessing because LaTrobe is kinda trendier than my uni, that it wouldn't be the choices I have.

Don Quixote said...

I'm going to find out the name of the city tomorrow, ElizaJoey. It is a little bit easier for me because I worked for several years prior to starting university - but it'll still be costly. I wonder if those strange Canadians will let hard working Australians work in their country?

The whole uni then America thing - the same way that your friend did it - is exactly the way I'd like to do it.

Unknown said...

okay so I did this whole long response and somehow it didn't feel like showing up here. annoying!

anyway as I was saying, Canadian travel is a pain in the ass because distances are so great so it can be expensive and time-consuming. I haven't seen much of the country for this reason, as in most cases I can fly within the country for what it costs to go to Europe, and in the past that means I've mostly chosen Europe.

the train is fantastic but that as well as road trips are loooong. quite frankly from experiences of self and friends it's just generally a much bigger thing to plan compared to American travel (fewer cities but brutal distances).

Saskatoon would be cool as it's smack in the middle of the country - do let us know when you know what city this school would be in!

I did get your email, a response is brewing... ;)