Mulloskeys Adventures Abroad

You know, it’s funny. There are so many things to do in this world and yet most of us tend to fixate on one. We seem to deify these pursuits and judge our success and relative happiness in relation to them. North Americans are especially guilty of this but surprisingly so are Koreans. While many Asian cultures place an inordinate amount of importance on family, respect, the natural world and inner harmony – most Koreans I’ve met are still totally slaves to the machine. By the machine, I mean getting into a good school, competing for the most prestigious jobs, making money at a feverish pace and being able to afford to get the best car, buy the best clothes and whatever the plastic surgery ‘flavour of the week’ procedure happens to be. All this so that they can reproduce and throw their children into the fray. Most of the time the best thing you can give your child is the opportunity to study in North America for a semester or for the elite – an entire degree. Nobody ever seems happy with what they have. In some ways, this place is just like home. I found out recently that I didn’t receive an invitation to medical school interviews for this fall. For so long, this was my dream. I faltered occasionally but for the better part of the last decade, this has been what I’ve wanted to pursue. I’ve watched my brilliant friends begin and complete their M.D.’s and have felt deeply proud of them and inspired to keep the dream alive. I have to say though that this time, I feel oddly at peace about the whole thing. I won’t say I wasn’t disappointed but it’s been such a privilege to finally remove myself from my Toronto-persona and evaluate things from a more objective point of view. I don’t want to get sucked back into gauging my success compared to other 20-somethings by how far I’ve advanced toward my goal. I’m doing a much better job these days of just ‘being’. I will try again… a decision I’m happy with or else did I really want it in the first place? But it does beg the seemingly never-ending question that plagues us quarter-lifers … What next?