“All of our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them” – Walt Disney
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I was born and raised in the beautiful West Coast of Canada, in the Metro-Vancouver area of British Columbia. I was brought up by an amazing woman who chose to raise me by herself. She created a small business that allowed her to shelter, feed, clothe, and provide for all of my needs.
As any child of an immigrant can tell you, the greatest gift you can ever give your immigrant parent is completing your post-secondary education in their chosen country. I completed a Diploma in Child & Youth Care from Douglas College (2014) and a Certificate in Professional Communications Essentials from the University of the Fraser Valley (2015). Unsure of what I wanted to with my life, I dropped out of university in my fourth year and focused on my career; shattering my mother’s dream of seeing me complete a degree.
I spent almost six years working for one of the worlds most recognizable brands, McDonald’s Restaurants. In my most recent position, I oversaw community marketing and supported the deployment of company strategy in our corporate restaurants in Metro-Vancouver. I would go as far as to say, I had the coolest job under the Golden Arches as I got to represent my company in my very own community.
Fun Fact: when I was ten years old, I grew up in southern Sydney, Australia. Some of my family established themselves in Sutherland Shire and I was fortunate to grow up on the beautiful beaches of Cronulla. Back in 2015, I returned to my beach town and fell in love with who I became when I traveled around my “Straya” (Australia); I was determined to find a way to live there once again.
I returned in 2016 to my beach town and after much reflection, I realized I was not ready to relocate to the place I dreamed of living in.
In 2017, I decided if I wanted to pursue my dream, I needed to honour the dream my mother had for me. I went back to school while working full time and completed my Bachelor of Arts in Leadership (with Great Distinction) from Trinity Western University (2018).
I went back to Australia for Christmas 2018 and while ringing in the New Year with thousands of spectators, under a sky of fireworks at the Sydney Opera House; I made the decision that I was ready to pursue my dream.
I came home on January 9, 2019, and applied for a Working Holiday Visa. When I submitted my application, I assumed it would take a few months to get approval from the Australian Government. To my surprise, I received an email just twelve minutes later telling me that my Visa was granted and I was invited to stay in Australia for 365 Days.
So here we are. I am (f)unemployed (because the term “unemployed” is so negative), paid off my debt, sold my car, packed a wardrobe and I’m flying off to Australia to pursue a four-year-old dream that has been on my heart.
I have no idea what the next 365 Days have in store for me, but I’m learning to accept that this is a part of the adventure.
I’m off to pursue my dreams and I hope you enjoy catching glimpses of it as I go along!
Onwards,
-Zaighum
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ZP's Radical Sabbatical 