I've got news...
My first Q&A is a spicy one.
Happy Tuesday sweet friends!
Welcome to the first installment of Q&As. We’ll see how this segment evolves, but for today I’m going to answer 3 questions. To give you a little taste, the first will be available for all and the other two will be behind a paywall for subscribers who support this newsletter financially 🥲 By the way, while I’m back in Toronto (for the next 5 weeks) leftover stock is avail. to purchase again and paying subscribers can use $5 off their purchase. (Basically, that gives you a free month while supplies last. ) As always, DM to order.
Now that the housekeeping is done, let’s move onto the Qs I picked out for today:
Why did you leave Denmark so soon?
What is the big news??
Do you regret closing Neophyte?
#1 - On Leaving Denmark
In hindsight, the fact that I ever think one can lay out plans that will follow accordingly is comical. After the past two years you’d think I might have anticipated at least a speedbump, though to be fair, the one I was faced with wasn’t exactly one I could just tighten my grip on the wheel, shut my eyes, and breeze over.
About a month ago, I found out my visa was denied on the basis of my role at CB not being closely related enough to my previous field of study. A caveat not mentioned on the website when I initially applied was that internships had to supplement education (when I sent in my application it was a non-education-related form). In my appeal, I did put my English lit. rhetoric training to use by arguing all the ways in which an English degree is related to a sales role in which communications, writing, and storytelling are at the core of the position… (Side note, whose arts degree actually leads them to something in the arts?! Should that not be reason enough for some flexibility?)
In any case, after arguing a lot more eloquently than that, I came to find out that appeals take about 14 months to be processed, basically a year after my internship would be done.
The other complicated thing about this whole change in plans? When I found out, Marcus had just started to pack up to come over. Without a visa, I only had about three weeks left out of my 90-day stay, which would run out about a week after seeing him. Not a fun realization to have when you’ve been seeing long distance as a one-and-done situation.
To buy myself some time, I worked remotely from Scotland for a week and London for another. Then, I met Marcus in Copenhagen, where he was set to fly into, and enjoyed my final days there bringing him to all my favourite spots. It would’ve been more bittersweet had I not had some faith that we might end up there again sometime soonish.
After a little under two weeks together, I packed up my life in Copenhagen and Marcus went to continue his travels. Because I had so much stuff (I’d packed thinking that I wouldn’t be back in Toronto before Christmas) and shipping would cost more than a plane ticket, I decided to bring them (and myself) back to my parents’ for a month. It’s giving me a bit of stability while I work remotely until end of May and buys me more time in Europe later this summer to travel.
The being apart again is not ideal but the sweetness of our initial reunion is fueling me. I’ll take another six weeks apart to experience that kind of bliss again.
I’m still figuring out what work will look like come June, where I’ll meet Marcus next, where I’ll hop to to stretch out my next stay (I’m thinking an English cottage to read and write in for a week — if you are in the possession of one, kindly advise). But if overplanning is futile, it’s just as well that some other things are keeping me busy and distracted in the meantime… Cue Q #2!
On The Big News
Still can’t quite believe this buuuuuuut…