Since graduating from the University of Western Ontario 16 months ago, I embarked on a journalism odyssey that took me across southwestern Ontario and to the other side of the globe.
But now I'm finally home.
After all, it was a love of my community that led me down my current career path. Unfortunately, after finishing school, working in London wasn't an option. So I set sail on a reporting odyssey, featuring stints at a daily newspaper in Sarnia, a semi-daily paper in Fiji, a weekly publication in Chatham, then back to Sarnia again before I finally landed in my favoured Forest City on Sept. 7.
Unlike Odysseus, I didn't encounter enchanting Sirens or six-headed monsters along the way, but I did run into plenty of obstacles of my own. From government censors in Fiji to a mind-dulling two-hour daily commute to the Chemical Valley, my journalism journey was bumpy one at times.
But throughout the whole ordeal, the unforgettable words of wisdom of the terminator … I mean, Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, ec
hoed in my mind: "I'll be back."I just hoped my odyssey would be slightly shorter than Odysseus' ten-year expedition. After all, I had a Penelope (though much less patient) of my own to get home to, plus I was eager to start writing about my community again.
Now, here I am.
Again, I differ from Homer's Greek hero because, now home, I don't plan to slay any villains, build a shrine or rule any countries. I'll be far too busy delivering the news to my fellow citizens.
And is there a better time to be a reporter in London?
The fall is a season of changes, full of fresh stories – from a heated municipal election to thousands of students heading back to the classroom to a never-ending stream of interesting occurrences in need of telling.
The pen is truly mightier than the sword – maybe had Odysseus realized this, his odyssey might have been a little shorter.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the last 16 months of meeting new people, living in a foreign country and being a part of some great newsrooms. But in the words of another famous protagonist who just wanted to return to her community, "There's no place like home."
