SO after Australia, I came back to Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island to catch up with my family for a month and a half and play tourist with my then boyfriend, Tom, and his parents who decided to come for a visit. I got to see parts of Hawai'i that I'd never been to before, it was excellent. I feel like the longer time goes on and the more I come back to visit my perspective of Hawai'i broadens. Each island is pretty unique and has it's own beauty and ugly.
Then I went to live in Victoria, BC for 9 months. By chance, I arrived the day after my grandfather passed away. So I hung with gram and helped make arrangements for the cremation and dealt with the various phone calls and paperwork that come along with death. Boy it is a job! I'm not sure how some people manage it if they don't have other's to help out.
I got a job after some frantic searching and began apprenticing at a small organic farm that was part of Saanich Organics. It was wonderful and through my boss I learned not only the art of food production, but about food politics as well. Unfortunately I hurt my back either from my 1 hour and a half bike ride to and fro from work (on what I now know was not really the ideal bike for the trip) or the farming, or a combo of the 2. Sooo, I got a job working at the Salvation Army Thrift Store where I somehow got a terrible rash all over my hands and had to take a couple weeks off and wear gloves after that. I think I'm allergic to some detergents.
It wasn't the easiest time, but I forged a few relationships that continue today and I make a point not to have regrets. So that was Victoria.
I eventually left because my aunt and uncle invited me to stay with them in Calgary until I sorted out what I wanted to do next in my life. Working at the thrift store wasn't really inspiring me and the management was a bit all over the place and didn't make for the most cohesive work environment. So off to Calgary I went.
Once I got there I joined in the daily dog walking routine and we came across a cafe that I decided I wanted to work at, Vendome Cafe in Sunnyside, so I got a job there. It's funny how things work out sometimes. It quickly turned into the usual bump and grind of the hospitality industry, which is probably best because I was trying to figure out what I needed to do next so it's motivating to be tired of your job.
I decided that I wanted to become a midwife. I researched all the programs available in Canada and choose to apply to Ryerson University in Toronto. Due to the high volume of applicants and the very low volume of intakes each year (32), my chances were low, but I wrote my letter of intent and made arrangements to move to Toronto.
I spend Christmas in Oregon with my brother, who had recently moved to Portland. While I was there, I saw two of my bestest ever friends from when I was growing up here on Kauai. It was chance that they were both there. I got a chance to meet my brother's girlfriend's family and had a beautiful Oregonian Christmas.
Then I moved to Toronto. It was great because I already had a few friends from when I lived in Montreal. And I rediscovered the glorious machine....The Bicycle. Due to having a lot of time on my hands I ended up spending a lot of time at the DIY bike shop around the corner from my new place, Bike Pirates. Not only did I build my very own bicycle which was one of the top 10 experiences of my life, but I found community which allowed me to stay in Toronto for a whopping 6 and a half months. After I build my beautiful bike, Esmerelda, I found a job and joined the world of bike couriering. Say that 3 times fast :) It was a wonderful experience. It was a crazy job in retrospect. Very dangerous and thrilling at times, slow and boring at others when we were sitting around waiting for calls. Once I made friends and wasn't the 'new girl' anymore, at least I had people to wait for calls with.
Toronto was great, it reconnected me and deepened my relationships with old friends, made me new friends, I got to live in a tent for a bit, it is a place that I will return to with pleasure.
In a whirlwind of decision making and 2 weeks getting lost around Montreal, I ended up back on Kauai where I am now.
Back to bicycles. I am now apprenticing as a bike mechanic, again with the flukes of life, learning to talk politics, and reconnecting with my family. I can't complain, my life is...pretty...sweet.
Since being back, I've had 2 canadian visitors that have allowed me to truly see and appreciate the beauty of this rock. I am saving up for my next adventure that will begin this coming January...Europe, Africa, Canada of course.
