I'm Back!

A new post is more than well over due, but because I've been sedentary the last four years, there hasn't been much to contribute to a travel blog!  But all that is about to change because I've been on the go for the last four months.

Anne of Green Gables House, P.E.I.

I really didn’t realize how much I’ve missed wandering aimlessly through the world but now that I’m back at it, I’m happier than I’ve been in a long time!  I spent six weeks in Maritime Canada in May and June and then did a two week East Coast to Saskatchewan trip by train.  I chose to do this trip and to travel by train for a number of reasons.  2017 marks 150 years in Canada since Confederation so it’s kind of a big deal for the government and as a result, entry to National Parks and National Historic sites are free!  And if you’re under 25, you could get a Via Rail train pass for $150 – this is a crazy good deal, considering my pass of 7 one way tickets was over $700!  But even before I knew what a big deal this was to Canada, last summer I had decided I wanted to do a trip from the Maritimes to Saskatchewan.  Two years ago this month, my father passed away, so last summer I was going through some things of my parents and found some letters and postcards they had exchanged while my mom was away at school and travelling.  My mother graduated with her education degree in 1977 and did a trip in the Maritimes with her girlfriends and then drove back home.  Because 2017 marks 40 years after that trip, 10 years after my mom passed away, and I’m also coincidentally finishing another degree, I figured this would be a cool way to celebrate.  I haven’t been able to do everything she did due to time restraints (touring the three provinces in a week compared to her month!), but I have managed to make it to a few of the places along the way and even recreate some of the photos she took.  I wanted to travel by train because I’m travelling alone for this stretch of it and that’s a long way to drive alone, but also because I remember as a child my mom wanting to take us on a train ride across Canada, before realizing how expensive it is!

Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Yonge Street, Toronto

Before beginning the trip, I spent 5 weeks at Saint Anne’s University in Church Point, taking part in a French immersion program there through the nation wide Explore program.  The campus is beautiful, about a 40 minute drive north of Yarmouth on Nova Scotia’s west coast and located right on the beach with beautiful hiking trails.  For any students out there wanting to learn one of the official languages, earn some credits, and see a different part of Canada for basically free, I highly recommend this program.  There are a number of different campuses you can attend either in spring or summer and apply by February.  The first week of April, you find out if you received a government bursary and where you’re going (you list your top three choices) and from there, all you have to pay is about a $275 registration fee and your transport to and from where you’re going.  Once you’re there, all accommodations, classes, and food is paid for.  The university I was at is considered one of the best immersion programs in the world, mainly because of its isolation (it’s basically in the middle of nowhere and you’re kicked out if you’re caught speaking English three times) and because the professors live in the residence with you.  So I chose it for this reason and because it was highly recommended to me by multiple people, as well as for the aforementioned desire to go to the Maritimes.  If residence life isn’t for you (it sure wasn’t for me!), other universities offer home stays with families, which would probably be my choice were I to do the program again.  The school also offered short afternoon trips after class to the supermarket or pharmacy if you needed anything and also to some nearby site seeing spots, such as Belliveau Cove and l’anse de Hirondelles (Smuggler’s Cove en Anglais).  Even while off campus in these parts, French was spoken, as it’s the largest Acadian community in the province.  We also did a weekend trip to Grand Pre and Port Royal, both National Historic sites in the province.  Stay tuned for more!

There's a name for it!

Every now and then, I think of 'settling down'.  Having spent a little more than half my 20's outside of Canada and no plans of stopping anytime soon, this is probably one of my worst nightmares.  Maybe I should rephrase that to settling down in Canada is a nightmare of mine, considering I've pretty much settled down in Japan.  This is the longest I've ever stayed in a foreign country, job, or apartment.  Besides getting knocked up, I literally cannot think of something worse than getting a stamp in my passport that would cause me to not be able to leave Canada ever again (I apparently wasn't worried about this while working in multiple countries in Europe with no visa).  I had originally given myself until I was 30 to travel and then I would 'grow up'.  Well, 30 is fast approaching, in fact it's a mere 32 days away :O, so about a year ago, I decided 35 would be a better number.  Hey, a lot of working holiday/youth visas have the age limit of 35 so why not?  I'm obviously not the only one wasting my life away!

So, I wonder (and wander) a lot...what makes me different from other people?  Why are the majority of people in the 'developed' world content with the high school - university - career - marriage - babies - SUV - 3 bedroom house - 1.5 kids - family dog - 1 week vacation to Mexico every winter - lifestyle...something I dread?  Are they really content or are they just scared to live differently?  So many people have told me they wish they could live their life like I do, and I always have to ask, 'Why can't you?' There's more out there like me and I'm not talking the 22 year olds - fresh out of college - doing a gap year - calling themselves a traveler type.  What makes us tick?  And is there a point where it's gone too far?  Should there be 'traveler rehab'?  I'm sure my family would like to put me in it if there is!  

A few months ago, when I was starting to think there was something seriously wrong with me, I Googled 'addicted to traveling'. There were a few (but not many) results and is it turns out, there is such a thing as being addicted to travel.  In fact, there's even a name for it: dromomania! I'm sure I've Googled this before (I love Google and Googling everything) but I've never come across this word before.  It comes from the Greek dromos (running) and mania (insanity) and is also referred to as a Fugue state.  It is used to describe a person who has sudden uncontrollable urges to wander, but these bouts come with temporary amnesia. The traditional cases were almost all in France, where people would suddenly set out on foot, reaching cities as far away as Prague and Vienna.  Oftentimes, they remembered nothing of their travels, had different personalities/names/occupations and also had some other mental disorders, such as Borderline personality disorder.  There's an interesting story found here about perhaps the first ever documented pathological traveller.  In a more modern, broader sense, dromomania refers to someone who can't stop travelling, at the expense of careers, school, family, and their social life.  It can also be called 'mad travelers disease'. 

Now, I don't think I have a mental disorder (some may beg to differ), but I do find I change depending on where I am.  Simple, obvious things change, such as fashion (for example in Australia I was a hippie, here in Japan I am literally OBSESSED with Hello Kitty), but there are deeper changes.  In my younger days, I was the life of the party and now as I get older I'm more content with who I am and satisfied with my own company or just being in the background of parties. This is of course not a result of a mental disorder, but of how travelling changes a person, and helps them get to know themselves better (as cliche as that may sound, it's true).  

So I'm pretty sure I'm a dromomaniac: I get itchy feet if I'm somewhere to long, I yearn for the excitement and hustle and bustle of an airport, I've never had the same job twice, I act differently when I'm abroad, I've broken off almost every relationship to go travel, I barely ever go the same place twice, and I've definitely drank enough on many, many nights to induce temporary amnesia.  There is a certain comfort though, to returning some place you've been before, and for a traveler, sometimes going to a city you've been once or twice is almost the same as a 'regular' person coming home.  You understand the public transport, know the currency, maybe have a favourite food or someone to visit.  

 

One night while I was living in a small hostel on the shores of Loch Ness I remember having a drunken conversation about what drives a person to make a career of travelling.  My companion believed he travelled because he felt he wasn't interesting enough living back in Brea, CA, and being just like everyone else.  He travelled so he would have stories and be an interesting person.  In his own words 'It boosts my self esteem and makes me feel cool.  Plus, it's easier to get laid in a foreign country.' Ah, words of the wise.  So, to you travellers or wanna be travellers out there:  Why do YOU do it?  Why aren't you satisfied with a regular life?  Do you think you will ever stop?  If so, what would make you want to stop?  I'm still searching for my answers to these questions, perhaps that's why this blog has a billion question marks...

 

Mother's Day

  Because I'm so busy lately and never blog, I've decided to start re-posting my blogs I have to write on my work website (http://ecm-japan.jugem.jp/?month=201205) every week, unless they're super boring and school related.  Please note they are G rated :( This one is from about a month ago and has been slightly altered...

This past Sunday in Japan, as well as many other countries around the world, was Mother's Day.  When I've been asking students what they will do to thank their mother for all her hard work, some have said they will give her flowers (specifically carnations), some have said cook dinner for her (most often meal when asked what is curry rice), or give other types of presents, and some have said they will do nothing.

In Canada, there is no 'traditional' gift for Mother's Day.  Most people in Canada are originally from another country and usually follow in the traditions of their heritage.  As children, we often do some sort of craft in school to give as a gift.  As we get older, we give cards, chocolate, or flowers, or do something such as cook dinner, clean the house, or give a back massage.  The list goes on and on. 

Now that I'm older, I can truly appreciate all my mother did for me.  She was a teacher and vice-principal for over 30 years and was up early everyday and often didn't go to bed till late at night.  She always had a spotless house, healthy homecooked food on the table (we virtually never ate at a restaurant), a huge garden and beautiful yard (no easy feat on a big farm).  Besides being a dedicated teacher, she was also the best mother I could hope for.  She helped with my homework, taught me responsibility, the value of hard work and being unselfish, how to make strudel and sauerkraut, was a shoulder to cry on, and a stern hand when I needed it.  As I got older, she helped me learn my own limits by allowing me to go out on the weekend with my friends, but I still got no special treatment the next day and had to be up early the next morning to do my part on the farm.  My mother was more than a mother; she was a role model, a mentor, a confidant, my best friend, and encouraged me to be all I can be.  I miss her everyday since she passed away nearly five years ago and wish I had the chance to tell her how much she really meant to me.  I can only hope she's proud of me and the choices I've made without her to guide me in the right direction.  Being a teacher, even if it's not something I do my entire life, is special to me because it's how my mother chose to spend her life.  It makes me feel closer to her in a way, even if it's sometimes hard when I want to call her to ask her advice on what to do about something.

I can't wait to have you tell me all about your mothers, why they're special to you, and what you did for them.  And if you didn't do anything special on Sunday, don't worry, it's not too late!  You can thank your mother every day of the year, not just on one designated day, I know she'll appreciate it.  Mother's Day is not just for your mothers, but for anyone who has nurtured and supported you in some way along your path, whether it be a grandmother, babysitter, friend's mother, aunt, boss, etc. Have a good week and remember to give your mum a hug the next time you see her!  I would give up anything to spend just one more minute with her; you don't know what you've got till it's gone!

Ziggy