Bucket List 2014

Before I left for Europe in 2007, a co-worker asked me what my travel goal was.  I hadn't really thought about it; I had a travel bucket list (consisting of: EVERYWHERE), but I hadn't ever really thought consciously of a goal.  I replied to him 'I want to live on every continent'.  Seven years and two continents later, this is still my goal.  Although I sometimes feel like I haven't accomplished much travelling (this scratch map I got as a gift made me realize just how big the world is and just how little I've seen), when I think back to things that used to be on my bucket list that I've now seen or done, it's a pretty good feeling.  Just because I didn't have a physical list to check them off, doesn't mean I haven't accomplished things I wanted to.  I've taught English in Japan, been in a film in Scotland, heard a muezzin calling to prayer in Istanbul, been ripped off in Budapest, brought in the New Year singing karaoke in Seoul, slept on a beach in Australia, camped in the Rockies, seen the sun set from Santorini, caught a midnight train from Paris, seen sumo in Osaka, eaten pizza in Naples, harvested potatoes in Switzerland, paid $12 for a shower in Hong Kong, lied to immigration officials, missed flights, been sick, slept in countless airports and NEVER had my luggage lost OR anything stolen (knock on wood).  I've also done a lot I never planned on doing (ie. becoming a ninja in Kyoto), but that's part of the joys of travelling!  So here's my current, ever-evolving list of travel aspirations:

1. Work on a kibbutz in Israel - The hippie/farmer in me has wanted to live and work in one of these communities for a long time.  I have a feeling I'll say I'll stay for a month and end up not wanting to leave it sounds so up my alley.

2. Travel the Trans-Siberian railway - Being part Russian, I've always wanted to see where my grandmother's family came from.  I would love to be able to go to Russia with my grandma, but seeing as she's 96, I don't think that will happen.  So that plus my love of train travel combined sounds like the perfect adventure for me!

3. Volunteer/live in India - India is definitely up there in my top places to travel and has been for a long time as well.  Because of my interest in pursuing a second degree in international development, one of my travel goals has been to volunteer along the way. In India, I particularly want to go to Goa, the old hippie hangout of the 60s and 70s (see a hippie trend here?)

4. Take a safari in East Africa - Africa is one of those places that everyone I meet who has gone there says it will steal your heart and you'll never want to go elsewhere.  Perhaps this is my excuse for leaving it waiting for so long.  But no trip to Africa would be complete without seeing the great migration on the Serengeti in the summer months.  The whole goal of volunteering goes for here as well.

5. Travel more of Europe (particularly Scandinavia and Eastern Europe) - After living in Europe for two years, there's so much more I want to see.  Some of my favourite cities I've ever been to are Prague and Budapest so I'd love to see more of Eastern Europe.  As well, a lot of my best friends while living in Australia were from the Scandinavian countries, so I really want to be able to visit them again.

6. Travel across Canada - It's confession time.  Before this past summer, I had only been to two provinces in Canada (besides seeing the insides of airports).  I guess the lure of somewhere far away and exotic had me saving every penny to hop on a plane out of here again!  So of course, I'd like to see my own country a bit more and visit friends and family along the way.

7. Egypt and the Sahara - A great wonder of the ancient world...need I say more?

8. Go to the Antarctica - This is so very expensive and so very far off into the future but no bucket list would be complete without it! Perhaps via South America?

9. Study Spanish in South America - Spanish is one language I've always wanted to learn because it's used in so many countries around the world.  Instead of doing it as a minor at school, why not just go live there and learn it by immersion?

10. See Morocco -  Ever since I was in Spain, I've been kicking my butt I didn't head over to Morocco...perhaps one day.

11. Climb a mountain (either Everest, Fuji, or Kilimanjaro) - After the past few years, health is becoming a new found priority of mine, so perhaps one day this can be a reality.

12. Go to Petra - I'm not an Indiana Jones fan BESIDES the fact that this was in the movie.

13. The Amazon River and Rainforest - I've been obsessed with going here every since I was in elementary school playing The Amazon Trail in computer class (perhaps I should do The Oregon Trail as well?).  I also really loved Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? Perhaps these games are what started it all...?

14. Stay in an ice hotel - There's one in Quebec, there's one in Sweden...seeing as these are both on this list, there's no excuse!

15. Angkor Wat - Because lost cities are where it's at!

16. Macchu Pichu - Speaking of lost cities...












17. Easter Island - ...and uber remote islands.

18. Rio de Janeiro - I've dreamt of seeing the Christ the Reedemer statue ever since I dated a guy who had it on his favourite T-shirt...weird reason, I know.

19. NYC - In keeping with the whole "let's see some things on my own continent" theme.  I've never felt particularly drawn to North America, but the more I travel, the more I realize travel is about going somewhere you've never been, it doesn't necessarily have to be across the ocean where you don't understand the language.  And I really like RENT.

20. Cruise Ship - I don't want to GO on a cruise ship, it's not really down with my style of travel.  Rather, I'd like to work on one, or better yet, volunteer on the Peace Boat.

21. Great Wall of China - Because it can be seen from space!!!!












22. Return to Australia/New Zealand - Last October marked my ten year anniversary of setting out in this weird and wonderful world on my own.  Australia holds a special place in my heart for many reasons; it was the first place I lived overseas and first place I travelled on my own at the mere age of 20.  It showed me what travel is and inspired me to do more.  As cliche as it is, it's where I found myself, or at least a huge chunk of me.  Ever since I left in 2004, I've said I'll be back and I hope to make that dream a reality soon.  Plus, I never actually saw New Zealand in the year I was there (too busy partying...hey, I was 20!)

23. Backpack Central America - I need to continue practicing that Spanish I learned in South America as I work my way back North!

24. Go to California - If I had to choose any State to visit, this would be it.  So many cool cities (LA, San Fran, San Diego), great weather, and everyone I've ever met from Cali has been so stereotypically Californian (laid back, down to earth and awesome!)  I wouldn't mind timing it in order to hit up Coachella as well.

25. Victoria Falls and the Devil's Pool - The Falls alone look amazing, but the Devil's Pool (a sort of natural infinity pool formed right on the edge of the waterfall during the dry season, which you can sit in if you dare) looks like an amazing experience.

26. Galapagos Islands - I may not be using my science degree, but I'm still a bit of a geek deep down. Ever since first learning about Darwin's Theory of Evolution as a youngster, these islands have been on my hit list.

27. Open a hostel - OK, so this is YEARS down the road, but I already have it all planned out in my head.  The problem now is where to settle down to actually have it!  We all know the best hostels are run by former travellers.

28. Get a better blog/be more dedicated to it - This is something I'm hoping to do within the next year.  New domain, much more regularity to when I post, and hopefully better writing!

I should probably stop at some point, I could really go on forever...go to the Olympics, learn to swim (so I can surf and scuba dive)...the list really is endless.  If I can come back to this post in a year and cross a few things off I'll be more than happy!  And hopefully I'll have discovered a few more amazing places to add.

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...

 

When in Rome...

Read at your own risk: the following post is going to be more of a rant about something that has been bothering me so if you claim you're a traveller and are of a sensitive nature, I suggest you stop reading now.  I don't really know where to start so I'll just delve right into it by saying: A country is made for its people, not for the tourists who come for a few weeks, and not for ex-pats like myself who come for a few years.  Japan is built for Japanese people, Brazil for Brazilians, Nigeria for Nigerians, and so on.  English has/is becoming the 'global language' but that doesn't mean every single person on Earth is going to be fluent.  When I first moved to Japan, I prepared myself for the worst.  I expected every single thing to be in Hiragana, Katakana, or Kanji.  So when I saw words spelled out in Romaji and even better yet, English words, I was beyond excited.  Maybe it's because when I went to Greece, I was so shocked that everything was in, well, Greek (silly naive me).  So now I'm ecstatic when I'm able to find Skippy peanut butter or Heinz ketchup here, or better yet, sauerkraut!  I'm grateful I can flip a McDonalds menu over and find English (even though I hate McDonalds, I find it somewhat comforting at times while travelling because of the familiarity...but that's a whole other blog...).  I'm grateful that something like 11% of Japanese words are imported from other languages, so I can instantly say things like coffee, banana, mansion, and consent (even though the meaning is ever so slightly different).  I'm grateful for these little quirks, but I've not come to take them for granted, nor do I expect it.  When you set out on an adventure somewhere as a backpacker or expat, you should expect things to not make sense, to feel uncomfortable at times, to not understand, for it to be a challenge, you mentally and physically prepare yourself for it.  If it's not different from your home country, then where is the fun and learning experience in it?

We've all met that tourist, whether at a hostel, in a tour group, or *gasp* someone we are travelling with.  That person who loudly complains that nobody speaks English, there's no English signage, there's no ketchup, they can't read the train schedule, the bus schedule is shite.  Guess what?  It works for the people who live here.  And in this day and age of smart phones, Hyperdia, GPS, Google Maps, etc. there's really no excuse for this kind of ignorant behaviour.  We've also all seen that person speaking to someone who obviously doesn't understand and saying things louder and more slowly as though they're speaking to a deaf child, thinking they're magically going to suddenly understand English. Maybe we've even done it ourselves. Granted, my Japanese is absolute shite but I at least try and I never travel anywhere without my trusty dictionary, phrasebook, or Kanji app.  In a real pinch, I use my call-a-Japanese-friend lifeline.  But thank goodness, most Japanese people speak much better English than I expect my Japanese to ever be and if they don't, in this crowded country, someone who can help is sure to be nearby.  A Japanese person will never walk away, letting us get lost; they will get everyone on the street involved to help before that happens! When I travel around Japan, the majority of people I meet at hostels and on tours and at bus stops are tourists - from Japan.  They have a beautiful country and they are seeing it, which is more than I can say for myself - I've basically never travelled in Canada, except to Toronto or Vancouver airport to exit or enter the country.  So it makes sense to have everything in Japanese, besides the fact that WE'RE IN JAPAN!  Whenever I've seen Japanese tourists abroad, they're always trying to speak English, or they're in a Japanese tour group, and guess what?  They never come up to me speaking Japanese, so why can't we do the same?  All I'm asking is that you try.

So to those (and this is mainly expats, tourists can be slightly forgiven for not understanding the country so well) who constantly complain and compare and do not want to take advice from those who have been here longer than a few months: If you really feel the need to complain so much, maybe you're not happy here and should leave, you're taking a great opportunity away from someone who really wants it and will benefit from it.  Language is a huge part of learning about a culture and a country, and not just for communication.

Peace out yo, I promise my next blog will be more upbeat...Happy end of Golden Week and back to work!