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| a photo of the cherry blossoms on Feb 16 |
Like a plant, I'm happy. I'm sure as the daylight lengthens by a couple minutes each day, plants become happier, more awake, more alive. Not that they weren't still alive and satisfied during the winter, they were just, slower, quieter, more concerned with conserving energy then putting it out into the world.
I feel like a plant in spring, bursting upward for the sun. And like a plant worries of a late spring frost, I too feel like I have to worry-worry that it's not real, and so after a very short moment of concern, I pinch myself. Sometimes rhetorically, other times quite physically. Because life, is, so, good.
I write to you, dear reader, from the west coast. From my new home on Vancouver island! As many of you surely know, after an eclectic and amazing 20 months of travel, I've been craving the stability of a physical sense of place. After a more-intuitive-then-anything-else type of decision, I made the leap and moved to Vancouver Isand; a two hour ferry ride away from Vancouver and mainland Canada. I now live on the ocean! I'm surrounded by water!
The leap westward, where I've got a smaller community, less connections work and organizationally, felt quite natural in some regard, as I felt intuitively like it'd be a great place to live, but then also there is an element of risk that comes along with such a shift. Not knowing the ins and outs of a community can limit your ability to offer insightful contributions to an organization. But with confidence, I spent hours on a few versions of my resume. I spent hours emailing everyone I knew who are or were tightly, or rightly aquatinted with the people, homes and organizations on the Island.
I hopefully applied for a position at the Compost Education Centre, but was being realistic with the fact that Victoria is home to many other passionate environmental educators who are keen on all things food and localism and sustainability. And I was also realistic with the fact that the position sounded awesome, and I felt capable and qualified. Turns out all these things are true, and I'm now entering my fourth week of work as the Education Coordinator at the Compost Education Centre. It's a rad organization that I had met on an Otesha Tour a few years back, and is prominent in the local scene of programming for young students and adults alike, mostly around composting, growing good soil, and in turn, growing good food. My position involves liaising with teachers, and riding a bike and trailer around to schools, facilitating workshops about vermi-compositing (worms!) and basic soil science. It's a hoot, and I get to talk with puppets like Corey (a giant apple core, the greens in your compost) and Brownie (a giant leaf, the browns component in your compost), show kids red wriggler worms, and help set up vermi-compost systems in school classrooms. I'm soooo excited to have the role, and it feels great, natural, and I get to work every day in both schools and at a beautiful demonstration garden site in the heart of a nifty neighbourhood in Victoria. I feel so lucky and privileged and overall - stoked!
I've already experienced so many moments since being here where I have whooped while biking a beautiful borrowed bicycle across town, acknowledging that I'm so happy to be here, that I'm happy to have chosen to settle in somewhere for a while. I've got a beautiful home to move into at the beginning of April too, and so my gratitude extends...
The universe is definitely affirming that this was a good decision at this point in time for me. It at moments feels surreal, I have momentary flashes where I consider I may need to pinch myself, or where I feel as though something negative might happen, however, I have the wisdom to acknowledge that actually...I've done things up until now in my life that have led to this situation arising. Yes, I was born into privilege that has contributed to my current situation as well. But also, I've created this reality. I've called it in, requested it, worked for it, and it feels great...
My new home has a giant garden, so expect to see some upcoming posts about plants and soil and vegetables...there's a whole new climate here for me to learn in the garden sphere. I can garden through the winter. Whatttt?! Amazing. Another reason why I am excited to explore life here in Victoria. And there's so much dancing to do here on the ocean, in community centres, in churches! And it certainly is a yoga town. Oh and I've started pottery classes! And am looking for some Spanish lessons, and trying to make friends who I can go on epic camping, biking and hiking adventures with :) Here here to settled life!
Please come visit me out here. I'd love to have you.
(*This phrase was inspired by a recent lyric I heard at the show West My Friend, a fun, folky band from Victoria)
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The following is a little excerpt from a blog I wrote and then didn't publish back in the middle of February, after I'd been here in Victoria for 2 weeks complete with an ode to my parents, and some processing about my adventures of the past two years.
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I've arrived back in Canada. In fact, I arrived at the end of January, to Toronto Ontario.
My amazing Dad took some time off work to drive into Toronto to pick me up from my months of adventures, and after a quick embrace, we picked up where we left off a number of months before with our relaxed and casual conversation.
I need to share with the world: My parents are awesome.
I hopefully applied for a position at the Compost Education Centre, but was being realistic with the fact that Victoria is home to many other passionate environmental educators who are keen on all things food and localism and sustainability. And I was also realistic with the fact that the position sounded awesome, and I felt capable and qualified. Turns out all these things are true, and I'm now entering my fourth week of work as the Education Coordinator at the Compost Education Centre. It's a rad organization that I had met on an Otesha Tour a few years back, and is prominent in the local scene of programming for young students and adults alike, mostly around composting, growing good soil, and in turn, growing good food. My position involves liaising with teachers, and riding a bike and trailer around to schools, facilitating workshops about vermi-compositing (worms!) and basic soil science. It's a hoot, and I get to talk with puppets like Corey (a giant apple core, the greens in your compost) and Brownie (a giant leaf, the browns component in your compost), show kids red wriggler worms, and help set up vermi-compost systems in school classrooms. I'm soooo excited to have the role, and it feels great, natural, and I get to work every day in both schools and at a beautiful demonstration garden site in the heart of a nifty neighbourhood in Victoria. I feel so lucky and privileged and overall - stoked!
I've already experienced so many moments since being here where I have whooped while biking a beautiful borrowed bicycle across town, acknowledging that I'm so happy to be here, that I'm happy to have chosen to settle in somewhere for a while. I've got a beautiful home to move into at the beginning of April too, and so my gratitude extends...
The universe is definitely affirming that this was a good decision at this point in time for me. It at moments feels surreal, I have momentary flashes where I consider I may need to pinch myself, or where I feel as though something negative might happen, however, I have the wisdom to acknowledge that actually...I've done things up until now in my life that have led to this situation arising. Yes, I was born into privilege that has contributed to my current situation as well. But also, I've created this reality. I've called it in, requested it, worked for it, and it feels great...
My new home has a giant garden, so expect to see some upcoming posts about plants and soil and vegetables...there's a whole new climate here for me to learn in the garden sphere. I can garden through the winter. Whatttt?! Amazing. Another reason why I am excited to explore life here in Victoria. And there's so much dancing to do here on the ocean, in community centres, in churches! And it certainly is a yoga town. Oh and I've started pottery classes! And am looking for some Spanish lessons, and trying to make friends who I can go on epic camping, biking and hiking adventures with :) Here here to settled life!
Please come visit me out here. I'd love to have you.
(*This phrase was inspired by a recent lyric I heard at the show West My Friend, a fun, folky band from Victoria)
______________________________________________________________
The following is a little excerpt from a blog I wrote and then didn't publish back in the middle of February, after I'd been here in Victoria for 2 weeks complete with an ode to my parents, and some processing about my adventures of the past two years.
___
I've arrived back in Canada. In fact, I arrived at the end of January, to Toronto Ontario.
My amazing Dad took some time off work to drive into Toronto to pick me up from my months of adventures, and after a quick embrace, we picked up where we left off a number of months before with our relaxed and casual conversation.
I need to share with the world: My parents are awesome.
As humans grow into adults, relationships naturally morph between parent and son/daughter. Your no longer a kid who needs care and support, you are an adult who can potentially meet your parent on the same level, all being capable of the same money making, same self care, same cooking and domestic abilities. And so, you become friends. Of course there is always going to be a difference between a parent/offspring friendship then any other relationship. Parents were in fact responsible for most all of the patterning you currently love or hate, for better or for worse. And, I've been through enough self evaluative and reflective times and spaces to realize that I now, as an adult, have the power and ability to take some of those patterns, and leave others in the dust. But can I rave for a minute? My parents are sweet and loving, super energetic, honest, and uber generous people. They have shown me so much love and support over the years. Sure we've had our challenges, I've been flakey at being in touch, and they've been overly annoying with worries and check ins. But, all that doesn't really matter, because the root of it all is a relationship based in Love.
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After spending a good amount in Ontario, cooking many delicious meals and eating with family, practicing lots of yoga and networking the heck out of everyone and every org I know in Victoria, I landed there (here!) - Victoria - my new home. And it feels strange, me of all people, I'm the one unattached to place, to house, I've always found a sense of home in my heart (I've even wrote previous blogs about it), but I found myself in the last 4 months really craving a sense of place different then I can find when I'm in motion.
I've had such an overwhelming amount of opportunities in the past 21 months of adventure, since I packed up my little home in Ottawa and headed to the East Coast of Canada. I'm so grateful for my east coast solo bicycle trip, my time on farm in Quebec, my journey to British Columbia, my time being overwhelmed in Mexico, my permaculture course in Ecuador, my facilitation experience in Southeast Asia, my family time in the autumn, and my yoga teacher training back in Ecuador. I've finally explored (a bit) of Latin America. I've become a yoga teacher, a more skilled facilitator. I've learned a ton more about growing food and wild edible plants. I've searched my soul, I've searched for couchsurfing addresses, I've searched for good food, I've searched for that feeling....I've met amazing people, had some intense connections, and learned so so so much about the universe...
And here I am fulfilling this sensation that I first had in the summer months in Souteast Asia. A sensation of desire to root. And if not to root, to at least grow little rootlets, that will grab hold of some nourishing soil to make way for sustainable, supportive friends and community. I crave another meaningful job, I crave a home space with friends who are welcoming to community gatherings, and who like to cook and garden. It seems I've been successful on a couple of those fronts in just 2 weeks!
I've had such an overwhelming amount of opportunities in the past 21 months of adventure, since I packed up my little home in Ottawa and headed to the East Coast of Canada. I'm so grateful for my east coast solo bicycle trip, my time on farm in Quebec, my journey to British Columbia, my time being overwhelmed in Mexico, my permaculture course in Ecuador, my facilitation experience in Southeast Asia, my family time in the autumn, and my yoga teacher training back in Ecuador. I've finally explored (a bit) of Latin America. I've become a yoga teacher, a more skilled facilitator. I've learned a ton more about growing food and wild edible plants. I've searched my soul, I've searched for couchsurfing addresses, I've searched for good food, I've searched for that feeling....I've met amazing people, had some intense connections, and learned so so so much about the universe...
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| some of the coastline close to my current home |
And here I am fulfilling this sensation that I first had in the summer months in Souteast Asia. A sensation of desire to root. And if not to root, to at least grow little rootlets, that will grab hold of some nourishing soil to make way for sustainable, supportive friends and community. I crave another meaningful job, I crave a home space with friends who are welcoming to community gatherings, and who like to cook and garden. It seems I've been successful on a couple of those fronts in just 2 weeks!
