Secret Unveiled: EUROTRIP 2009!!!

I’ve mentioned in prior posts, a certain foreshadowing that I’ve been up to something lately. The reason why I’ve bee packing, is clearly because I'm moving out of my very first apartment. We’ve lived here for two years, post graduating, and a lot of things have happened while I’ve been here. We’ve gone camping in Cape Breton twice, went to Quebec City on our one year anniversary (over a year ago now!), raised a little Siamese kitty, started an environmental publication, started a website, we’ve moved out of here for a month because our living room was flooded. Now we're leaving it all behind in 2 months. But that’s not all…

We're backpacking Europe for 3 months – from June- Sept!! It’s one of the most adventurous and craziest things I’ve ever embarked upon, or even thought about, but there’s nothing else in the world I would want to do more at this point in my life. The reason why I couldn’t uncover my secret for so long was due to the fact that we both needed to see what our current work situation would be like after coming back. I mean – I’ve personally never heard of anyone taking a few months off from work to do something like this. After talking with my HR department, they even seemed a little skeptical (but still positive), that I would be able to ask for such a thing from my boss. But I did. Because I knew if I didn’t, I’d regret it forever. Everything I need from my company by means of permission is so far signed, sealed, and delivered!

Not only that, the reason for this trip is not only to take in a completely surreal experience, but we are volunteering through Wwoof. Wwoof is a volunteering network that stands for World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms!

The seedling for this adventure was planted when we began Halifax Retro, during the summer of last year (2008). The thought that we could be this creative and free in a time when it seemed like society itself was, and still is, on the brink of an economic and political collapse, globally speaking, provided a feeling of urgency and independance. I had heard about the Wwoofing program a few years ago, and started to do some research. Learning how to be more sustainable, and how to survive without the complete reliance on corporate food or provisions, became a new deep-seated value that we took very seriously. It’s all about DIY, after all. Last July, as always, we were camping in Cape Breton, which never seizes to bring us a lot closer to nature in a physical and spiritual sense. On our particular campsite, they offered little outdoor seminars during the night, on the Boreal forest, wildlife, etc. The idea of learning within a natural environment felt right.

As the summer turned to fall, and as Halifax Retro hit the streets, Europe seemed increasingly possible, because we overcame the improbable at that point - Halifax Retro inspired us to believe that any goals which probably seemed outlandish from the beginning, were possible if you really wanted it to be. It was all an evolution. Now it’s something that has to be done – it’s too ingrained in our minds not to.

Up until this point, it had been all talk really. We had a plan, but nothing was concrete. But now, we have our Wwoofing memberships, our tickets booked (flying into Dublin, and out of Paris), we have our backpacks (which I will post later!), our tent, and as I stated earlier, we’re packing – this apartment has served it’s purpose, but paying rent while away isn’t really plausible.

And that’s the long and the short of it, but now that it’s unveiled – expect frequent updates!!

Jackie + Adam + Halifax Retro = EUROPE ADVENTURE 2009!

~Keep Bizzy!!~

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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain