March Reading List - What's on my Kobo!

Hey internet friends!

As you may have guess by my affinity for writing, I am a self proclaimed book worm. Always have been, always will be. I was the kid who got in shit for hiding a flashlight under her blankets so she could stay up past her bedtime reading Harry Potter. As an adult, I am comfortable admitting that I have done the exact same thing in an even more spectacular blanket fort, and had to blame myself in the morning when I was exhausted and did not make it to class. Sorry Mom and Dad.

Any who, my questionable life choices and overall nerdiness aside, I've been working on this 100 books a year challenge I set myself on GoodReads (which is proving to indeed be a challenge). I have this crazy notion that posting a monthly reading list may just a) inspire some people to download a book or two and b) maybe hold me a little bit accountable to doing something other than Pinteresting in my free time

MARCH

Already in progress

1)The Subtle Knife: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
I tackled The Golden Compass in Feb, I want to actually get through the entire trilogy and enjoy the scathing commentary on Catholicism before I get back into a Catholic Studies classroom in the fall.

2) Yes Please by Amy Poehler
So I kept seeing book lists that say every woman should read this book and being about halfway through I completely agree. Amy Poehler is a wonderful writer and goddess and if she ever happens to read this I hope she decides that we would be good friends and that I am a helpless 20-something year old in need of a mentor who I also live with.

Starting soon! For realsies!

1) The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
I will finish this trilogy and I will do it soon.

2) Bossypants by Tina Fey
Another amazing woman who is totally welcome to adopt me should she ever feel the need. Teach me your golden ways.

3) Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin
I've been told that finding my tribe is the key to a solid blog, and that seems to stem from this book. I feel like I could have a pretty rad tribe. Matching tshirts will be essential.

4) A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
I read Wild by Cheryll Strayed and it was fucking fantastic. More books about distance hiking and more incentive to plan a quest on the Trans Canada Trail, though bikes are my preference for speed factor (sorry Mom and Dad, I know how you feel about this idea).

I think that's enough of a list to not be super overwhelmed by, yet also keep me out of trouble.

What are you reading this month? Tell me in the comments so I can add it to my list!

Cheers,

Day 37: Wanderlust got me hard and hasn't let go.

I love traveling. I've grown up traveling. I've never had the inclination to not take any random opportunity presented to me to travel. Being in Maui is a prime example of that love. But man does the wanderlust have me sucked in right now, even as I'm in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The original game plan was to be "home" in Winnipeg for summer, work, take a summer class or two or three. Standard student stuff. But oh man. I want to be everywhere. Winnipeg is becoming less and less likely, and my eyes are drifting towards Toronto and Vancouver. Last summer I was planning a bike tour out to Ottawa before a nasty injury and a lot of physio therapy, and for some reason the idea of biking fully across Canada on the Trans Canada Trail is really settling in again. Probably not a realistic goal for this summer but still. It's there. Growing in the back of my mind.

The other looming potential travel plan is New Zealand and/or Australia for 1-3 years doing the whole working holiday thing that's so very popular out there. Unfortunately they don't hand out that visa to people with basically empty bank accounts. The struggle is real.

Toronto or the GTA at least seems like a reasonable summer, I can always stick around Ontario for a while, maybe branch down into Quebec in the fall with some time to practice my french.

Where do you think I'll end up living next, suggestions? Staying in Canada for at least 6 months to work and actually make some money so towns up here would be wonderful.

Cheers,

2 Weeks in Huelo Lookout !

Holy crap, I cannot believe I have already spent 2 weeks living in a tent in Maui. Life is crazy, and I am for sure still in a state of shock. This workaway has been a really great experience so far, though less farming and more renovation projects than I expected to be doing. All is well though, and I've really had fun blasting country music while painting a rental property out here.

I've been working 5 days a week, usually 9-330 with a half hour lunch break at 1230, as this is the standard "Land" shift (this are the property cleaning and renovation shifts I'm more into), but there are also day or afternoon shifts available at the fruit stand we run, making smoothies and crepes as well as selling fruit. Reno work is much more my thing as I have to talk to fewer tourists and can be a lot more physically engaged with the land itself.

my tent in "the mansion"

I would have heaps more photos, but alas, yesterday I lost my iPhone while hitchhiking. So. Those are lost to the struggle of life. Backup phone on the way from home soon, with an international sim card which may or may not prove to be an awesome investment. Planning on spending a pretty limited time in Canada over the foreseeable future so probably one of my better plans. Anywho, that's my mini update for the moment.

Cheers,

First Night in Maui - Courtyard Marriott Airport

I arrived safely in Maui on Monday night, and although I had planned to stay in a hostel and review it instead, my mom decided that my leaving for 3 months warranted her booking me a more upscale venue. The Courtyard Marriot near the Maui airport also offers a shuttle service, which makes transportation a little less of a headache (I tend to be very cranky when trapped inside planes for long periods of time).

That being said, the hotel in gorgeous, I was upgraded to a suite, full kitchen, lots of space. No complaints here. No free breakfast in the morning, but Krispy Kreme is a short walk away as well as Costco and Kmart. Personally I opted for a couple greek yogurts from kmart, I'm not a big breakfast person unless I'm hungover.

Pretty pool area as well, I just didn't have the time to take a dip, I'm presently packed and waiting on my ride over to the farm.

Cheers,

Justifications to Travelling NOW and Finishing School Later

I know when I finally got around to breaking the news to both of my parents that I was taking another

semester away from my University to take a working vacation, they took it... alright. Thankfully, they both were bitten by the travel bug pretty young as well, and tend to be wonderful supportive people. However, I would be crazy if I didn't walk in with a few reasons other than "wanting to see the world" and "insatiable wanderlust", otherwise I would get the dreaded lecture about "abandoning my education and destroying my future". 

Study Abroad

This may seem like the obvious one, but it has to be said. Many schools offer excellent opportunities to work on your classes while abroad. I know in my case, tutition is the same, and you just need to finance your cost of living/flights/etc., which is often cheaper outside of Canada. Check in with student services and see if this works for you!

     

Working Holiday Visas

Working holiday visas are a great way to get yourself into a country for a full year and still be entitled to work legally wherever you want in the country, however they usually have age restrictions at 30 or 35. As someone with the intent of life long travel on a limited budget, working while I'm gone is pretty essential. This might mean being a waitress or bartender and less of a focus on classes for a semester, but everyone needs a break sometimes right?

Online Classes

I'm lucky in the fact that my university offers a good selection of classes online, so for example, I'm still technically going to be a full time student while I'm in Maui this semester on a WorkAway project. If you can pull off being location independent while not actually putting off your education (or not putting it off as much by only taking one or two classes), why not? Online classes are often actually a bit cheaper as well!

Summer Classes

I know this is a bit of an odd sidebar, but many people don't consider that most schools offer intense summer classes where instead of spending a semester on a course, you crank it out in a month. Traveling during the Fall and Winter off season can be a lot more affordable than going in summer prime time, so picking up courses in the summer can be a great way to offset missing time during other semesters.

Travel Interning

Chances are, at some point in your college career, you're going to be doing an unpaid internship. It's great for resume building and has kind of become an expectation (I have my qualms with it, but that's me). If you use WorkAway, go WWOOFing, volunteer overseas, or any combination, PUT IT ON YOUR RESUME. Most long term hosts will be more than happy to write you a simple reference letter if you get along, and you'll be gaining valuable skills in your placement, even if they don't seem to directly correlate with your chosen field.

Wanderlust from Winnipeg

I've been lucky enough to be raised traveling, in cars, on planes, on bikes, and on trains, never mind my own two feet. However, Winnipeg has always been home. I'm one of those people who've really come to appreciate my city over the years, I really do love it here despite the harsh winters, sweaty summers, and limited range of activity. I love the art scene, I love the minimal degree of separation between people, I even love the obscene amount of gray in the buildings. I love my University, and at some point I do really plan on finishing my degree (BA in Religion, in case you're curious).

But I need out. I need more time to explore every corner of this wonderful crazy planet we live in. School isn't a rush for me, I'm only finishing it to open up my travel opportunities teaching English long term.

The game plan was to run away to Spain for September 2016, but life has been messy and crazy and I'm not so into finishing another semester here if I can at all avoid it. So I'm beginning my dive through Workaway.info (a wonderful search engine for accommodations and food in exchange for working 20-30ish hours a week), and maybe I'll dig up something for January instead, hopefully. The universe sends us exactly what we need from it.

Cheers,