My Crazy 2018 Year in Review

2018 has been one hell of a ride, a fucking great ride! There have been many things checked off my goal list, plenty of new experiences and endless encounters of incredible people.

From living in Australia, exploring six countries, learning a new language, starting a business, working in another land to hitchhiking across Patagonia, I can honestly say I’m consciously making an effort to open myself to as much as possible. By the time I am old and on my deathbed, I want to be able to say, “I’ve done and seen that”.

Each year when I write this “in review” blog, I always get a laugh recalling all the memories and stories I’ve accumulated. I wish I could tell you all the tales, but my parents read my blog, haha. So here are the lessons, ideas and stories I’ve mustered up from my crazy life.

Enjoy, learn and be inspired!

 

Smile for the miles while you thumb a ride

Hitchhiking is honestly a thrilling experience and not for the faint hearted. If you want to try hitchhiking, please take extra precaution and do research about the area you want to get picked up in. Luckily with my exposure to 11 rides in 5 different countries, I’ve had safe and incredible experiences.

My favourite line to say while hitching is, “smile for the miles”, because if you project a fun and happy face you’re more likely to be picked up. In South America, my friend (Jimmy) and I managed 8 lifts from Bariloche, Argentina to Temuco, Chile, ranging about 800 kilometers.

With our 8 rides, the most memorable pick up was by a van with an American, and two Argentinian guys. Jimmy and I were hoping to get picked up on quiet road that lead to the Chilean boarder. We were chancing our luck that a kind soul would allow us to cross the boarder with them. In a span of almost an hour there were maybe 2-3 vehicles and finally a Toyota came to our rescue.

During the three hour drive we had incredible conversations, crossed the boarder easily, had a jam session with my guitar and established a nice bond with like-minded people. A few days later Jimmy and I met up with them at a beer festival and continued our jam session with more musicians. I swear we won the hitchhiking lottery.

 

Sexual harassment is NEVER okay

I won’t go into full detail about my experience and luckily I’m okay and was able to stand up for myself. What I will explain about my situation is, I was not drunk, I was not dressed inappropriately, I was not leading him on and I also made my intentions clear several times and was STILL disrespected. There was a fleeting moment where I thought I wasn’t safe and that is not OKAY.

People need to understand; just because two individuals kiss passionately and have a good connection does not qualify someone for sex. To also add, if a woman is confident in her own skin and projects an awareness of sensuality, again, does not qualify for sex.

Inappropriately forcing yourself upon another is fucked up and desperate.

To end this, I was able to incriminate this idiot and made him feel like a pathetic person. I hope he learned his lesson and doesn’t do it to another female.

 

Learn a new language

Spending 4 months in South America was a great place to learn Spanish, obviously, right? I can happily speak the very basics to get by and have a full stomach. My ambition is to continue learning while living in Colombia.

 

Many people will not understand how you lead your life and that’s okay

My past blog, A Letter From a Bohemian, which you can find here, was inspired by the numerous people over the year not agreeing or understanding how I live my life. And honestly at this point, I could care less about what they think. There were a couple incidents this year where I was mocked to my face about my supposed “flighty” life. All I have to say about those people is, “fuck em’”. If you can’t support my passions, then I don’t care to be around you. End of story.

 

Start a business and just go for it

This year was a time to just “go for it”. I started a personal development mentoring business and hosted my first seminar event to a sold out show. I never thought I would be at this point in my life in 2018, but I’m sure as hell thankful and grateful. I started my business because I have always been a self ruling individual who knows what I want. What I have always desired was having a job I am passionate about, can travel with, can inspire people with and make a positive difference in someone’s life. I want to encourage, teach and uplift people all around the world to accept themselves, strip away fears and be bold to chase what they truly want in life. Stay tuned for what I have in store for you in 2019!

If you’re interested in 1:1 mentoring sessions with me or want to learn more about what I do, check this link here to set up a FREE 30 min Discovery Call.

 

Quick synopsis of where I travelled this year:

 

Australia: Making the big decision to go down there solo was an amazing choice. I left the country in March after spending a year travelling, working and living in the Land Down Under. The biggest factor for going there was, I developed strong friendships with a few Australians while I was in Europe three years ago. Australia will always have a special place in my heart because of the amazing friendships I hold dear and the unforgettable memories I made in the country.

Japan: I visited Japan for one week while travelling from Australia back to Canada. I adore the kind and polite Japanese culture because I felt totally safe. I was pleasantly surprised how clean the streets of Tokyo kept, considering the illogical amount of people living in the city.

I made a local friend who spoke impeccable English in the subway. She noticed I was struggling with the transit and offered to help show me around the city because she had the day off, again, this is why I adore their kind culture. We established a friendship and still keep in touch today.

United States: My brother lives in the State of Texas during the winter time and I went down in May to visit him. We did a cross-country road trip back to Canada driving through 5 states. Texas to Toronto is one long haul, man.

In July I visited the State of Indiana to attend my cousins wedding. The city of Indianapolis has a crazy amount of roundabouts, like insane amount. I have never seen so many in a city before!

Chile: I arrived in Chile shocked by the wintertime climate and wasn’t thrilled about it. Bear in mind, I was travelling from summertime weather. I stayed with my good friend, Fransisca, whom I met in New Zealand a year prior. Fransisica’s family was incredibly warm and welcoming and made me feel at home even though they didn’t speak English. I am forever grateful for their kindness and hospitality towards

me, thank you. After some time living like a local in Fran’s hometown, we went off to travel the Chilean, Patagonian region. We had a blast and fell in love with the mountain range and also got our car stuck on a mountain, whoops.

Argentina: Eventually I meandered over to the Argentina side of Patagonia. All I can express is, I’m obsessed with Patagonia. It’s so beautiful and stunning. No other words to say to you, just go and visit!

Peru: My mom and brother came out to visit me for 10 days. We travelled to the awe inspiring, Machu Picchu. It is definitely one of those places you need to see before you die.

Mexico: This trip to Mexico was on a complete whim. I managed to find a cheap flight out of Peru to Mexico and a cheap flight out of Mexico back home for Christmas, I couldn’t resist. I didn’t dig Mexico City too much, but I loved being a beach bum in Cancun and on Isla Mujeres. The highlight of Mexico was renting a scooter and exploring an island off of Cancun.