So now that my approval is official, I started sending out contacts to host farms in Scotland, Italy, Greece, and Fiji. I have also started collecting a host list for Australia and New Zealand.
There are some things I would really like to do, some places I would really like to go, and some things I really want to do in specific places. I know I want to pick grapes in Italy, olives in France, work with sheep in New Zealand, and cattle in Australia. I have already mentioned that in Fiji I would like to pig hunt, but that would be a one day event (hopefully), so what to do there? Anything near the water would suffice. I want to go to Scotland and be as deep in the Highlands as possible. A farm would be ideal, but I've seen some hostels, campgrounds, and restaurants that would serve the same purpose of letting me live there for a month or so. I would really like to work with goats and goat cheese making, horse riding, and sustainable farming projects, but not really too picky where those things happen.
I've also started looking into visas. I have read that Australia needs a visa to do a working holiday, but I'm not sure what actually qualifies as a working holiday. I'm in contact with globalvisas.com to sift through the wordage. It seems that working holidays are really about having a job and making money, and volunteering for accommodation and meals is an exception...? We'll find out.
And it looks like I am doing this just in the nick of time. Many of these working holiday visas are for 18-30 year olds. Just under the wire. I am predicting I will be in either New Zealand or Australia for my 30th birthday. I have this little dream that I would be so involved and into whatever it is that I'm doing that I wouldn't even know what the date was until a few days later.
When do I start my count down? The day I leave Bethel? The day I would have returned to school in August? I guess I'm on vacation as soon as the last day of school is over, but I'll still get a paycheck until August... Maybe August 1. I might not leave on that exact date, but somewhere close to there I would be heading back to Alaska.
143 days and counting, God willing.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Board Meeting
It's official. I have been granted my leave of request. There wasn't really much doubt that it would be accepted, but now it feels real and I feel at liberty to publicly announce that I will be traveling the world next year (after I call my parents in the morning). I attended the board meeting (3 separate times during the day) and on the last visit walked in just in time to hear, "All in favor say 'Aye.'"
Why a leave of absence?
I don't want to teach anywhere else than Bethel, AK. I have laid out a one year travel agenda with the plan to return to teaching the fall of 2014, God willing. That's the course before me. Most people who know me, know that I don't really plan all the little details, but have a more general idea of what I want. And right now I want to harvest grapes in Italy, olives in Greece, snorkel in Fiji, shear sheep in New Zealand, cattle rustle in Australia, and goat farm in Hawaii. That's the general idea on the schedule.
Now, I am completely willing to admit that I am hoping to meeting some very interesting people on this trip. And I am ready to confess that I hope quite a few of them will be brawny men. And I would tell you in more detail after a glass of wine that I wouldn't be opposed to finding that one man out there for me on these travels. I am ready, open, and willing for that to happen. HOWEVER, the agenda for this trip is primarily about enjoying myself, learning more about sustainable farming, and staying warm for an entire year. That is the prime directive.
I did a little googling tonight about the best seasons for each of these destinations. As previously mentioned, Fiji around Christmas sounds pretty good, and it's about the middle point distance wise in my trip. As I started to read more articles about olives and grapes in Greece and Italy, I learned that I may really be looking for Perpetual Fall. Olives in Greece are harvested in the October/November season, and grapes in Italy in September. So my whole itinerary might be flipped. I might be traveling to Europe first then Oceania.
Also, I started to look at budget airline ticket prices. My new favorite site in Momondo.com which searches budget airlines globally. An initial search for flights that would take me from Chicago>Rome>Athens>Fiji>New Zealand>Australia>Hawaii>Chicago totaled $3575. That is approximately half the price of any RTW ticket at which I was priced. That makes the budget for this trip so much cushier. For all my long term stays, I have a goal of finding hosts that provide both accommodations and meals. The only time I see myself paying for those items are a few weeks traveling through Europe by rail, and a few weeks through Australia by bus (most likely). Traveling the world really can be affordable.
I would like to throw in one more God willing. I need to work on saying that more often when I talk about my lofty goals of the future.
Why a leave of absence?
I don't want to teach anywhere else than Bethel, AK. I have laid out a one year travel agenda with the plan to return to teaching the fall of 2014, God willing. That's the course before me. Most people who know me, know that I don't really plan all the little details, but have a more general idea of what I want. And right now I want to harvest grapes in Italy, olives in Greece, snorkel in Fiji, shear sheep in New Zealand, cattle rustle in Australia, and goat farm in Hawaii. That's the general idea on the schedule.
Now, I am completely willing to admit that I am hoping to meeting some very interesting people on this trip. And I am ready to confess that I hope quite a few of them will be brawny men. And I would tell you in more detail after a glass of wine that I wouldn't be opposed to finding that one man out there for me on these travels. I am ready, open, and willing for that to happen. HOWEVER, the agenda for this trip is primarily about enjoying myself, learning more about sustainable farming, and staying warm for an entire year. That is the prime directive.
I did a little googling tonight about the best seasons for each of these destinations. As previously mentioned, Fiji around Christmas sounds pretty good, and it's about the middle point distance wise in my trip. As I started to read more articles about olives and grapes in Greece and Italy, I learned that I may really be looking for Perpetual Fall. Olives in Greece are harvested in the October/November season, and grapes in Italy in September. So my whole itinerary might be flipped. I might be traveling to Europe first then Oceania.
Also, I started to look at budget airline ticket prices. My new favorite site in Momondo.com which searches budget airlines globally. An initial search for flights that would take me from Chicago>Rome>Athens>Fiji>New Zealand>Australia>Hawaii>Chicago totaled $3575. That is approximately half the price of any RTW ticket at which I was priced. That makes the budget for this trip so much cushier. For all my long term stays, I have a goal of finding hosts that provide both accommodations and meals. The only time I see myself paying for those items are a few weeks traveling through Europe by rail, and a few weeks through Australia by bus (most likely). Traveling the world really can be affordable.
I would like to throw in one more God willing. I need to work on saying that more often when I talk about my lofty goals of the future.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Fiji
I've been thinking about Fiji all day. This morning I was looking around workaway.info, one of the various sites I've been browsing for working holiday opportunities, when I found an ideal position. It's an eco-resort that accommodates only 12 guests at a time. They have kayaks and rowboats to explore local lagoons and to reach private beaches, boat rides for snorkeling and surfing exploration, hiking trails, Fijian cooking classes, driving tours of the island, on site organic farming to supply their onsite restaurant, onsite goat raising (2010 Fijian award winners of goat raising, who knew?), and local ceremony, sites, and crafts to experience. I would be more than happy to help facilitate any of those activities, or even to clean the rooms once guests leave just to get a little of that action. Then I found a second opportunity that specializes in scuba trips. I would clean any number of toilets to learn how to dive.
The first site said their high season was May-November, and then December 15-January 15. I'm thinking about contacting them and seeing if I can get my name down for the Christmas season. I would have to play in Hawaii and New Zealand until then, head to Fiji for the holidays, then to Australia. I would finagle something if I got a positive response back.
Buck List Item- Kill a pig in Fiji
I don't remember the exact movie or book I read that used Fiji as their vacation get away destination, but it has been stuck with me for awhile that it's where I would want to honeymoon. I am deeply attracted to the Oceania area and the cultures and scenery of the islands. Fiji has been high on my list for a long time.
To kill a pig. Why? Again, I can't remember what book or books portrayed pig hunting as such a heroic event, but it has been there burning in my brain since I was probably 10. Unfortunately, I have developed a fear for pigs over the years, and might consider it an irrational fear if pigs weren't so dangerous. They will eat you. They will eat all of you and your shoes. Scariest part of Wizard of Oz? First 20 minutes she falls in the pig pen and everyone freaks out. Why? Because she would have been eaten. Hannibal? Didn't take much training to make killer pigs. He just got them to crave human. That pot belly pig that screamed when I tried to pet it at the zoo when I was 12? Battle cry. I'm surprised there aren't public safety announcements on PBS about this problem.
The Mary Russell series by Laura King is my favorite at the moment, and The Game featured Mary on a dangerous boar hunt in India that pulled this long seeded desire back to the top of the bucket list. The hunting scenes were both exciting and under-the-bed-coveres-reading-between-my-fingers scary. Despite the terror of seeing a wild pig, hairy, crusted, and mostly likely slobbering with rabies, I still want to kill one. Of course I then want to eat it and share the meat with as many people as possible. And I certainly won't be doing this alone. In fact, if I end up on the net crew and only get to poke it with the butt end of a spear, I would consider myself part of the killing and cross it off my list.
I linked these two desires (Fiji and pig hunting) a few years back when a fellow teacher had visited Fiji over the summer break. He told me that while staying at a hostel, he was able to sign up to go on a pig hunt for about $20. They tok him up the mountain, handed him a spear and a machete. They killed a pig, roasted it, and fed the whole neighborhood. Ever since I heard that story, I was ready to go to Fiji and kill my own porker.
The first site said their high season was May-November, and then December 15-January 15. I'm thinking about contacting them and seeing if I can get my name down for the Christmas season. I would have to play in Hawaii and New Zealand until then, head to Fiji for the holidays, then to Australia. I would finagle something if I got a positive response back.
Buck List Item- Kill a pig in Fiji
I don't remember the exact movie or book I read that used Fiji as their vacation get away destination, but it has been stuck with me for awhile that it's where I would want to honeymoon. I am deeply attracted to the Oceania area and the cultures and scenery of the islands. Fiji has been high on my list for a long time.
To kill a pig. Why? Again, I can't remember what book or books portrayed pig hunting as such a heroic event, but it has been there burning in my brain since I was probably 10. Unfortunately, I have developed a fear for pigs over the years, and might consider it an irrational fear if pigs weren't so dangerous. They will eat you. They will eat all of you and your shoes. Scariest part of Wizard of Oz? First 20 minutes she falls in the pig pen and everyone freaks out. Why? Because she would have been eaten. Hannibal? Didn't take much training to make killer pigs. He just got them to crave human. That pot belly pig that screamed when I tried to pet it at the zoo when I was 12? Battle cry. I'm surprised there aren't public safety announcements on PBS about this problem.
The Mary Russell series by Laura King is my favorite at the moment, and The Game featured Mary on a dangerous boar hunt in India that pulled this long seeded desire back to the top of the bucket list. The hunting scenes were both exciting and under-the-bed-coveres-reading-between-my-fingers scary. Despite the terror of seeing a wild pig, hairy, crusted, and mostly likely slobbering with rabies, I still want to kill one. Of course I then want to eat it and share the meat with as many people as possible. And I certainly won't be doing this alone. In fact, if I end up on the net crew and only get to poke it with the butt end of a spear, I would consider myself part of the killing and cross it off my list.
I linked these two desires (Fiji and pig hunting) a few years back when a fellow teacher had visited Fiji over the summer break. He told me that while staying at a hostel, he was able to sign up to go on a pig hunt for about $20. They tok him up the mountain, handed him a spear and a machete. They killed a pig, roasted it, and fed the whole neighborhood. Ever since I heard that story, I was ready to go to Fiji and kill my own porker.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Destinations
I have a list of main courses and a few side dishes for my year of traveling. My major route is planned for the following:
1. Hawaii
2. New Zealand
3. Australia
4. Fiji
5. Greece
6. Italy
7. Train through Europe heading toward England
If I get all those destinations in, I would be satisfied. But of course, if I can sneak an extra snack in here and there along the way, I won't hesitate.
1. Samoa
2. Guam
3. Maldives
4. South Africa
5. Indonesia
6. Thailand
7. South Korea
8. Scandinavian Peninsula
9. Caribbean
10. Peru/Brazil
I can't fit them all in one year, but I am planning to keep plans flexible and I would like a wide variety to select from if an opportunity arose to deviate from basic plans.
1. Hawaii
2. New Zealand
3. Australia
4. Fiji
5. Greece
6. Italy
7. Train through Europe heading toward England
If I get all those destinations in, I would be satisfied. But of course, if I can sneak an extra snack in here and there along the way, I won't hesitate.
1. Samoa
2. Guam
3. Maldives
4. South Africa
5. Indonesia
6. Thailand
7. South Korea
8. Scandinavian Peninsula
9. Caribbean
10. Peru/Brazil
I can't fit them all in one year, but I am planning to keep plans flexible and I would like a wide variety to select from if an opportunity arose to deviate from basic plans.
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
A Journey of A Thousand Miles Begins With a Single Post
I was trying to make myself go back to sleep and turn an evening nap into an all night sleep. But I've had so many lists and ideas running through my head lately that I couldn't even count staring at the ceiling as resting anymore. One item on my list has been getting a blog up and started for my travels. It occurred to me that getting the blog started sooner than later might help me sort out all these tasks as I work through them. This will be my place to get things down and out so I can then go to bed with a clear mind. So I'm just going to get a huge list of items that are on my plate and tackle them as I go.
1. Travel insurance
2. Summer plans (Laura's wedding, Michigan Fun Run?, Alisha'a house, Cassie)
3. iPad/MacBook Air
4. Camping equipment for Hawaii
5. Working Holiday visa for Australia
6. Savings account for return
7. Packing up my house
8. Selling unwanted stuff
9. Storing wanted stuff for return
10. Shipping important stuff to parents
11. Sorting out keeper items from school
12. Start contacting hosts in Hawaii
13. Start a list of must see spots
14. Research international banks
15. Research atm fee-free credit cards
16. What season is bad weather in the Pacific?
17. Setting up Yakko for a year
18. Make list of must do activities
19. Update resume for return
20. Research budget airlines
21. Packing list
22. Can I get to the Crossfit Games in July?
23. Train tickets through Europe
24. Olive tending in Greece
25. Wine vineyard in Italy
26. Scotland near the end?
27. Doctor visits before I travel
28. Health goals
29. Scanning all woof, help exchange, coolworks sites for possible locations
30. Budget goals
31. Phone connections in each country
32. Teacher discount card
33. START A BLOG
This is not an exhausted list, but I'm sure tired now that I look at it. I've started working on a few items but I seem to write a lot of ideas on sticki-notes that disappear into a black hole or get scribbled in the back of a journal with no descriptive heading. Maybe having my findings under a post will help organize my life.
1. Travel insurance
2. Summer plans (Laura's wedding, Michigan Fun Run?, Alisha'a house, Cassie)
3. iPad/MacBook Air
4. Camping equipment for Hawaii
5. Working Holiday visa for Australia
6. Savings account for return
7. Packing up my house
8. Selling unwanted stuff
9. Storing wanted stuff for return
10. Shipping important stuff to parents
11. Sorting out keeper items from school
12. Start contacting hosts in Hawaii
13. Start a list of must see spots
14. Research international banks
15. Research atm fee-free credit cards
16. What season is bad weather in the Pacific?
17. Setting up Yakko for a year
18. Make list of must do activities
19. Update resume for return
20. Research budget airlines
21. Packing list
22. Can I get to the Crossfit Games in July?
23. Train tickets through Europe
24. Olive tending in Greece
25. Wine vineyard in Italy
26. Scotland near the end?
27. Doctor visits before I travel
28. Health goals
29. Scanning all woof, help exchange, coolworks sites for possible locations
30. Budget goals
31. Phone connections in each country
32. Teacher discount card
33. START A BLOG
This is not an exhausted list, but I'm sure tired now that I look at it. I've started working on a few items but I seem to write a lot of ideas on sticki-notes that disappear into a black hole or get scribbled in the back of a journal with no descriptive heading. Maybe having my findings under a post will help organize my life.
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