Thinking about goodbyes

So, next week is going to be my last week at work.

This is exciting and scary all in one. I regularly alternate between being ridiculously happy and totally freaking out. On the one hand I'll never have to read about a mining project ever again!!! I'm going to be totally free! Possibilities are endless! Maybe I will book a last minute flight to Hawaii where I will become a pro surfer who can talk to dolphins and marry Jack Johnson on a moonlit beach?! Yeah something like that will definitely happen! This will be the time of my life and the best thing that's ever happened to me...

...unless I die. What if a hippo suddenly thinks I look delicious?  What if Jack Johnson turns out to be a crazy serial killer? What if my recurring plane crash nightmares finally come true??!!!! Ahhh! Ok, fingers crossed none of those things happen, but seriously, the thought of all the work I still have to do and get prepared for the new person in my job is a scary thought. And then it hits me...I only have one more paycheck coming in...OMG I'm going to be poor. And then another though hits... In a few short weeks I'll be in a country where I don't speak the language whatsoever because my futile attempts to learn Spanish were easily overtaken by such very important things as watching The Bachelor, having drinks with friends, going snow tubing, going to concerts, having drinks with friends, visiting my parents, daydreaming about my future wedding to Jack Johnson, and of course having drinks with friends. Oh well, hopefully I will be able to communicate somehow. Drawings, sign language, charades?! Shit!

I won't bore you with the rest of my worries. Except this one. Now that the weeks are closing in before the trip, I've been realizing how much I'm going to miss my friends. I am so lucky to have so many amazing friends that I've known since we were fresh faced Grade Nine's in our rolled-up-too-high kilts at St. Joe's. I even have a few friends from way back at Holy Rosary when we were so innocent that playing kissing tag at recess was as scandalous as we got. Then there are a couple of friends I've known since age zero, growing up on Wychwood where our tiny backyards felt as big as football fields. A special shout out also has to go out to my friends at work, in Toronto and St. John's, who have become some of my best friends in life after being there to listen to daily complaints and triumphs, and were always there to provide awesome advice and a good laugh... and chocolate... and cupcakes... and Starbucks! Meeting tons of great new friends through my Masters program was one of the highlights of my 2012. Of course I can't forget my mom and dad. Since I moved back to Toronto 2 years ago, after being away for 10, I have absolutely loved the time I've been able to spend with my parents. They are really the best people on earth as far as I'm concerned. After seeing them at least once a week for the past 2 and a half years, it will actually be hard to not talk to them for over a month! My dad will have so many corny jokes saved up to tell me when I get back! I think I'll worry about them as much as they'll worry about me. *tear*

So even though I'll be back and forth during my year, and hopefully I'll see everyone again very soon, I decided it's still a perfect excuse to throw a going away party! And why have just one, when I can have as many as I want! So that's what I'm looking forward to over the next few weeks! It's a great excuse to let you all know how much you mean to me and how much I'll miss you! Drinking with friends is one of my favourite pastimes after all ;)

The Plans

All in all I'm an incredibly lucky and blessed person. In the past few years I've done some incredible things. I went to Costa Rica to study sea turtles, and on the night of my 30th birthday, walking along the Carate beach I tagged the flipper of a huge Green Turtle and then watched it disappear into the crashing waves lit up by billions of tiny bioluminescent sea creatures. I ventured to Iceland with my Masters class, where I peered into caldera of a massive volcano covered by a glacier, hoping for no imminent eruptions, and later gave a presentation about seabirds with the crashing waves of the north Atlantic providing a perfect backdrop. I went to James Bay and struggled to take in the sight of over one hundred thousand shorebirds that migrated by in one day. I can still hear the sounds of their wing beats as they rushed by only feet from my lookout on the mudflats. And in Georgian Bay, I got to hold baby Great Blue Herons, Great Egrets and Common Terns in my hands. It was all magic. I fell more and more in love with the world with each new experience.

But of course those are the highlights. Real life isn't that great, is it? Well, for me real life is and has been my job as an environmental assessment coordinator with the Canadian Wildlife Service in Toronto. It's a job that has become increasingly frustrating for someone who, maybe naievely, wants to make a difference in the world, or do some good work for the planet, or at least have fun trying! But I have realized that it's not really fun for me anymore. I've got that feeling that there is something else, something even more fun and amazing out there for me. I am going to make my real life as full of highlights as humanly possible. If we don't go for our dreams, and do the things that make us happy, then what's the point of living, right?

So I'm taking a year leave from work starting in February. After the year is up, who knows... But for now, it's hard to believe I only have 3 more weeks of work to go... after doing the same job for about 8 years, it's great to think about doing something different for a change! The countdown to adventure is on!

Here is the rundown of the plans so far:

Patagonia
First, Ryan and I are going hiking and camping in Patagonia for a month. We're going to do the Torres del Paine circuit and hike around Mt Fitz Roy in Chile, head over to Argentina, and then go down to Tierra del Fuego. I also want to go see as many penguin species as possible and have planned much of the trip around them! (Yes I know I'm a dork!) I hope to see Magellanic, Rockhopper and King Penguins. I'm also crossing my fingers to see some of the Red Knots I saw in James Bay. How cool would that be to see them thousands of km's away? Wish me luck!

Costa Rica
After those long hikes, we're gong to meet up with some friends in Costa Rica for a week of surfing and lying on the beach. Bring on the cervezas!

Dominican Republic
After a quick stop back in Toronto, it's off to the Dominican Republic for the wedding of one of my oldest and dearest friends! I'll be traveling with my bff Theresa and with her and the rest of the crowd, I know we are guaranteed to have tons of fun in the sun.

Africa
The next stop is Africa, and I'll be going alone. I'm very nervous and excited for this part of my journey. First, I'll be on a safari tour through Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, where I hope to see lions, zebras, elephants, hippos, rhinos and tons of birds of course. I'll be going to the Okavango Delta, Victoria Falls and Kruger park. I'll end up in Cape Town, South Africa where I'll be volunteering at a penguin and seabird rehab center for a few weeks. There is a high probability that I'll be smuggling a penguin home in my backpack...

What's next???
That's all that's planned for now. I am so excited!