Adventure

November 2016 - When I was fifteen, I had big plans: I wanted to live in London as an au pair. Later, I saw myself as an activist on board Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior, busy saving whales and seals. But life doesn’t always go the way we imagined. So I settled for holidays and weekend trips around Europe. That all changed more than three years ago, when my life took a drastic turn and I boarded a plane on my own for the very first time. Destination: Vancouver, Canada.

That experience reawakened my old longing for adventure and faraway places. I ended up living in Canada for four months, and I still feel homesick for that beautiful country.

I immersed myself in everyday life: going to the gym, visiting the local library and shopping at the supermarket. And I met many kind and inspiring people. Like Edie, chair of the Dutch Community, and Annie, a 91-year-old Dutch woman who emigrated to Canada as a young girl. Everywhere I went, people welcomed me with open arms.

Free and happy

I also met Richard, a First Nations artist who creates jewellery, masks, and totem poles. I was deeply moved by his work. I saw animals wandering the streets that we only know from the zoo: raccoons, skunks, coyotes. I loved the explosion of blossoms in spring, and the bright red and yellow trees in autumn. I hiked through the mountains near Whistler and watched whales off the coast of Tofino, Vancouver Island. With a smile from ear to ear, I drove my little truck along the Canadian highways and across the Lions Gate Bridge in Vancouver. I felt so free. And so happy.

Once again, life took a different turn.

I returned to the Netherlands, and once more my travels were limited to holidays and city breaks. But you know how it is, when you’ve got the travel bug, it never really goes away.

So this year, after a lot of soul-searching, I decided to sell my house and spread my wings. I’m going in search of interesting people and beautiful stories. Where the wind will take me, I don’t know yet. I’ll just see how it unfolds. Right now — November 2016 — I’m deep in preparations for my next journey to Canada and the US.

To be continued…