North Country Fair 2014

North Country Fair is a large annual outdoor festival help on the Driftpile aboriginal reserve, about 40 minutes west of Slave Lake. It happens on the summer solstice, in June, which means the days are long and warm, and not just because few would rather sleep than stay up and party. There is music, camping, river fun, vendors, and self-expression galore.

This has been my third year coming to this festival, though only the first one as a volunteer. In the past two years I had come as a presenter, or tabler, once with Zeitgeist Edmonton and once with Edmonton Permaculture as well as my own NPO, the Eco-Redistribution Network.
My second year was much better than the first, and there were many highlights for me, including long days of slacklining and sore buttocks (from slacklining!), muddled relationships, and greater personal freedom. This year I was excited to go, mostly because of the slacklining again (though not so much the sore buttocks) and the fact that I would be camping out in semi-wilderness for 8 days, working in a kitchen, and meeting new people. This last, in fact, was something I felt nervous about at the same time. In previous years I had always gone with friends and that gave me a certain sense of comfort and ease, but this time around I went in not knowing who I would meet or who I would spend my time with.

It turns out that I spent most of my free time with myself. Despite being surrounded by what I estimated to be close to 1000 people, I favoured my own company over all others. This is not entirely unusual for me, mind, but it did leave me feeling somewhat perplexed and even disheartened.
In the first five days I spent 30 hours helping out in the volunteer kitchen as part of the Hospitality team, and though I met some wonderful people with whom I had plenty of great conversations and shared many laughs, I still felt like I was not connecting with anyone on a deeper level. Perhaps this was an unreasonable expectation on my part, but I did question myself and wondered why it was that no connection was taking place between me and my fellow volunteers, though I thought I could see them connecting with each other on the level which I myself craved.

I biked alone, swam alone, often ate alone. Not because I didn't wish to speak to other people, quite to the contrary. I simply felt more comfortable that way. I took daily bike rides to the corner store to connect with the outside world as there was no internet reception on the campsite, and this made me feel like even more of an outcast, though I knew that it was a condition I had imposed on myself.

By the time the festival proper got underway, on day six, the entire campsite was packed and unrecognizable from days before. People from all walks of life had pitched tents and campsites, there was music coming from multiple directions, cheerful greetings from passersby, and the revelry had begun.
One common theme which I noticed right away was the constant drinking, pot smoking, and yelling. I have no issue with the first two, though if done in excess they can certainly cause all manner of awkwardness, but the last one got on my nerves right from the start. It occurred to me that most people take holidays to get away from their daily lives which involve work, family, and self-restraint, so being in an environment where anything goes is an outlet for all kinds of urges normally suppressed. Being civil Canadians, our main outlet for all these suppressed urges seems to be screaming, most often for no specific reason. Some people scream at each other (not out of anger at all, merely because it's permitted!), others simply wail. Then there are the "woo" people. I'm not referring to folk of Oriental descent either, if I may steal a joke from Russell Peters. I'm talking about the people who, whenever something exciting occurs (or often not), scream "woo"! "Woo people" is a term I've borrowed from a friend of mine, and I'm grateful for it, as it perfectly describes this annoying and pointless sound which one most often hears at concerts and festivals. Needless to say, I try to do as little "wooing" as possible. When the fancy strikes me, I do a different type of wooing, of course, this one with a much more defined and sensual purpose.

Coming back to my previous point, I continued to feel isolated for the rest of the festival, until I decided to speak to someone about it. This person, with whom I share many qualities as well as travel experiences, though we hadn't met before, struck me as a loner herself, one who stood out from the rest of the crowd. I approached her and explained my dilemma. After talking for close to an hour, I felt relieved and suddenly not so lonely. Thank you again for your understanding and commiseration, Brie.

The highlights of NCF for me this year were, of course, slacklining, some of the musical artists which I discovered, finally learning how to produce sound from my didgeridoo, making new friends, the hour-long conversation I had with my friend Brian about science (we're not done with that one yet, Brian!), seeing a live beaver for the first time in my life (I think), and the idyllic meadow I discovered and relaxed in, and in which I caught a beautiful nymphet at a compromising moment. If she is reading this, I hope she blushes just a little.

Slave Lake

I arrived in Slave Lake on Saturday morning and went straight to the Wal-Mart parking lot, where I established my campsite. For the first time in my life, I was thankful for Wal-Mart. They even had plug-ins so I could connect my appliances and charge my computer. It felt great.

I had some food and decided to explore the town on my bike. I saw signs for public beaches and followed one of them, which took me to the lakeshore and various RV campsites. I wasn't quite sure how to access the beach however, so I asked an older man who was tending his lawn for directions, upon which he invited me over for a beer. We ended up spending a few hours drinking beer and chit-chatting about this, that, and the other, after which I biked back, quite satisfied. I even got to see the beach as Jerry's house is right on the lake. Oh yeah, and Jerry has a gorgeous collie named Cinder.

I had offered to help Jerry collect driftwood on the lakeshore on Sunday, so I biked over there in the morning and we spent a couple of hours raking and dragging logs onto piles, after which we were both quite exhausted and hungry. We drove down to the store for some salad ingredients, and Jerry made us both a wonderful lunch. After that I biked back, took a shower at the Slave Lake Recreation Centre, did some laundry and retired for the night.

I must say I quite enjoyed my stay in Slave Lake. Not that it's an amazing city, it certainly doesn't have the charm that Athabasca holds, but my experience there was a wonderfully pleasant one. I spent time outdoors, made a new friend, experienced some unexpected hospitality and generosity, and this left me in positive spirits.

The next day, I drove to Driftpile to begin my volunteer shift at North Country Fair 2014.

Beautiful Athabasca

I think there needs to be more towns like Athabasca. I guess I'm hoping there are more of them, is more like it. I arrived in Athabasca on Wednesday and right away I found a spot to camp on the landing. There is an open parking area right in front of it which is used by people in RVs, so I knew I was safe. I decided to explore some of the trails around, and crossed the little bridge to the other side of the river. I did some food shopping (first time since I left Edmonton!), read for a bit, made supper (first time cooking in the camper!), and then set up my slackline. After about an hour, I packed the line up and was walking back to the camper when I bumped into another slackliner. Of all places!

I was hoping to find some free wifi around, but there is a dearth of this amenity in Athabasca, so instead I did some more reading and I blogged for a bit. I spent the night on the landing and the next morning I biked up to Athabasca University (I never knew they had a physical location!), where I found free wifi and a warm welcome from the receptionist. I Skyped with my sister for an hour or so, then I spent another couple of hours surfing. Later on I drove out to Grassland to visit Krystal and Stefan, whom I wrote about in my previous post.

I came back to Athabasca on Friday morning and this time drove right up to the university. They have some great trails up there (with bear warnings) which I explored and photographed, and then I used their wifi for a few more hours.

I spent that night in the same spot on the landing, though this time it wasn't as peaceful since I had the company of some very loud and very drunk amateur musicians just outside. I remember waking up at 2am and they were still at it.
When I got up the next day, I was greeted by a friendly Australian man named Matt, who is himself on a cross-Canada trip, with his ultimate goal being Quebec. For some reason he is under the impression that Quebecers are more like French people in France...
Matt offered me some great Congolese coffee and proceeded to regale me with his adventures from Western Australian Burning Man (he was instrumental in building Blazing Swan!). After hanging out for a few hours in case someone from Athabasca needed a ride to Slave Lake, I set out, and arrived here three hours later. I'm camped out at the local Wal-Mart parking lot and it's awesome, I actually have an external hook-up for the first time! So many firsts!!!!

Grassland and Bees of Prosperity

Yesterday I drove out to a little farm in Grassland, about 40 minutes outside of Athabasca. The place is called Bees of Prosperity, and it is a small operation run by Krystal and Stefan, who grow vegetables and keep bees. They sell their produce at the Athabasca Farmers' Market on weekends.

I knew Krystal from Couchsurfing, as she was one of several people in the Athabasca area to whom I'd sent a message/couch request before leaving Thorhild. She was the only one to reply, and I'm very glad she did. She and her partner Stefan are from Edmonton originally, and they've both lived in Montreal for several years.

I spent the afternoon hanging out and chatting with Krystal, who showed me around their property and took me to meet their bees. One of these took offense at my presence and this unfortunately led to her (its?) death as well as a painful bump on my neck, which is still present today. I made a, ahem, beeline out of there so as not to cause any further apian deaths.

Later on I took a walk down the path which led to several decrepit wooden huts, built by an old recluse who had spent his entire life there, alone. On my way I encountered a deer, a frog, many birds, and far too many mosquitoes. These critters have become the bane of my existence since I've moved into the camper. They are everywhere, all the time, it seems. I wish I could just eradicate them all in one fell swoop, as Shakespeare would say, but this, as Krystal has informed me, would not be good at all as mosquitoes are a key player in their ecosystem. Well, ecosystem or not, I had to slaughter 20-30 of them in my camper last night before sleeping. I was surprised that so many of them had managed to sneak in while my doors were open, always very briefly. I later found out that my forgetfulness was my own undoing, as I had left a window open overnight.

Stefan came home from work around 6 and Krystal made us a lovely vegetarian taco dinner. We then had ice cream and chatted until late. They are both well traveled and it was a joy to converse with people with such a grounded and balanced understanding and approach to life.

I came back to Athabasca today to do some biking and utilize the free wi-fi at Athabasca University, and tomorrow I leave for Slave Lake. I will spend the weekend there and on Monday I'll drive to Driftpile, where I'll begin my first volunteer shift for North Country Fair. So excite!

Life in an earthship

This week I spent four days in an earthship.  For those unsure what an earthship is, it's a climate-neutral dwelling built from waste materials. The primary material is used tires, which are packed with dirt. These are used to build the walls, which are usually also stuffed with bottles and pop cans, for insulation, reduced use of concrete, as well as aesthetic appeal. Eartships are built to maximize the amount of sunlight which enters through large panes of glass, thus heating the inside of the dwelling. Rainwater is collected from a sloping roof and then purified, thus assuring a steady supply of water for all possible needs. Electricity can be generated using renewable sources such as wind, solar, or thermal, so essentially the entire habitation can be disconnected from the grid, as long as one is willing to live without internet. One of the most wonderful things about earthships is that they retain heat as well as providing enough cool air so they neither have to be heated in winter nor cooled in summer, even in Alberta!
The earthship I stayed in belongs to the lovely Jodie and Les, who have been working on it for the past two years. They live in it with their three dogs, Grover, Presley, and Sammy. Jodie and Les are not yet self-sufficient in terms of energy and they do have an internet connection. They grow a large portion of their food, however, and their goal is to eventually grow all their own fruits and vegetables as well as raising chickens.
During my stay there I helped out with some of the building tasks and was met with amazing hospitality. This was my first time in an earthship in this stage of completion, as I had visited Jodie and Les two years prior, when they were just building the tire walls.
Jodie and Les are wonderful hosts and my stay with them was a great way to launch my adventure as a nomad. All my needs were met, I felt greatly appreciated, and I shared many laughs as well.

I am now off to Athabasca, with a brief stop in Legal, AB.

Travelers

Why do people feed travelers? I haven't experienced this very much on a first-hand basis, but I get the impression that people are eager to feed someone who is passing through, on some kind of journey. Is it that deep down we understand that life itself is a journey and that we are all traveling in our own way? Is it simply that we all wish we were traveling instead of being stuck in one place, so we try to live vicariously through the travelers we encounter, and we help them along and hope they succeed?

An ode to Edmonton

When I first came to Edmonton in 2007, I was in a very different place in my life than I am now. At the time I was attempting to rekindle a relationship which had begun in Taiwan a year prior, and had been severed (for the first of many times) just before my return to Canada.
Kristin was from Edmonton and we had both been teaching English in Taipei, where we met in a bar. After dating for a year and very briefly living together, we broke up and she returned to Edmonton, her hometown. I subsequently told her I would follow her there, which I did. I was 27 at the time. We moved in together and were able to maintain a relationship for another year, despite much turmoil. We then went through a cycle of on-again, off-again romance, attempting to live together once more for an entire year, before finally calling it quits.

During this time, as my relationship with Kristin was gradually deteriorating, my relationship with Edmonton was changing as well. I can't say I liked the city very much when I first moved there. I found it drab, lifeless, flat, and cold. Most significantly, it was foreign to me. Having spent 18 consecutive years living outside of Canada, mostly in non-white countries, moving back to a place where everyone spoke English and where I didn't look different due to my skin colour was a reverse culture shock to me. I didn't get along with the people I worked with, I didn't have a convenient method of getting around since I didn't drive yet, I wasn't enjoying my work, and my leisure activities were limited.

This gradually began to change as I acquired more personal freedoms, my mobility increased, and so did my financial comfort. I bought a car, became single, earned more money at my job, and started engaging in activities that stimulated me.

In my fifth year in Edmonton, which was 2011-2012, everything changed. It all started when I lost my job at the cemetery. Instead of searching for a new job, I decided to wait and live on credit for a while. I became involved in a project which had the potential to earn me an income while doing something I enjoyed, with a bunch of like-minded people. This eventually led me to start a non-profit organization whose aim was to collect unwanted items from people, repurpose them, and either donate or recycle them. I became co-owner of a truck, and for the first time in my life, I was self-employed.
The summer of 2012 was the most amazing time I had ever spent in Edmonton, and I truly fell in love with the city then. I spent my days outdoors, riding my bicycle, sitting in parks, driving around, and basically enjoying life without too much worry about work or money.
I discovered organic food, stopped eating meat (for the most part), and generally lived a much healthier lifestyle than ever before.

Before long, the work partnership, together with the non-profit, fell apart, and I was left with a truck in my name. I decided to keep it and use it to earn money. I began to offer people services using the truck as well as any other odd jobs I was able to do. I called it David's Friendly Services, and for two years I very successfully supported myself by helping people move, doing deliveries, and disposing of various junk. I also continued to do translation/interpretation work, as well as the odd landscaping, snow removal, and renovation job.

Seven years later as I leave Edmonton behind, I have a much greater appreciation for this city, as well as increased respect for its people and what they have achieved. Edmonton, though it may not be as culturally and artistically vibrant as Montreal, or as environmentally conscious as Vancouver, is a city which leads the world in various accomplishments and holds the number one spot in Canada in a number of areas. Edmonton has a state-of-the-art waste management system which has served as a model for various other nations. It is in fact the leader in eco-friendly waste management in North America and recently launched the world's first large-scale waste-to-biogas plant.
Edmonton is the largest city in Canada in terms of area, and has the highest amount of green space of any city in Canada. These are just a few examples of why I think Edmonton is a great city, despite the reputation it holds for being backward and boring. One of the more unfortunate names this city has been tagged with is Deadmonton. I'm not sure if this is because it held the title of Canada's murder capital for a few years or if it has to do with how lifeless it appears to those who seek stimulation in the arts and entertainment areas.
I also think that social services and amenities are excellent there, the standard of living is relatively high, the tolerance for diversity is impressive, and the people are friendly and generous.

My personal achievements in the past seven years have also been manifold, and I want to list them here. Some of them are goals which I had waited many years to complete, and being in Edmonton gave me the opportunity to do so.
After coming to Edmonton I completed my high school equivalency upgrade, which had been pending since I left school at the age of 15. I learned to drive, obtained a driver's license, and purchased a car. I became a student pilot and learned to fly a single-engine plane solo. I became owner and operator of a successful business enterprise, and I acted as main organizer for an activist group.
As mentioned previously, my lifestyle changed drastically as I started to think about the food I was consuming and the products I was purchasing. I began to buy only organic food, almost no meat or dairy, and I tried to always support fair trade. I spent my money on environmentally friendly and socially conscious products including detergents, clothes, paper, and a variety of others.
I opened my home to strangers on a regular basis and became a couchsurfing host. This in itself altered my life in a dramatic way, and was a partial inspiration for my current lifestyle.
Some of the activities I discovered and dabbled in include environmental and social activism, anarchist theory, permaculture, slacklining, hand drumming, and most recently, nomadism. Oh, and blogging, of course!
I read countless books, watched many documentaries and TED Talks, engaged in philosophical debates both in person and online, discovered dozens of new bands and expanded my musical interests, learned various skills, tried new foods, experimented with meditation, made many friends, lost some, kept some, played hard, worked hard, thought much, read much, changed much. I've learned a tremendous amount of things about the world and a few about myself. I'm ready for the next chapter in my life.
Goodbye Edmonton, you will remain dear to my heart, and I will miss you once in a while. My friends, you know who you are. Much love.

Today I became a nomad.

Today I became a nomad.

I've been a traveler for most of my life, having lived in 11 countries including the one I was born in, Canada. I've lived in houses, apartments, condominiums, high-rises, low-rises, hotels, motels, hostels, a women's shelter, a farmhouse, serviced apartments, and even two apartments at once! Sometimes I lived in a very settled way, sometimes I lived out of suitcases. Some of my residences have been long-term (the longest has been 10 years), some short-term (the shortest was 1 month).
All of these places had something in common: I had an address. Today, this changed.

I now live in an '83 Dodge Ram camper van. This is now my new home, and it has wheels. This means that I can drive anywhere I want, stop anywhere I want, and I'm still home. I haven't quite fully come to terms with this yet, but I think when it finally hits me, it will be a shock as well as an amazing realization. I have come a few steps closer to complete freedom, if there is such a thing for humans on Earth.

About a year ago I read a book called The Sunhitcher, by Tomi Astikainen. This book changed my life forever. I also read a story about a man in Vancouver who decided to live in a van for a year. I had a plan. The inspiration I received from those two stories has led me to where I am now, sitting in the back of my camper on an acreage about an hour north of Edmonton, next to an earthship.

My goal is to drive all through North America, visiting all major cities in Canada and the US, spending time in alternative communities, contributing to projects, participating in festivals, and learning about myself and this vast continent. I will do so entirely out of the van and the homes of people who will accommodate me. I will dumpster dive for food when possible, and work to earn it when necessary. This trip may take me 2 years, or it may take 5. When the time comes, the journey will end and I will return to where I started. In the meantime, the road lies ahead of me, and it is mine to explore.

Follow me.