Road Mojo

My life has been in turmoil for the past month.

"Turmoil" sounds so negative. And yeah, sure, there have been some tough times over the last 30 days- emotionally (won't go there), financially (lost my job in London and had to move out of my flat because I couldn't make rent)- but there has also been a lot of positivity. I've made a few spontaneous decisions and I've had a LOT of time to think about some others. On the spontaneous side of life, I sold my newly acquired bicycle and donated 2/3 of my stuff to charity. There was a brief emotional struggle when it came to a couple of articles of clothing that had sentimental value, but I convinced myself that the memories are all I need.

I then purchased a 70L backpack and threw what remained of my belongings inside. I can now carry everything I own on my back. I love it!!! It's an incredible feeling, very liberating and a step in the right direction for me. When I left Canada eight months with vagabonding dreams my motto was "Live simply so that others may simply live" and I feel like I'm finally progressing toward that goal. So, with my backpack on, I left London, England only 44 days after moving there. I originally thought I would be living in London until the fall, but as John Lennon once said, "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans."

My first stop was Brighton, England. I reunited with my good friend Will (from the Disney days) and started working with him at EF Language Travel. For two weeks I was the Activity Coordinator for a group of thirty students from Austria. It was a pretty sweet gig. Basically, I got paid to go bowling and play football with a bunch of really cool kids and help them with their English. When it was all over, I collected my much-needed paycheque and threw the backpack on once more.

I'm going to return to Brighton in June and work for EF over the summer, but for now I'm going to hit the road. I have some big plans for the next five weeks. Stay tuned :)

The best things in life are free

I live in London, England- a city of millions. But sometimes, even when surrounded by dozens of people, this city can make you feel kind of alone. This is a major problem in major cities. Everyone is in a hurry, people have become cynical and skeptical, everyone keeps their head down, the iPodders are tuned in and turned off to the rest of the world. There is a complete disconnect.

But! there are lots of incredible people out there that are trying to make the world a closer place and thousands of them can be found on www.couchsurfing.com. I joined the CouchSurfing community last fall and I've already met lots of incredible people and surfed a couple of couches. But, as it says in the mission statement, "CouchSurfing isn't about the furniture- it's not just about finding free accommodations around the world- it's about participating in creating a better world. We strive to make a better world by opening our homes, our hearts and our lives. We open our minds and welcome the knowledge that cultural exchange makes available. We create deep and meaningful connections that cross oceans, continents and cultures. CouchSurfing wants to change not only the way we travel, but how we relate to the world!"

When I arrived in London I started checking out the CS Events page so I could meet some like-minded people here in The Big Smoke. Last week I came across a listing for a "Free Hugs" event. I had read a little about the Free Hugs Campaign in the newspaper over the years and always wanted to get out there and do it myself. This was the perfect opportunity, so, I made my FREE HUGS placard, complete with peace sign, heart and two maple leafs, and headed for the South Bank of the river Thames.

When I arrived, the first person I saw was Gilad, a CouchSurfer from Israel whom I had met a couple of weeks earlier at a CS karaoke event. Gilad was holding his sign (which offered FREE HUGS in English, Hebrew and Japanese) high above his head. I went straight over and wrapped my arms around him- my afternoon of Free Huggin' had begun.

The next two hours of my life were absolutely incredible. As the general public raced by I held my sign up and shouted things like, "Free Hugs!", "Hugs are awesome and I can prove it!", "Have you hugged a Canadian today?". It started off slowly. Many people tried to ignore us as they passed. Some stopped to take photos of the "crazy people" but kept a safe distance. But then I saw a woman standing just a few feet away, watching us with a smile on her face. I walked over to her and said, "Would you like a hug?" and without a word she put her arms around me. People started to clap and cheer and it was like an invisible barrier had been broken because more onlookers started coming over and hugging other CSers.

We gave out hundreds of Free Hugs and thousands of photos were taken! I hugged men, women, children... I even hugged a dog! There were no boundaries. No discrimination. No segregation. People of every age, gender and race were coming together. People who didn't speak the same language were hugging each other. The gesture of the hug said everything that needed to be said. It was a beautiful thing to behold.

Sure, there were still a lot of people that ignored us. A lot of people went to great lengths to avoid us. Some people would ask questions like, "What are you selling?" or "Is this a cult?", revealing their cynicism- which is too bad, because it is those people that really need to let their guard down and open up the most- but, the cynics and the skeptics were massively outnumbered by the ones who walked away smiling; feeling a little happier; that their day was a little brighter.

Sometimes, all we need is a hug.

Glasgow With the Flow

Although it was in 2008 that I left Canada with vagabonding dreams, 2009 will see my wandering lifestyle really begin to take shape. This year I will visit many more countries and start to really prepare for 2010 by getting rid of the things I don't need and acquiring the things that I do.

My first trip of the year was a brief one to Scotland in January. My American friend Mike had been living in Ireland for 4 months but was returning home at the end of January. We really wanted to meet up while we were both in this part of the world and decided that Scotland would be the place. I landed at Glasgow International Airport on 18 January, 2009.

I took a bus from the airport to Glasgow's central bus station. It is there that I met my friend Dave and his new girlfriend Yasemin. The first thing on the agenda was, of course, a pint! They took me to this really cool rock 'n roll bar where we did some catching up over a few glasses of delicious lager. Soon, Yasemin had to be going so we walked her to her train and then found ourselves a new bar while we waited for Mike's arrival.

A little back-story about Mike and I: We met on January 1st, 2006 in Mesquite, Nevada- a relative ghost-town in the middle of the dessert outside of Las Vegas. Amongst the tumbleweeds and coyotes, something special was about to take place. 160 young Americans and 4 Canadians had all arrived here with the same goal; to win $10,000 playing beer pong. This was the first-ever World Series of Beer Pong.

Mike Sherwood and his brother Joe came down from Montana. I was there with my beer pong partner Shaun, an old Disney friend, and two teammates from my university rugby team; Ciaran and Andrew. We met the Sherwood Bros. on day-one and bonded quickly over some warm-up games and playful mockery of each other's country. We all stayed in touch after the tournament and the following year I traveled to Montana and roadtripped down to Vegas with Mike and Joe for the WSOBP II. That was the last time I had seen little Mikey Sherwood... but in a few hours we were to be reunited again!

Mike took a bus in from the airport. Dave and I met him there and then- yep, you guessed it- found ourselves a pub. The stories and the beer flowed like... beer from a tap (I am a master of simile). All I can remember about the end of the night is enjoying three 6-piece McNuggets and a whole lotta' sweet and sour sauce.

The next day, once Mike and I got our shit together, we headed for the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. First opened in 1901, Kelvingrove is Scotland's "must-see museum", housing collections of art, armour, weapons, objects of ancient Egypt, flora and fauna from the four corners of the world (including Canadian beavers! See below), dinosaurs, antique aircraft, and all sorts of other random stuff. One of the highlights for me was viewing Rembrandt's mysterious "man in armour" painting. It's an absolutely masterful piece of work, but what's extremely interesting about it is that no one knows who the subject is suppose to be. Theories range from Mars, the God of War, to Achilles to Alexander the Great to simply Rembrandt's son in costume. There is an interactive touch-screen at the museum that allows the viewer to review the supporting evidence of each theory and then form their own conclusion. I believe it is meant to be a painting of Alexander the Great, but I urge anyone visiting Glasgow to check it out and decide for yourself.

What happened next was the greatest thing to happen to me since being in the United Kingdom. As we left the Kelvingrove Museum and walked down the steps, the clear night sky began to change and something very familiar started to fall from above. IT WAS SNOWING! Wonderful, beautiful snow! Oh, how I missed it! For months I had been wishing for snow, jealous of the incredible winter my friends in Canada were enjoying. And the way that it started to snow just as I walked out into the open made it feel as though this snowfall was just for me. As hoards of Scotsmen and Scotswomen ran for cover I stood there with my head tilted back and my arms open wide, loving every flaking minute.


That night, Mike and I met up with three really nice girls and did what we do best... no, not an orgy... we played beer pong! We taught Daniela, Lucy and Emily the rules and then proceeded to dominate them... again, NOT an orgy. Mike and I also played a few games head-to-head. It was just like the good old days! (Meaning, I kicked his ass!)

It was a hell of a night... and our last in the fair city of Glasgow. The next day we were on to the capital city of Edinburgh!

Fly Away Home

I have a tattoo of a goose.

About two weeks before I left Canada I decided to get a tattoo that would reflect the love I have for my country and commemorate my departure from it.  So, I got a tattoo of a Canada Goose taking flight.

Today, as I was walking down the streets of London, England, two Canada Geese flew overhead.  I spent the rest of the day thinking about the wonderful country I come from and the incredible friends that I have there.

I love you and I miss you.

 

C is for C U Next Tuesday

Anyone that has ever had a friend who speaks another language or has traveled anywhere where English isn't the mother tongue will tell you that one of the first things you learn is how to curse.

Sandy and her friends were already very familiar with a lot of English profanity.  Words like bitch, ass, cock, shit and fuck were part of their standard vocabulary.  But, I was able to give them the gift of "cunt".

Cunt is quite possibly my favourite "dirty word".  It's effective, versatile and just so damn fun to say.  Personally, I only use it towards male friends (eg. "Craig, you're such a cunt!", "What a cunt you turned out to be!", "Whats up Cunty?") or when I think its funny (which is often). I also explained the brilliance of using "C-U-Next-Tuesday" when you're in a location where saying "cunt" would be frowned upon.  Sandy took a strong liking to the word and was dropping C-Bombs for the rest of the week.

In return, a plethora of German cussin' was bestowed upon me.

Asrchloch -> asshole

Schlampe -> bitch

Halts Maul -> shut the fuck up (loose translation)

Kartoffelnauser -> potato-nose (Germans are weird)

Fotze -> cunt!

Needless to say, I had some fun with those gems and I look forward to expanding my vulgar vocabulary of foreign filth as I continue my travels.

B is (also) for Berlin

In 1986 American new wave band Berlin perplexedly climbed to the top of the charts with the profoundly shitty, "Take My Breath Away". In 2008, the city of Berlin took MY breath away!

Sandy found us a lift to Berlin using a rideshare website (think, organized hitchhiking). We met three random dudes in a parking lot, then defied the laws of physics by piling 5 full-grown adults into a slightly-larger-than-soup-can sized red two-door and headed for the autobahn. At 170km per hour the soup-can began to shake violently, leaving random nuts and bolts behind us like a metallic trail of bread crumbs. At least if we got lost we'd be able to find our way home following the scraps.

The drive into Berlin was breathtaking. We passed so many beautiful buildings and stunning monuments as we cruised through the streets. After being dropped off in the middle of the city, we bade Auf Wiedersehen to our autobahn buddies and headed for the home of Sandy's best-friend Tina. When we arrived, it was Tina's boyfriend Axel that greeted us. That's right.... Axel. Wait, it gets better; his full name is AXEL WOLF! How badass is that?! He's like a character from Mortal Kombat... there's Johnny Cage, Liu Kang, Sonya Blade and Axel Wolf.

Tina wasn't home from work yet, but Axel invited us in and put on a pot of tea. We got comfortable in the living room, Sandy and Axel did some catching up, Axel and I got to know each other a little, and it wasn't long before Tina arrived and joined us. I can't explain to you how happy Sandy and Tina were to see each other. These girls are truly in love with each other. Sandy says they are soulmates and it's impossible to argue with. The last guest to arrive was a man known simply as "Becko". We all chatted a little more, but soon it was time to start thinking about dinner. Sandy informed me that Tina, Axel and Becko are incredible chefs. In fact, creating their own recipes, they were the winners of a German Food Network television show! But, could they top the Student Sauce I had enjoyed the night before?

On this occasion it was Mr. Wolf's time. Watching Axel in the kitchen was like watching a mad scientist at work. Flying around from station to station.... chopping, mixing, stirring, frying. He knew exactly what he was doing, never needing to consult a recipe. The culinary highlight for me was the flambé because I... love... fire. So, I was captivated when Axel poured some alcohol into the wok and lit that baby up, sending a huge flame into the air. I was so impressed, I asked him to do it again. During the encore flambé, Axel accidentally singed all the hair off of his right forearm... and an eye-brow.... and he was forced to wear an eye-patch for the next few weeks... which, I believe, perfectly suits a man named Axel Wolf. It made him even more badass.

We dined like Könige und Königinnen and the wine and beer flowed like a magical river that lowers your inhibitions. After dinner we took to the streets of Berlin to find ourselves a Kneipenmeile (bar mile). I sampled many pints of delicious German beer and many shots of burning Mexican liquor. A night out with Axel and Becko felt like a night out with old friends. As we stumbled home at the end of the night, arm in arm, we sang "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz over and over.

The next morning, Sandy, Tina and I dragged ourselves out of bed so that we could go see Berlin's most infamous landmark. Axel stayed in bed on the edge of death with one hell of a Kater.

The Berlin Wall separated West Berlin from the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) for more than 25 years. Basically, after World War II, West Germany developed into a capitalist country and experienced a period of economic growth and improving conditions, whereas East Germany developed an authoritarian government and a soviet-style planned economy. Because of this, many East Germans wanted to move to West Germany. This was an "intolerable" situation for Stalin. So, he decided to have the inner-border between the two German states closed, and a barbed-wire fence was erected.

Eventually, a fence became The Wall. The top of The Berlin Wall was lined with a smooth pipe, to make it harder to climb. It was reinforced by fencing, barbed-wire, anti-vehicle trenches, bunkers, dogs, and over 116 watchtowers. I can't even imagine what it must have been like. If you had a job or family members on the other side, you were completely cut-off from them. Although there were rules that allowed West Germans, and eventually West Berliners to apply to cross into East Germany, East Germans and East Berliners didn't have those rights. Initially, they weren't allowed to cross at all. Years later, a few exceptions were made but even if you applied for one of those reasons there were no guarantees.

Long story short (please research the long version... it's an important part of 20th century history), in 1989 a series of events happened that led to the fall of The Berlin Wall. In September, mass protests and demonstrations began in East Germany. On October 18, 1989 longtime East German leader Enrich Honecker resigned and was replaced by Egon Krenz. Tons of East German refugees had found their way into West Germany through Czechoslovakia and this was tolerated by the Krenz government. On November 9, it was decided to allow refugees to pass directly through crossing points between East and West Germany. Later that day, they modified the proposal to allow private travel. The announcement was made by the East German Minister of Propaganda and broadcast on television. The changes were to take effect the next day so that they had time to inform the border guards, but the Minister had been on vacation and wasn't fully briefed of the situation. So, when he was asked by reporters when these changes were to be imposed he said, "As far as I know, effective immediately, without delay."

Tens of thousands of East Berliners started showing up at border crossings demanding to be allowed to pass. The guards had no idea what was going on and made hectic phonecalls to their superiors. Nobody in the East German government wanted to take responsibility for ordering the use of lethal force, so in the face of being wildly outnumbered the guards gave way. East Berliners were met on the other side by West Berliners in celebration! It must have been a beautiful and very emotional sight!

In the weeks and months that followed more border crossings were opened and citizens started breaking off pieces of the wall with sledgehammers. On June 13, 1990 the official dismantling of The Wall by the East German Military began which led to German reunification on October 3. Small sections of The Wall were left up as memorials. Today those sections are covered in murals by artists from around the world, known as The East Side Gallery, and a ton of graffiti.






There are many lessons to be learned. There are still many walls to break down.

The Incident

Hello friends,

Many of you have sent me messages in recent weeks wondering when the next blog is going to come... all I can say at this point is, hopefully very soon.

A few weeks ago I ran into some bad luck: A guy that I work with spilled a ton of water on my Macbook while it was on. I tried my best to get all of the water out and dry it off, then took it to a shop to get it repaired. I was told that the damage was irreparable. Worst of all, the guy who did it is refusing any and all responsibility, saying that he was drunk and doesn't remember doing it.

Basically, I've lost everything; important documents, contact information for friends and family around the world, all of my travel photos etc. It's been pretty upsetting.

To make matters ever worse, it has setback my travel plans considerably. I was planning on leaving Wales on January 18th, spending some time in Scotland then going to London for a week before settling down in Brighton on the south-coast of England. I had even given my notice at work. But, I decided that it was important for me to replace the computer for many reasons so now I'm stuck in Swansea for at least another month. Gutted.

The new Macbook is being shipped to my Mom in Canada and then she will be forwarding it on to me.

Thank you very much for all of your support in regards to my blog. Please don't give up on me! Keep checking back and hopefully I'll be back to blogging very soon.

Peace and pints,
Mojo