Advertisement
Published: September 12th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Sunset at Home
Taken one night when driving from Dunnville back to camp when I'd gone into town to run errands. Being home is pretty great too. And pretty. I haven't posted in months because I haven't been travelling, though I've been up to all sorts of adventures.
I did a third Keating trip in June, with Orchard Park, my all-time favourite school. This was the 5th time I'd been their guide over the past 6 years. I adore the teachers, I adore the students and without fail, I always have the most brilliant time with them. I loved every day I spent showing that incredible group of people the incredible city of Quebec. I spent the evenings sitting in pubs and folk bars with the delightful people I work with. The whole time, still marvelling that I was where I was and I'd been where I'd been and I was headed where I was headed.
One day after getting back to Toronto, I headed for Centauri, the arts camp I've spent every summer at since I was 14. It was a whirlwind of a summer. With Daniel, I co-ran the Leaders In Training program, the program that for me is so much the heart of the work I go at the camp. For arts programs, I ran a Musical Theatre program for a brilliant group of 16
Leaders In Training at Centauri
One of the many team building activities Daniel and I put the LITs through - blindfolding pudding eating. teenagers, then I ran my first dance program at camp: The Poetry of Dance, where we focused on lyrical interpretation and performance of different dance styles. My favourite artistic project of the summer was when we collaboratively created a dance set to a poem that the writing program wrote collaboratively. I'm so proud of my campers, leaders and artists.
Amongst all of the constant work, this was a summer for weddings. I attended Jeremy & Emily's wedding the last weekend of June. Jeremy and I went to high school together. I adore him, I adore Emily and I'm so happy for them. Then I was a bridesmand in Tracey & Jon's wedding the first weekend of July. Tracey was my roommate in University, is the most generous person I've ever lived with and I'm so touched to have been a part of their wedding day. Later this fall, I'm going to be a maid of honour in Kristin & Rod's wedding. I danced with Kristin since we were really young and have been close friends since we were in high school. The last weekend of July was their Stag & Doe - a crazy night with a packed hall.
Musical Theatre at Centauri
Me teaching my second session musical theatre teens. The rest of those wedding adventures are yet to come.
Once camp ended, I spent a few days in Dunnville before heading to Toronto. Over the last couple weeks I've been doing admin work for Mixed Company Theatre, helping them promote their fall tour to teachers in and around Toronto. Labour day weekend, I officially moved into an apartment here in Toronto. It's been years since I've had an apartment. So I'm currently all set up in a great little apartment just West of downtown, living with two great people in a neighbourhood where so many other close friends live as well. It's strange, the idea of being in one place. But I like being in this city and coming home to my own room. It's much different than returning night after night to a suitcase and a friend's couch - not that I'm complaining about the number of nights kind friends have taken care of me!
While I was still at camp, I emailed Keating to let them know that I was going to be around this fall and likely available for tours. Over the last few days, I've been in contact with the company and they
Musical Theatre Performance at Centauri
The ending of our performance of "I Hope I Get It" from A Chorus Line. have a tour for me. What a tour it is! Twelve Days. Five Cities. Seventeen boys from Australia with three teachers. That is twice as long as the longest tour I've ever run! I got the itinerary yesterday and it is phenomenal. Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Quebec City and Montreal, all of the major sites in all of the cities with tons of fun stuff thrown in, like a day at Canada's Wonderland, Circus School in Montreal and a Senators game in Ottawa. The tour starts in another week and I'm ridiculously excited. All cities that I adore, that I love to teach kids about - but all combined into such a long marathon. It's everything I'm comfortable with and yet an extreme challenge all in one. So that's something to look forward to.
And since camp? The last couple weeks I have been job hunting, interviewing and debating. I've had a humbling number of offers for all sorts of different work. Some great jobs in Toronto were offered, but I quickly decided that if possible, I want to continue travelling this year. I have the rest of my life to be settled and only so much more time
The Poetry of Dance at Centauri
My dance campers performing our creative movement/dance improv piece to a poem written for us by Laura's writing group. They were brilliant. before I intend to actually do that. Then I looked into some different overseas options. One of these options was working for a volunteer organization overseeing and socially managing volunteers and advising the drama volunteer programs . . . in Romania. I would have been leaving in a week's time from now! The interview process came down to me and one other person and then I declined to pursue it further.
I made a big decision soon after camp ended. There is a dream trip I have thought about for a long time now, years in fact. I've talked about it quite a bit. The dream is to basically loop the Pacific - ideally stopping in Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, India, Indonesia and Hawaii. Big dream. So the big decision, is I decided it's time to stop making it a "dream" and start making it a plan. My goal is for Fall 2008 or at the latest Fall 2009 to be leaving for that trip. Therefore over the next year, I need to save as much money as possible to make that trip happen, but hopefully be doing things that are exciting and fulfilling.
While I
A Lovely Evening at Centauri
quite possibly my favourite photo from the entire summer was moving to Toronto, working in Toronto and applying for jobs, as busy as that was, it was the calmest I'd been since I'd returned from the ship. And for the first time since then, the work I was doing didn't fill all day or occupy my thoughts when I wasn't working. I found myself, months after returning to Canada, finally really processing what my time away and my time since has been all about. And I started seriously considering going back to a ship. Right when I was pondering this, I got an email from my supervisor at Carnival. The company had just won the Travel Age West award (like an oscar for the travel industry) for the best teen program at sea - from all cruiselines worldwide! Huge news. That feels pretty great knowing that I'm part of a team that made that award happen, especially when I was getting such great ratings throughout my contract. That news email opened a dialogue between me and Carnival that has been going back and forth for about a week now. Today, everything really came together.
I am officially going back for another contract with Carnival, running Club O2. I'm
Niagara Falls
I ran the two Niagara Falls day trips for the camp. This was taken when we did the "Journey Behind The Falls". Doesn't matter how many times I go there, I'm always in awe. going to be leaving in November, sometime after Kristin & Rod's wedding, for another six month contract. This where it gets unbelievable - I have been assigned to the Carnival Destiny for the first half of my contract and the Carnival Liberty for the second half of my contract. These two ships will take me all over the Caribbean once again. Somewhere around 16 different ports, about 10 of which I haven't been to before. My first contract spoiled me with ports and now with this assignment, I feel like it's all just to good to be true. I'm so incredibly excited - but fighting to not be too excited; as I learned with my first contract, things in the Carnival world change quickly. Hopefully this assignment stays. It will be brilliant.
So ahead of me - a couple months living in Toronto, an incredible Canadian city tour, my best friend's wedding and then six months of sailing the tropics. Again and again I've had such incredible experiences, I always feel like my luck is going to run out sometime. Then life hands me more unbelievable opportunities. Apparently my luck is continuing.
And of course, this means that
Pirates Vs. Ningas Night
Celeste, Sarah, Laura and I were ninjas. And we were pretty stelthy. this blog is about to become much more lively again!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.067s; Tpl: 0.017s; cc: 10; qc: 30; dbt: 0.0412s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
swills82
Sarah Willett
Congrats
I know you've been struggling over the last little while with decisions, so I am delighted that you have been given these opportunities with Keeting and Carnival. Amazing Netter! Looks like things are coming together. Totally psyched for you. Can't wait to read more blogs and be totally jealous of the travelling you'll be doing.