One last entry!

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Hi

I hope you hav enjoyed reading about my wonderful 9 week trip of the States and Canada. Apologies go out for taking forever to finish the blogs off, and I hope the wait for some people was rewarded.

I thoroughly enjoyed originally writing my journal as I went on my Tour, then writing it up into a book, then extracting and editing each entry for my blog, and as I finished entering the last few entries, even almost 2 years after it had all happened, all theemotions came back to me once more.

I would just like to finish the blog with a brief summary of what has happened since the Tour ended. I'm sure there are people who might like to know, whilst others may not give a damn.

Here goes:

After coming back from the Tour, I had another week off work before finally returning, and that's when it first started sinking in that it was now over and I was to return to life again. Andi and Emma had allowed me to come back to work a half an hour later than the usual start time, which was very nice of them, but I always knew this was a setup for something.

Sure enough, as my heart began racing as I parked in my space once more, and headed up from the car park to the offices above, then walking along the corridor, getting a much needed cup of water and trying to avoid eye contact with the other offices and drawing attention to myself, before finally reaching the end of the corridor and face to face again with the office. I took a quick second to calm myself, then opened the door and announced myself to my colleagues again. The greeting I got almost put me in tears, as everyone was happy and pleased to see me again. Sure enough, as expected, my desk had been plastered with decorations and random objects to symbolize my trip (ie McDonald's takeawy bags, Starbucks coffee cups etc). I was also shown the map I had left them which they had updated (a highlighted route, nothing near my actual route taken, with some notes for certain dates and after I had made contact with the office. I believe it is still there to this day!)

I was given the honour of not having to log on to the phones that day, and to deal with the admin, just to ease myself back in, as I tried to get some sort of order to my desk. By the way, the beard did not really go down well with Andi and Emma, and they had threatened to extrapulate it off if I didn't shave it.

I spend the first week back at work, getting back into the swing of my job, but also having all my photos on constant repeat on my laptop for everyone to look at. Now and then the odd story was told from the Tour to bring some laughs.



About 2 weeks later I had made a date with Andi to go out after work just the two of us and talk about my Tour. As I've always said, Andi has always been my biggest supporter since I announced I was going to America, so it was the least I could do for her. Sadly the morning of that day, I discovered something terrible had happened during my Tour, one of my best friends had suddenly passed away, and I was unaware only until that day, his actual birthday, when I was about to leave him a birthday message on Facebook, only to notice all the messages of RIP and angels looking over him. So that night, Andi and I went ahead with the drinks, but I began by raising a toast to my friend. Since then I have tried to honour him when I can and make more of my life because his was cut so short.



Then the time finally came, when I had made the decision to leave my job, and just like I had promised I had seen it through to Christmas, and on the payday of January, handed my notice in. This is something I thought would never happen, and as I talked to Andi and Emma first about it, then announced it to the rest of the team, I felt it was something that needed to be done. Bless them all, they all gave me their backing and didn't begrudge me for leaving them again, this time forever.

When the time came for my last day, it was all sad, as it finally hit home that I was leaving, but I had something else to be excited about. I had made enquires about living and working in America, and after discovering this was too hard to fulfil, I turned my attentions to Canada, and one place in particular - Banff! I had discovered I could live and work a year in Banff, and almost straightaway applied. On my last day at work, I had discovered I had been accepted to Gapy Year Canada, the company I had come across, and was now about to begin my application to get a working visa.

In the months after leaving I eventually got some temp work to cover the rest of my costs for moving out to Canada, and several ties realised that if I had stayed in my job until around August, I would have made so much more money and would have been made for the trip. Oh well!

I met up with some of the guys from the Tour, even visiting Zoe in Scotland, and especially hanging out with Kylie several times including her visiting my neck of the woods one week before I flew out to Banff!

Anyway, despite being refused at one stage for not signing one of the documents, I eventually got my approval for my visa. I was going to Canada, and more importantly back to Banff. I had commented in one of my enties for Banff in the journal and this blog that I wanted to return here at some point, and I was not about to.

As I write this entry, I am month 8 of my visa and my time in Banff, having worked a very cold, and awesome season in the Rockies as a bus host for Sunshine Village. I eventually took up skiing, going up the slopes aroun 8 times in the end, but experienced enough to want to carry on, and spent a wonderful season working with some great people, and spending my free time back in Banff going out and getting drunk and playing pool a lot. I thought nothing could top my Trailblazer tour, but I think I found it. Sadly, its the time of year where most peopl I have met and worked with, are now leaving or moving on to the next plans, but I have a job for the summer back at the Sunshine mountains for the hiking company that works out of their offices up there. Onl I could get two seperate jobs that involved working at the same place!

I have been to so many wonderful places, and even returned for much longer to one place in particular, seen some amazing scenary (I can never get tired of constantly seeing mountains surrounding Banff every day!) and met some wonderful people, and feel I have fully justified my once possibly rash decision to up roots in little old Staplehurst and see more of the world.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to read all, or even just some of m entries, and hope you have enjoyed what you have read. If you feel inspired to perhaps travel the America, or even the world, and are not sure whether to do it or not, I have one piece of advice that I have heard countless times here in Banff as I struggle to decide whether to stay or go home - only settle down when you have to. Until you get married, a mortgage, a family of your own, or any real responsibility, make the most of the freedom you have.

And remember, one of the main reasons I did this blog in the first place, I am now a Trek America ambassador, so if you are interested in doing a tour with them, and haven't already booked one, please contact me and I can offer a discount code for money off.

See ya

Adam

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