Crossing Paths & Creating Connections

06 Jun Crossing Paths & Creating Connections

Today I am leaving North America – my time on this continent comprising mostly of traveling through and discovering Canada (for now!). As I prepare myself for the airport, I can’t help but reflect on how amazing my journey the last couple of months has been. I have travelled to over 50 countries to date and Canada is right up there as a country that has had a great positive impact on me – every day has been an AMAZING enjoyable experience. I have been trying to pinpoint exactly why this country has touched my heart so much….

My instant family in Old Crow, Yukon

The People Connection – Canadians are really THAT nice

I kept hearing this joke that Canadians are so nice that if you come to an intersection no cars would move because everyone is so polite and trying to let each other go first! This is pretty much true! 🙂 Canadians are SUPER nice, always saying sorry and thank you and being kind in general. Strangers would go out of their way to help me and others, and it was so nice to see such community spirit everywhere. It really warms my heart that people will help others “just because”. It is the generosity and kindness of all the strangers I met as I travelled that I now have instant friends for life and new Canadian family members who I will visit all again one day soon!

Dakhká Khwán Dancers after performing at Fire Feast in Carcross, Yukon

The PEOPLE connection – First Nations Identity

Before arriving to Canada, the words that popped in my mind were: “ice hockey”, “the Rockies” and “maple syrup”. It was only through a chance conversation with a teacher from Old Crow, a remote fly-in only community in the Yukon, that sparked my interest in the indigenous people of this country – something I knew nothing about before arriving. He told me of the horrors that First Nations people had to endure when generations were sent to Residential Schools – a place where children were taken from their families and forced to go to against their wishes. They were not allowed to speak their native language or practice their cultural traditions – a very similar story to that of the Stolen Generation of Australia. Because of this forced oppression, many First Nations groups forgot their traditional languages and culture, resulting in a mass identity crisis for those children who became adults. Many of these adults have not healed from the atrocities they were succumbed to at that time in their lives so they continue to struggle to this day. Their trauma has negative social impacts which pass down to their kids, and their kids kids…..…..a story all too common for many indigenous populations around the world who were forced to fit in to a Western society they did not choose to be a part of.

One of my favourite remote communities – Tuktoyaktuk, aka Tuk, Northwest Territories (NWT)

I immersed myself in learning everything and anything about all the different Nations I met on my travels in Canada. All the indigenous people I met definitely had an impact on my journey. Some people had pleasant memories of Residential School, while most hate to remember because it was so traumatic. I guess it is my appearance, but I was often assumed to be of First Nations descent which was great. I instantly felt accepted by all First Nations people I met and people would share stories with me that they probably would not normally share with an “outsider”.

Driving the Dempster Highway from Dawson City to Inuvik (Yukon to Northwest Territories crossing the Arctic Circle!)

I definitely felt similarities between my upbringing in the Torres Strait to that of First Nations people – from the difficulties of living remote (such as the cost of living and the challenges of getting fresh produce and milk in the shops!); to family dynamics (having your aunties, uncles and cousins all around you and adopted kids in the family); to using the word “deadly” (when something is super-duper cool)! I truly felt at “home” in northern Canada – and I wasn’t even on an island!

The Nature Connection – Nature Lover’s Wonderland

If you are an outdoorsy type of person, WOW, Canada has so much to offer in terms of activity options – no matter the season! In the Winter you can snowboard, cross country/downhill ski, go sledding snowshoeing….as Spring arrives you can start to do more hikes without the snow, camping….and then when Summer fully arrives then you have wakeboarding and other water sports to look forward to! I have thoroughly enjoyed all the landscapes and scenery since being here from the Pingos** in the Northwest Territory; the ice roads and frozen rivers of the Yukon; the snow covered mountains in the Rockies; the Hoodoos** in the Badlands of Alberta; and the beaches of Vancouver Island…..all of it! I said WOW as I look at my surroundings almost daily. What a stunning country!

The hoodoos of the Badlands, Alberta

**For those who are unfamiliar, a Pingo is a dome-shaped hill formed in a permafrost area when the pressure of freezing groundwater pushes up a layer of frozen ground. Pingos can be 50m high and 900m wide! A Hoodoo is a naturally carved rock formation caused by differential resistance to erosion usually of sedimentary or volcanic rock. They may range from a few centimetres to several metres in height.

The Historical Connection – mates with the Queen

There is an instant kinship between Aussies and Canadians – similar to that of New Zealanders and Aussies. We just get along and know that we will visit/work in each other’s countries at some point! J It’s easy to travel between the two countries when you instantly trust each other more with our connection through the Monarchy!

Mountain views near Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon

Crossing Paths – Timing in life

Sometimes there is no clear reason as to why an event, a person, some said words can leave a lasting impression on our memory. As humans, we are continually growing and changing and I suppose at that single moment in time, what is happening around us could happen again in 5 years and leave a whole other different feeling like happy vs sad vs angry, etc. Personally, I know that I am at a time in my life where I am happy and comfortable with who I am as a person, my morals, my ethics, my likes, my dislikes, and the path that my life is heading. I am open to interacting with all kinds of people that cross my path and embracing all the random unplanned moments that continually surprise me daily. Three years ago, I may not have been this comfortable and this trip could have been completely different for me.

Good times in LA, circa 2001 – Forever Friends!

For this trip, I ended in Oregon, because it was not so far to travel to from Vancouver, and I wanted to reconnect with some old friends, who still stay in touch with me to this day. Roxy – we first met in 2001, and I hadn’t seen since her wedding (which I was Maid of Honour at) in 2011 in Hawai’i! She doesn’t have Facebook and until now, I didn’t realise she was on Instagram, so our communications have been few and far between. But as soon as we saw each other it was like time never passed 🙂 Michelle – I hadn’t seen since 2001! But because she does have Facebook, I’d seen her wedding (which I regretfully missed in Hawai’i, which is the reason why I pushed myself to make it to Roxy’s Hawai’ian vows!), her children, and her parents all online, so I felt like I knew everyone already although I had never met them! For the first time, I can see the pure benefit in having social media! These two beautiful friends of mine just go to show that sometimes connections can last the test of time and the crossing of our paths had huge impacts on me as the person I am today. Michelle was the American in my group of friends from Uni – everyone from a different country, including Singapore, Scandinavia, Germany, England, New Zealand, me being the only Australian – this moment in time sparked my interest in world travel, which as an Island Girl, I never thought was possible. Roxy I met at a time when I was in a predicament on my first backpacking trip through America and I was forced to travel solo. From meeting her and the other good people I met on that trip, I learnt that solo travel was fun and not as scary as I thought – another key moment in the way I live my life today.

Roxy & I with her family – circa 2018 – Forever ever!

With all the reminiscing and catching up that happened, another old dear friend Tri said to me: “Karlina – you have made your entire life an adventure” and indeed I have! I truly enjoy my life and look forward to each day for the new possibilities that lay ahead of me. Some have the impression that because of my nomadic gypsy lifestyle I am irresponsible. On the contrary. I have huge life goals, which I am slowly achieving. I also have irreplaceable memories that are worth more to me than the greatest fortune. And I grow everyday as a person, mainly because of the people I meet who cross my path – people who inspire me to be a better person.

Mountain ranges behind Banff, Alberta

Interestingly enough, Roxy told me that at her wedding, her cousin heard all my travel stories and that inspired him to expand his horizons and do more travel himself. She said I had quite an impact on him when we met because from my stories he was motivated to aim for a career beyond what his world was at that time, and he is succeeding. What a humbling thought to think that I could have inspired someone to do more with their lives! To hear this makes me beyond happy because I like to try to encourage people past what they thought they could achieve – as you won’t know what you are capable of until you push yourself beyond your comfort zone. If I can provide food for thought for someone to be a better version of themselves tomorrow through my conversations and writing, then my goal has been achieved!

Snowboarding down pingos in Tuk, NWT – one of my best memories from this trip!

Whilst some think I will never settle down and spread my roots, I know I will one day – when the timing is right. Of course each day will have to continue to be filled with some type of adventure. But the definition of “adventure” is: “an unusual and exciting or daring experience”. Well, daring doesn’t have to mean dangerous or reckless. It can be as simple as doing an activity that you have never done before, or visiting a place in your town you’ve never visited. Pushing yourself beyond your own boundaries, not anyone else’s, IS the adventure. I understand this can be daunting for most, hence I started “Island Girl Discovery” so I can help you with your next adventure or destination. So please don’t close off your mind. Go into every aspect of your life with an open mind, a positive mind set and no expectations. This way you are never disappointed. Don’t see problems – only a challenge that will be solved with solutions. If you need any encouragement to find YOUR next adventure – be it a holiday, a new hobby, a new way of looking at life – please contact me at Island Girl Discovery. YOLO! 🙂

Thank you to everyone who has crossed my path at some point in my life to date. You have made a lifelong impact on the person I am today. I hope in some way I have contributed to your life too.