Amongst a year of adventure, challenges iv faced and a deeper appreciation for life ,i thought now would be a good time to inform you all of my done and doings over the past year.
In a few brief but detailed paragraphs i will attempt to tell you...
While my initial goals @ heart for traveling abroad would be to find myself, get to know who i really am, where i want to go in life and where i came from, whilst i strive to maintain my dream of becoming a pro athlete, the other goal is purely financial, having completed my 3rd year in Architecture, juggling training and racing in Durban South Africa, living from hand to mouth for 3 years, enough was enough and i needed to get out and make some decent money to boost my dream. Being brought up by some terrific parents, where, working hard for what you want in life was installed at a young age, i was faced with an immediate understanding of this! My mind set changed dramatically, no longer in the school boy mode i hit a realization that if i wanted something so bad i was going to have to sweat nails to achieve it.
So i applied to work at a summer camp in the USA as this was the "step in the door". 3 Months over the summer of 2009 i worked as a mountain bike instructor teaching kids and parents the basic skills and being a positive influence in their lives. A priceless experience i would do again at the drop of a hat, i walked away with new friends, a pocket full and memories for a life time. I then traveled with my new friend, a beast of a man, 6foot 3 giant 240 lbs Welshman, Connor McDonald! We traveled from Maine to Philadelphia, Phillie to Las Vegas, Vegas to Miami then to Orlando Florida and then from East coast to Los Angeles on the West coast all in a month. Memories every man wild at heart desires. I cant even calculate how many thousands of miles we did but i would do it all over again with him. Sleeping on our bags in airports, taking shifts so that we would not get robbed of our stuff. Times like these you can call living!
Connor had left after the month but i stayed on in LA. Trying to find work, using every method possible. Difficulties struck left, right and center as my visa only allowed for specific work. I received an email from a family i met @ camp. They had found me work for a family who needed an Au pair. It was ideal, i could train, make money and be fed for no expense. Back on the road i headed to Virginia DC after spending my birthday in New Jersey with my sister who was also Au pairing. Time flew by and i faced many challenges. Snow being the biggest. Trying to train in below freezing temperatures was not fun but i had the right state of mind to do so.
7 Months was the window i had to get fit for my first race. Xterra South central champs in Waco, Tx.
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