Who Am I? [Michael Barltrop]

Introduction: http://previouslybitten.blogspot.com/2009/02/ive-been-previously-bitten.html
About Me: http://www.oneyeartrip.com/2009/02/about-me.html
Definitions: http://previouslybitten.blogspot.com/2009/02/definitions.html
Interview: http://www.theflyingpinto.com/2009/04/want-off-fast-track-let-this-toronto.html
Where I'll Be: http://www.oneyeartrip.com/2009/08/where-ill-be-and-when-around-world-trip.html

Now, with that out of the way, on with the new:

My name is Michael Barltrop, and I am a traveller.

I wouldn't, quite so much, consider myself a tourist - although tourism is part of travel. But when I hear the word tourist thrown around, I tend to think more of the large groups of people (be them over-sized families all wearing the same orange t-shirt, or school grounds wondering why cars are running them over as they walk against the scramble crossing.) Tourists - you all know them: They're the people who, when the German waiter doesn't understand their request for french fries, just scream "Fuh! Rench! Fuh! Ries!" even louder, as if volume was the problem here, and not a language barrier.

And it's not that there's anything wrong with being a tourist. If you want to travel to Scotland, and dress up your whole family in full kilt suits, by all means go ahead. You'll stand out more than you'll blend in - but if you enjoy it, then by all means keep going.

But no, I am a traveller - not a tourist. For one, I have no money for different "costumes" in each country I visit (though I do try to find clothes - note the distinction.) And eating french fris in German restaurants? Please - I have enough money affording food at the markets.

But for the most part, I see the distinction as this: I try to conform to the culture, rather than trying to make the culture conform to me.

Yes, tourism is bad, and travel is destroying peoples sense of self, and culture, and wouldn't everything just be better if we left well enough alone? Clearly not - we'd been doing that for thousands of years, and how did that work out? In fact, for those who hold on to such thoughts, note that travel and tourism is what opened up the trade routes, and allowed for expansion. Sure we all think globalization is terrible, until we bite into a banana or a pineapple, or even a nice delicious raw potato (I'm sure some people eat them raw? Why not.) Then all of a sudden globalization - well it's not so bad. Now lets all go complain about McDonalds, or Starbucks (or we could just eat a delicious Big Mac with a side of some sort of "tall" beverage that actually appears to be the shortest - but never you mind.)

Who was I?
Up until about 2006 I was someone who didn't travel. I thought it was beyond me. I thought that travel was something that other people did, and that it was a strange mystical thing where people had hard cased round bags, with stickers and stamps from other countries on them.

How disappointed was I to learn such things no longer existed? What were those stickers anyway? Was that the visa of its day?

Yes, until 2006 I stayed in Ontario, happily travelling from Toronto, to Markham, to Hunstville, to Peterborough, to Kingston (Canada's old capital, don't you know), to Ottawa, and sometimes even to Sudbury when I had a hankering to see a big nickle. But that all changed one day when I was sitting in Teacher's Colleger. Travel and teaching have been linked since the earliest of days.

The So-do-ku's I was doing to pass the time while people rambled on about this, and that, and who knows what - trying to argue the smallest point, rather than just allowing the professor to move on to the next point, so break would come sooner, and I could run to the hall and grab a bottle of orange juice from the vending machine there, always having one dollar credit strangely provided if you were the first to use it - were losing their luster. I picked up a Frommer's guide to Canada at a book store, and started to flip through it, in class, instead.

Why, I wanted to see places like Moose Jaw, and Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump. I'd like to visit Halifax, and see the Blue Nose in beautiful Lunenburg (which had forever peered at me from the back of every dime.)

And why couldn't I? There was no good reason why not. And so, as I sat in class, I plotted destinations, and trip routes with my book and GPS. I would plot day trips, and different legs, and so it went. By the time school had ended, I was prepared with all the gear I thought I'd need, and the means to achieve my goal.

Clearing out my life savings, I packed a van and took off.

I - may have over packed. I had an entire van full of equipment. I had paint sets, and tents, and a kayak - A KAYAK! I think I used it two or three times, that was all for all that space taken up - It was giant, and bright orange, and ridiculous. Although, the one moment when I was alone, the only person on a crisp clear Northern Ontario lake - that did tend to make everything worthwhile. Until I fell into the water getting out. Then the anger came again. But luckily I must have had twelve different changes of clothing with me.

Those days - they're left behind.

Once I completed my trip, having only one minor snafu where I thought I was going to die alone, and unnoticed in a British Coloumbia mountain, on an old, unused, logging road, all was well. And I was a traveller. Having seen my own country, I was now ready to head out into the world.

The World Awaits
When I was setting goals for myself as a youth, I decided I wanted to see all the world's continents before I was 25. This was before I travelled, mind you - it was a goal, but one I knew I'd never acomplish, because I didn't travel.

But now, suddently, things were different. I headed out to the Caribean on a cruise ship (and as much as it's hard to say if this is authentic travel or not, I can make a good case either way. You just need to explore the excursions.) And then I headed to Cuba, and Tokyo, and London, and New York City, and Edinburgh.

The world was opening its doors, and revealing its secrets to me. And though I was unable to see the world by the age of 25, I will have completed this task by 27 - and honestly, what more can one ask for from a task they never even considered possible?

As a Teacher
As a Teacher I had to give a lot up for this journey. Namely, my job. There will be no job waiting for me back at home, when I return. There will be no easy way back into the profession either - teaching jobs are shrinking, and the number of new hires decreases - almost to zero this year - every year. A number of people have said this was a crazy thing to do - to empty ones savings (once more) and leave in a time of financial turmoil. They suggested I work for four years, then take a year off (which you can do as a teacher in Ontario) but that would mean, what? Wait until I was thirty to do something big? No - it's that advice that leaves you married, with kids (either unable to commit to the journey, or have your priorities changed - for the relative better for your future self - so that you don't want to take the plunge.)

My few travels in the past have been invaluable as a teaching tool, either to educate students on aspects of a text, give further insight into a concept, or idea, to understand their own personal cultures, or just to entertain them when the bell is five minutes from ringing and the lesson has reached its natural conclusion.

Travel is important for everyone, but as a teacher - I think there can be few experiences that equal it. For one thing, if you talk about the world "out there" you can inspire your students to see it as well. When I headed to Japan, the words of my former computer teacher rang in my head, "you just commit to it [going to Japan] - and next thing I knew I was living out there." It's not impossible. You just commit, and everything else comes along.

Haven't I seen you before?
If you live in Toronto - it's possible. I tend to stand out in a crowd. Imagine that? Something about the hair, and the beard (yes it's real - and the short answer is nine - the long answer is three. The question? How long did it take to grow? I've had it nine years - but it's three years of growth. Like all hair, at a certain length, it just stops growing.)

If you've been to a baseball game this season, odds are you've seen me up on the Jumbotron. The ushers and camera men all know me, and apparently discuss me - the various hats I wear - and the "realness" of my beard amongst themselves (every one and a while one of them will leak this to me.)

Honestly, I'm not sure if standing out in a crowd is the best idea or not for travel. On one hand, it can make me a target, on another I certainly don't look like someone who has money to steal (because, honestly, I really don't. I'm a teacher - an unemployed teacher - remember.)

And that poncho? Sure it may not be the height of fashion, but it is practical. In the summer it keeps the sun off of you, allowing you to sweat, and naturally cool down. In the winter it keeps you warm, at night it's a blanket, and on a bus it's a pillow. So I may look the fool, but when a need arises, I will be ready for it.

Final Words
So that's me in a nutshell. I taught for three years:

My first year was spent between English, and drama learning a lot about myself along the way, hopefully inspiring, while being inspired. I was instructed by a student to learn to play the guitar - so I did. And I'm glad for it.

My second year I worked with special needs students, where a great success was teaching them how to use the computer mouse. It could be challenging at times, but the rewards were well worth it. Helping a student step outside their comfort zone, and make big steps for themselves is amazing, and my hat is off to all other special needs teachers out there.

My third year took me to a part of Toronto I had not visited before. On my first day, there was a lock down because someone was murdered outside our school. This was the best school I have taught at (though the students everywhere were all as fantastic.) Here the teachers banded together in a strong community unlike I had seen in many places before. I taught English here, and it was here that I truly understood the importance of world travel from a personal, and cultural, level - and how clouded our views can be. It's interesting hearing good things about a country the government of Canada forbids travel to.

So that's that. I've put myself out there, and we'll see where it snowballs from here. Honestly, I wonder how many students - past and future - will come across this blog now, that my name is associated with it. They're quite the expert cyber stalkers, you understand. One student last year wrote a play about my life - including when I worked as a painter, bringing in some aspects of my university life, and then coupling it with my tales through tokyo - which he could only glean in passing.

Where I'll Be, and When [Around the World Trip 2009 - 2010]

I just finished writing an e-mail explaining where I'll be, and what I'll be doing on my trip around the world. As I was writing it, I realized this is the tenth or eleventh time I've explained it. And as it changes with each telling, as I forget what month is what, I decided to finally look at all my plans and write a definitive answer. So here, listed below, you will find where I'll be travelling and when.

You Can Help Out Along the Way
I love travelling with locals, and being pointed to all their favourite spots. There's nothing better than having someone help you through an area, showing you things you'd have never seen otherwise. If you or someone you know will be in a country / area I'll be visiting at the time I'm there and could show me around or perhaps even loan me a couch to sleep on I would be most appreciated. Feel free to e.mail me if you can help.


The Master Plan
September - November: Europe, probably western where Visas aren't an issue. I'll be taking the train from city to city - in theory spending a week in big cities, and a few days in smaller ones. My plans are completely open. My countries are not set in stone, nor are when I will see them. I will let the spirit of travel guide me while here.

December: I'll be in Florida for a week (a weird place, I know, but it provides some stability, and allows for a connecting flight to my next destination). There I'll drive to the bottom of the Florida Keys (something I've wanted to do for a long time now, and the only worthwhile thing to do in Florida, I'm told.) Then it's off to Africa on a GAP Adventures tour. I'll go from South Africa to Namibia, to Botswana, to Zambia.

January: January is my month in South East Asia - A week in Bangkok (where I'll try to get Cambodian, and Vietnamese passports) and then on to Cambodia, and Vietnam. If I can't get the Visas, I'll tour around Thailand for a month. I'm sure there's a lot to see there.

February: I fly to Lima, Peru to hook up with another Gap Adventure, which will take me through Peru and then see me hiking three days through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu. After that I'll fly to Buenos Aires and spend a week there.

March: I'll hook up with Gap Adventures for a final time, and take a boat down to Antarctica, past the Arctic Circle. When I leave that tour after a few weeks, I'll be off to San Francisco (one of the few places in America I've really wanted to see.)

April: Japan will call me back, after two years away. I hope to spend a few weeks in Tokyo, and then travel to Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, and Nagasaki. There's so much more I'd like to do here, but I think it will require a third trip to get me up north, and to the southern islands.

May: I'll fly to Hong Kong, and then try to figure out the China Mainland visa. After a week in Hong Kong, if the visa works out, I'll spend a week in Shanghai, and a week in Beijing. I've also budgeted another week for spill over, and other places that I didn't know I wanted to see.

June: I'll be in Australia in June, trying to figure out how to see the giant country without blowing the last bit of money I have left. And then it's off to New Zealand.

July/August: This is the part of the trip that comes down to "am I broke yet." There are a number of places I'd like to see, but it really comes down to funds. Parts of the Ukraine, Easter Island, Boston, and a host of other places would be on the list for this time.

End: My final flight will be to Vancouver, where I will take the train across Canada, back to Toronto. I'm looking forward to seeing the prairies through the window.


In Closing
If you have any tips, tricks, or other information about any of the destinations I'll be visiting I'd love to know them. Normally I do thorough research on any destination I visit, but for this much travel all at once it becomes far more challenging. There will be no guidebooks here, or days of research per city.

Please contact me with whatever information you think would be of interest.

About Me

previously.bitten
I am a high school teacher who loves to travel. From the earliest days in high school I wanted to be a photo journalist, but a lack of acceptance into the Ryerson program led me to Trent, and then Queen’s University where I honed my other passion – teaching.

In two thousand and six I was bitten by the travel bug, and have tried to incorporate anecdotal tales into my work ever since. With an understanding that world travel can greatly enhance any teacher’s lessons, I have traveled as much as I could.

But it was not enough. I decided that I would take the 2009 / 2010 school year off and travel the world.


introductions
Now then, before reading further, you may find it useful to read the introduction. The first few steps towards what is now transpiring can be discovered here. And for those wanting to know a little bit more about the trav.el bug [trav-uhl buhg], you may just find the definitions to be somewhat alluring. You can also find an interview I gave at The Flying Pinto.


the blog
Starting this blog has allowed me to join a community of fellow travelers, communicate my tales to the people back home, and let me get closer to my dream of being a photojournalist than ever before.

If you want to meet up in your travels or share stories from the road – as well as the comfort of home – feel free to e.mail me. I’ll be around.


stepping into the past
It was March of 2006, and I was sitting in my Education in Practice class at Queen’s university. Keeping my head low, to avoid the squabble of other students, I diligently worked on one sodoku after the next, in an attempt to simply pass the time. Beside me a girl was looking through a travel book on Thailand. At that moment, my life was changed.


first great adventure
As I headed towards my Princess Towers apartment, I passed an Indigo Books. There, I headed straight for the travel section – a section I had previously avoided – and picked out a Rough Guide for Canada. Flipping through black and white page after black and white page, I was hooked. No longer would I rearrange the numbers one through nine. Now, I was planning. Planning what? I wasn’t yet sure. But I was planning something, even if it was just a weekend trip around Ontario.

As days past, my plans grew until they covered all of Ontario, and then spilled over into Manitoba. As the weeks progressed, I found myself ready to set out all the way to Vancouver Island. A few weeks later, I was informed that I was being called to Newfoundland for a wedding during August of 2006. While everyone else was flying, this provided me the opportunity to drive East, through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, and then finally Newfoundland, the rock, itself.

That summer I found myself bitten by the travel bug. From that point on, no one could help me.

But life, as it is want to do, got in the way.


setbacks
I found myself returning from my summer long Trans-Canada road trip to a lack of finances, and the need of employment. I spent the next few weeks sending out applications, resumes, and letters of recommendation to all the local school boards. Eventually I received a hit, and settled down.

I taught Drama and English for a year, becoming even more endeared with the profession than I had before. There are few things as fantastic as honestly seeing a difference in a student’s growth. Watching a paradigm shift in motion is an unbelievable experience, and to be at the helm of that experience was fantastic.

My thoughts of future travel were put on hold, and my focus was on changing the world through education. As I affected my students, they affected me: I was inspired to write again, I renewed my long-forgotten passions, and one of my students even went so far as to teach me how to play guitar.

Through the year, though, I would pepper class discussions with travel. I could relate moments in Canadian literature to personal experiences, and tell anecdotes such as “The Van in the Mountains” to relate to feelings of fear, and impending doom.

As I talked of travel, the students grew more and more interested. I realized that there was a link here. By discovering the world, I could improve myself as a teacher.


renaissance
My grandmother was turning eighty years old. A cruise was suggested. My extended family took to the high seas and I found myself in the Caribbean for the first time. Yes, it was a cruise. Yes it was all inclusive. But, it was travel.

Arriving in port, I made some bad choices and wandered far from the tourist points. As the friendly police became fewer and further between, and the voices were heard further in the distance, until disappearing completely, I noticed a change. The walls were no longer freshly painted, instead they were riddled with bullet holes; the liquor stores were no longer brightly lit, they were instead barred and locked.

It was here that I first experienced a different side to the world.

Later that summer I took myself to Cuba to experience another country that I had always wondered about. It was there that I learned how our expectations cloud our ability to enjoy life. There, I met people who stayed on the beach and lived with over a dozen people in their small houses; but, they were happy. They had no assumption of buying the latest video game system. They had no expectations of receiving a car for their sixteenth birthday. Because of this, they were happy.

With this newfound understanding, summer ended. I went back to work.


pressing forward
Back at work, I taught a Multiple Exceptionalities, special needs, classroom. Coupled with my understanding of relative-expectations this was one of the most rewarding years I had ever experienced. Struggling for months to teach a student how computer mice work led to an exceptional moment when cause and effect were finally related.

With these new experiences, and pressing beyond of comfort zones, I decided that I too should take a leap and finally actualize a lifelong passion.

I booked a trip to Tokyo.


actualization
Tokyo was my first backpacking experience, staying in hostels, and traveling by the proverbial seat of my pants. I saw the other side of the world, and realized that there really was so much more out there. So much more to experience.

During the following summer I would take some more trips, and gain numerous experiences. I was increasing my helpings, and stretching my travel stomach, with each passing moment.

As fall came again, and I found myself once more returned to the world of English teaching, I rediscovered my love of the craft. I was able to teach engaging lessons about Japanese life, with first hand tales. As well, I taught a cross-curricular lesson about planning trips, and sorting out Visas. And while I loved it, I knew there was something more I had to do.

If my brief trips to Europe and Asia had this much of an influence on me and my students, I could hardly imagine what the result might be if I were to take a year off and travel the World.


back to the present
And that’s where we are. I’m set to leave September first, two-thousand-and-nine. I am set to touch down on at least six of the seven continents, and set foot in at least thirty countries.

From here on out, nothing in my life is certain – except that I will travel once more.