Inspired…

As a recent graduate, and since I’m just getting back into writing my blog, I’d like to take a moment to recognize some of my awesome friends who have just started their own, and why you might want to read them.

Andrew (Andy) Vitek, was one of my two room mates in my final and most awesome year of university. He double majored in Political Science and Philosophy, and (like most of us), didn’t really have a set plan upon graduation. He’s taken a crazy leap of faith this month and signed a year-long contract to teach English in Taiwan! Pretty cool, and definitely something I have considered myself. Andy is an interesting guy already, and I can only imagine the things he’ll have to say about Taiwan. If you do choose to read some of his blog, you’ll probably notice his quirky wording for things and fresh take on new experiences. Check him out at “Go East Young Man!” or http://andy-geym.blogspot.com/.

Andy and Sarah

My other friend, James Stram, who I “first met” several times, in several very different sets of circumstances, is also doing amazing things with his post-graduation freedom.  James and I have gone skiing together, so I know how crazy-fit he is, but even so, I am impressed and a bit intimidated by his quest to “bike around America” for an indeterminate amount of time. To get a better idea of the kind of trip this is, I’ll quote from his own explanations of “why he is doing this”:

“[…]but cranking out huge distances everyday is not really the goal of the trip.  I want to collect as many experiences as I can, on and off the bike.” – James (on his website)

“Only the destination is important when traveling in a car, and certainly in a plane.  On a bike the journey is not just a list of discrete destinations, but rather a continuous path, with the destination being an arbitrary goal for psychological purposes.  By traveling on back roads you can get a chance to experience the people and places that make up an area.  With greater speed you arrive at your destination faster, but you experience less along the way.” – James (on his website) http://jamesonabike.blogspot.com/

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Good luck to both of you – Andy and James, you are two of the most interesting people I met in university, and I’ll be following both of your adventures over the next year or so I expect. Drop me a line if/when you’re anywhere near Vancouver.

– Sarah Topps