Hi Listserve:
I’m a 29 year old married female living in my hometown after completing University and living abroad in South Korea for a year. I’ve been working in PR and Communications but am currently on contract so if you happen to know of any opportunities in Northern Ontario, please let me know!
A few snapshots from my life:
Bikes:
I’m participating in the Zoo-de-Mack bike ride this Saturday, May 17. This ride is set along a 51 mile route from the Zoo Bar in Boyne Highlands, MI to Mackinaw City, MI, where approximately 4000 participants will then ferry to Mackinac Island, one of the quaintest places on earth. The island does not allow for motor vehicles. Instead visitors walk, ride bicycles or take horse-drawn carriages to get wherever they’d like to go. While the ‘downtown core’ of the island is a total tourist trap, what’s not as well known about the island is that it includes a state park and with that, a combination of paved, dirt and unkempt trails to be explored on bike or foot. A number of times my husband and I have taken the trails and not seen anyone else for several hours, which I think is amazing because of the thousands of tourists that it attracts during the regular season. These trails are hidden gems. Due to my lack of training for the bike ride… feel free to send me any tips, tricks or perhaps any other info about bike riding routes or group rides in the USA or Canada that you have tried or know about.
Travelling:
In September 2012 my husband and I went to the Netherlands and Germany for our ‘honeymoon’. People at home and many of those encountered on the way told us we were crazy for spending what was supposed to be a stereotypically ‘romantic’ time checking out Anne Frank’s House, Dachau, the Brandenburg Gate, Holocaust Memorials and the remains of the Berlin wall. Honestly, it was the best decision we could have made. I’d never been to Europe before that trip and it was illuminating to be submerged in history in a way that I had never been before- having grown up in North America. No disrespect to beach and resort vacationers, there’s a time and a place for that- but you won’t regret taking the risk of being immersed in cultures that don’t specialize in making tri-coloured icey drinks on the edge of a swim-up bar.
Processed Food:
I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t eat an entire order of Little Caesar’s stuffed cheesy bread yesterday for dinner, but stop eating processed food. Right. Now. I went vegan for a few months a couple of years ago, and while ultimately I found that period in my life to be unsustainable, it taught me what I somehow managed to not learn in the 26 years prior. Taking the time to understand how nutrition works to support physiological systems was invaluable. Veganism isn’t for everyone, it’s not even for me. But I recommend everyone try it and start to recognize that what we, as a culture have been taught to eat isn’t necessarily healthy. Challenge your existing ideas.
Books:
A quote from George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones: “A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone if it is to keep its edge”. Never stop reading.
Volunteering: What’s your cause?
I’m working with a couple of non-profit groups right now. Notably with The Sault Theatre Workshop. It’s a frustrating and rewarding experience all around, and often people ask me why I’m involved. I try to respond as non-pretentiously as possible that theatre is important because it challenges ideas and limits, exposes audiences and actors alike to experiences they would otherwise not have had, and ultimately builds and supports communities while allowing for creative expression. It’s an art that’s continually receding in this culture, and that disappoints me. I’m always interested to know what other people are passionate about. What matters to you? Send me an email, maybe there’s something I can do to help.
Ali Moore
[email protected]
Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada