For eight months I was a world pilgrim. From September 2000 to April 2001, I journeyed around the world, learning about and experiencing other cultures, exploring the mystery called 'me', and growing in many, many ways. I travelled to Greece, Northern Ireland, Spain, Thailand and India before returning home to be teargassed at the Summit of the Americas in Quebec City.

Click on one of the above country names to view my journal entries from the trip.


FINAL Journal Entry!

Thursday, May 3, 2001:
VICTORIA, BC, CANADA

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading my diary entries up here. I'm sorry it was sparse towards the end. I don't know how many people actually read what I had to say, but for me it wasn't important. Posting my stories up here was important for me - going over things that happened a second time gave me some new perspectives on my own experiences, and being able to tell stories to others made home feel less distant.

If there's anything I've learned from this journey, it's that life is, of course, a long journey. I know it's a cliche - bear with me. We don't need to leave our own communities to experience this (although you don't realize it until you've tried). Travelling is more a mind-set than a physical state. I hope to cultivate this way of living in my own life back home. Watch other people. Detach yourself for a moment and just observe things. Take a step back. Feel our society flow around you, without sweeping you away. Show hospitality to fellow travellers at every chance. Talk to strangers. Really listen to people you meet. Stand up for justice and for those who have no voice. Live in the moment! And, most of all, a twelve hour train or bus ride is really nothing at all in the scheme of things.



In Peace and Solidarity


E-mail me! david@socialchangenow.ca