March 2011 to July 2012.
On Tuesday 12th July 2011 I departed my home city of Bristol, England and set sail for the promised land of Canada, there to live and work for a year. I was twenty-six years old. It was my great adventure; my final screaming declaration of independence. It was also, without doubt, the best thing I ever did for myself.
MapleJack! is the LiveJournal I kept throughout this year in Canada, and also during the preparation period beforehand. I gave out the web address to all my friends and family before I left, so I could use it as a way to keep in touch with my loved ones back home. I originally envisaged this journal as a travel blog, but it became about so much more than just living in Canada. My year of cultural discovery evolved into a year of self-discovery, and in a big way. I think I grew more as a person during this year than at any other time since my childhood.