Greetings from the land of cheese, bread, and wine!
After four years of life altering events, I find myself back in a country that promotes leisure over work, food over exercise, and friendships over material objects. And they do it all on cobblestone roads and in really tiny cars! Bienvenue à Pernes les Fontaines! But wait…what is Kristyn doing in France? Well, it all started with a friendly email from my friend Megan. As a fellow wanderlust herself, Megan has always encouraged me to indulge in my dream of living abroad. Last fall she came across a company called Backroads (www.backroads.com). Backroads is the world’s number one adventure travel company, taking people all over the world on biking, hiking, and multisport trips. After reading the description of a Backroads trip leader, Megan knew it was the job for me. I would be paid to travel. I would be leading outdoor sports. I would have adventures to feed my desire to write. The word "dream job" comes to mind...
After a written application and phone interview, my mom and I took a road trip out to Salt Lake City where I was accepted to interview in person for a position as a Backroads Trip Leader. The process involved problem solving, group interactions, language testing, public speaking, and leadership activities. As soon as I walked into the warehouse/office and put my Timbuk2 bag down next to the other 20 Timbuk2 bags and started talking to everyone who had been to Australia, Czech, Costa Rica, Bhutan, Norway, Italy, and more…I knew I had found my people! As a leader, I would be traveling all over the world interacting with local cultures and people. AND I would get discounts on outdoor gear. The mother ship was calling me home.
The following day my mom and I were driving to Moab (might as well do some serious mountain biking if I was driving to Utah!), and my cell phone rang. Not only was I hired, but I was leaving in 10 days to train in Pernes les Fontaines, France. Let the first step of the journey begin…
So after one car ride, three flights, one bus, one train, and one van ride…I was in Pernes les Fontaines! Don’t blink as you are driving through town, because you literally might miss it. But I am back. Back in Provence. I spent four months studying in Aix-en-Provence in 2002 during college and it feels surreal to be back. Red houses with blue shutters line the country side. White, crumbly stone walls line the roads. Vineyards fill my eyes, lavender fills my nose, and pure joy fills my heart!
As I mentioned, Pernes is quite tiny! So what is a large company doing here in the south of France? Backroads has about 22 Leader Houses all over the world. These are local apartments or houses located in heavily traveled regions to house leaders between trips. There are three hubs world wide: Salt Lake City for the US, Canmore for Canada, and Pernes for Europe. I am training at the European hub here in France as I will work up to six months here in Europe. After that, I may be lucky enough to find myself working in Africa, New Zealand (no wwoofing please), Australia (no tomatoes please), or anywhere! I need to learn Spanish so I can increase my chances of working in the winter destinations as well as Italian so I can lead tours through Italy. As there are too many trainees to stay at the leader house, we spend what little free time we have in the very austere rooms at the local golf country club. I am rooming with one Italian girl, one Spanish girl, and one Floridian. Sounds lavish until you remember I am in France and the amenities are…well…did I mention they have wine, bread, and cheese? Best to focus on the local food and less on the fact that you have no towels, no sheets, no phone, no internet, and no stores. :)
The training block is three weeks. I am 8 days into it and we have already had 2 holidays. Can you tell I am in France? But we work on the weekends to make up for this, so I haven’t really stopped working since I got here. In lieu of boring you with training details, just know that I can now work as a bike mechanic, back a van and trailer into most parking spots, buy/cook/prepare/clean food for 25 people at once…and that was only the first day! I have so much to learn, so many new places to visit, and unique people to meet...I can't wait to get started!
As Henry David Thoreau said, "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
Laying the first bricks as I type…
After four years of life altering events, I find myself back in a country that promotes leisure over work, food over exercise, and friendships over material objects. And they do it all on cobblestone roads and in really tiny cars! Bienvenue à Pernes les Fontaines! But wait…what is Kristyn doing in France? Well, it all started with a friendly email from my friend Megan. As a fellow wanderlust herself, Megan has always encouraged me to indulge in my dream of living abroad. Last fall she came across a company called Backroads (www.backroads.com). Backroads is the world’s number one adventure travel company, taking people all over the world on biking, hiking, and multisport trips. After reading the description of a Backroads trip leader, Megan knew it was the job for me. I would be paid to travel. I would be leading outdoor sports. I would have adventures to feed my desire to write. The word "dream job" comes to mind...
After a written application and phone interview, my mom and I took a road trip out to Salt Lake City where I was accepted to interview in person for a position as a Backroads Trip Leader. The process involved problem solving, group interactions, language testing, public speaking, and leadership activities. As soon as I walked into the warehouse/office and put my Timbuk2 bag down next to the other 20 Timbuk2 bags and started talking to everyone who had been to Australia, Czech, Costa Rica, Bhutan, Norway, Italy, and more…I knew I had found my people! As a leader, I would be traveling all over the world interacting with local cultures and people. AND I would get discounts on outdoor gear. The mother ship was calling me home.
The following day my mom and I were driving to Moab (might as well do some serious mountain biking if I was driving to Utah!), and my cell phone rang. Not only was I hired, but I was leaving in 10 days to train in Pernes les Fontaines, France. Let the first step of the journey begin…
So after one car ride, three flights, one bus, one train, and one van ride…I was in Pernes les Fontaines! Don’t blink as you are driving through town, because you literally might miss it. But I am back. Back in Provence. I spent four months studying in Aix-en-Provence in 2002 during college and it feels surreal to be back. Red houses with blue shutters line the country side. White, crumbly stone walls line the roads. Vineyards fill my eyes, lavender fills my nose, and pure joy fills my heart!
As I mentioned, Pernes is quite tiny! So what is a large company doing here in the south of France? Backroads has about 22 Leader Houses all over the world. These are local apartments or houses located in heavily traveled regions to house leaders between trips. There are three hubs world wide: Salt Lake City for the US, Canmore for Canada, and Pernes for Europe. I am training at the European hub here in France as I will work up to six months here in Europe. After that, I may be lucky enough to find myself working in Africa, New Zealand (no wwoofing please), Australia (no tomatoes please), or anywhere! I need to learn Spanish so I can increase my chances of working in the winter destinations as well as Italian so I can lead tours through Italy. As there are too many trainees to stay at the leader house, we spend what little free time we have in the very austere rooms at the local golf country club. I am rooming with one Italian girl, one Spanish girl, and one Floridian. Sounds lavish until you remember I am in France and the amenities are…well…did I mention they have wine, bread, and cheese? Best to focus on the local food and less on the fact that you have no towels, no sheets, no phone, no internet, and no stores. :)
The training block is three weeks. I am 8 days into it and we have already had 2 holidays. Can you tell I am in France? But we work on the weekends to make up for this, so I haven’t really stopped working since I got here. In lieu of boring you with training details, just know that I can now work as a bike mechanic, back a van and trailer into most parking spots, buy/cook/prepare/clean food for 25 people at once…and that was only the first day! I have so much to learn, so many new places to visit, and unique people to meet...I can't wait to get started!
As Henry David Thoreau said, "If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them."
Laying the first bricks as I type…
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