I had a great childhood in Canada. I’m from a small town in Ontario with a really tiny population. There were a lot of lakes, really long winters and a real focus on outdoor living. But as much as I love my hometown, it felt a little closed off from the world.

As soon as I graduated high school I decided to go volunteer in Central America. We hadn’t traveled much while was growing up, so my family were just. I spent months in Costa Rica just being young and free, it felt amazing.

When I came home I didn’t feel ready to go to college. I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life, so I moved back home and worked as a waitress in a diner. I planned to save as much money as I could.

The next year I decided to