Anna Voyage

I must say, bungee jumping was the one thing I never thought I would do in my life -- and there aren't many things I refuse to do. I hate the feeling of free fall more than anything -- you know, that sensation when your stomach drops? ugh, I shiver just thinking about it! I went on one roller coaster one time and my life, and never again am I putting myself through that.

It was then only natural that the first time I travelled to South Africa to volunteer, when everyone was planning their trip to go bungee jump, the thought of doing it never even crossed my mind. Even afterwards, when people were showing me videos of their bungee jump I never felt any regret not doing it. It looked cool, but that's it.

I returned home from South Africa, and gradually, seeing more and more pictures and videos of people's jumps, reading their stories of the jump, I started actually feeling regret. The good news was that I knew that I was returning to South Africa the following summer, and I told myself that this time I would be courageous and jump off that bridge.

The thought alone -- of being at the edge and diving down into abyss -- would bring up a wave of nervousness that would make me rethink if I could truly do this. But I refused to back down!

I remember when the day finally came, we were driving towards Bloukrans Bungy (have I mentioned that it is the highest bungee bridge in the world?!), I started getting really nervous. When we turned onto the site, there was about a five minute drive to the parking, and our guide (shoutout to David Kennedy, only the coolest South African ever) started blasting Clocks by Coldplay, and to this day it remains the song that most reminds me of South Africa whenever I listen to it. My emotions were so high, like I'd never felt before, and the loud music made everything seem so surreal. "What if the cord snaps?!", "What if I pee myself?!", "What if I have a heart attack?!"; were all thoughts going through my head. I actually think I went to the bathroom three times right before we were called onto the bridge -- I truthfully thought I would wet myself once I jumped.

Once geared up, we had about an hour wait. We walked around, took it the beautiful mountain views and waited for the slow minutes to tick by. I was so happy -- but also terrified -- when they finally told us it was our turn.


We were brought in a group of about ten people who would jump, and then friends that just wanted to come along and watch the jumpers. To get to the jumping platform you have to walk on this hanging grated bridge under the main bridge. For most people, this was the worst part: because it is grated, you can see absolutely everything bellow. I didn't look down as I didn't wanna terrify myself even more.

About ten minutes later, we reached the platform and and we are explained certain rules. Only another girl and myself were jumping from our group, so our guide asked the guys working there if we could be the first ones jumping. The other girl got picked as the first jumper, and I the second.


Now, the nerves were really at the highest.

Thee guys working there started gearing me up. Thank God for them, really, because they were the funniest and sweetest guys ever. They really helped me calm down -- or at least, the most I could calm down. The other girl was already at the edge and I was sat down next in row. The funniest part is that, days before we got to the bungee, the people I was there with kept saying that they thought I would cry at the bungee. I kept telling them, and myself, that there was no way because I wasn't really an easy crier, and why would I cry? Yes, I'd be nervous, but crying wasn't something I'd envisioned myself doing. But yes, you guessed it correctly, I did start crying when I was sitting in line, right after the other girl jumped. It wasn't an ugly cry where I was refusing to jump. It was simply due to a rise of nerves and emotions that had to come out in some way. I was basically laughing and crying and also excited about what was about to happen.


It was finally my turn, and the guys brought me to the edge, and suddenly I didn't feel anything. I think I just couldn't believe what was about to happen anymore. I started dancing around, and then they put my arms up, told me to jump, and I dived right off.

The first few seconds, I honestly do not remember anything. All I know is that I closed my eyes despite telling myself not to do it, and I felt my face do some weird grimace. When I finally opened my eyes, I just let myself feel. I felt the awful stomach drop, which you feel about twice because there's three ups-and-downs, but the third is very mild. But what I mostly felt is a sense of absolute freedom. I felt like a bird rushing towards the ground, with no worries (well, I mean except for the one that I might die, but you know, details). My absolute favourite part has to be when everything just stopped and I was hanging upside down for a few minutes. There was no sound down there -- it was complete silence, and I felt at peace. I couldn't believe I'd just jumped off a bridge, but I knew it had been the most amazing thing I'd ever done in my life.



When the guy came to get me, I was sad. Many people had told me they hated it when they were simply hanging there because they felt as if their feet were slipping out of the thing wrapped around them, and because of the blood rushing to their head. But I didn't and even wanted to stay there longer.

I got back up to the bridge, and that's when the adrenaline really hit me. I'd never done anything like this, so I'd never felt what adrenaline really was like. That's when I understood why there were so many adrenaline junkies. It was amazing! I couldn't stop laughing and dancing and telling everyone I wanted to go again.



And I still do. I know that whenever the chance presents itself, I will not hesitate to bungee jump again.

You know how the saying goes that, "fear is temporary, regret is forever"... well this is the moment I truly realized that in my life. I didn't bungee the first time I went to South Africa, and I regret it a whole year. I am so happy I finally did it because even though, yes I was petrified, it was only for a few moments, and that feeling of fear did not compare to the amazing sensation of bungee jumping.

I love taking the plane. I would even go as far as saying that it is one of my favourite parts about a trip. And I even love airports, for the anticipation and the excitement of knowing you're about to leave and go someplace else.

But let's be real, nobody, except if you're some kind of God, still looks good after going through three hours of airport and then however many hours on the plane. Even if the plane ride is only an hour long, you always end up arriving to your destination looking like a complete mess. But thankfully, we ladies (or even men, no discrimination here) can use this wonderful thing called makeup to make us look a little more human and not as zombie-looking-like once we get off the plane.

Now, this makeup look is very simplistic because I absolutely hate caking one makeup on top of makeup for a plane ride. We already lack oxygen on a plane, so why make our face feel even dryer by adding tons of makeup on top of it? So for this look, minimalistic is the key.

First, apply your most hydrating moisturizer all over your face. This will help your face not feel like it's the cracking ground of a desert. I would usually use my Clinique moisturizer (which I also use to help me face Canada's unpitying winters), but because I ran out of it I am using here Vichy's Idéalia's moisturizer.



Next, I usually skip using foundation because, like I said, I don't want to wear too much makeup that would make my face feel like it can't breathe. So I jump straight to concealer, which let's be honest, is for many of us a life saviour. Ain't nobody wanna show those under eye circles!

I may have moved to Toronto from Montreal for university, but Montreal will always remain my favourite city in Canada. It has a very metropolitan vibe to it but with a Parisian charm. Here, you will find a city full of energy, where it's impossible to get bored. Food lovers will find their joy in the culinary scene of Montreal, music lovers have plenty of festivals to choose from, party people won't know what hit them after they experience Montreal's night life, and nature lovers will find their happy place in Montreal's beautiful parks and greens spots. So winter or summer, make sure you experience Montreal's top 7 things to do.

1. Climb Mount Royal


You'll quickly notice that in more than few parts of downtown Montreal, you will be able to see Mount Royal park, one of Montreal's largest green spaces. Mount Royal was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also co-designed New York's Central Park. The mountain is perfect for a beginner's hike, to run, or simply to enjoy a summer's day with a picnic. Make sure to climb to the top and enjoy the view Montreal has to offer.

2. Take a stroll in the streets of Old Montreal

3. Visit the Botanical garden


4. Attend a festival


5. Try the best poutine in the world

6. Party it up Montreal style

Montreal is known for its nightlife, and for a reason! Bars, clubs, pubs, pick your choice because wherever you go, you know you will have fun. Montrealers know how to party, so join them for a night you won't forget... or if you do it right, you might actually forget bits and pieces. Don't fall into the Crescent street trap; that's where out of town people go party, but it's not the street you want to be on. Go on Saint-Laurent, that's where the party is at.

7. Grab a bagel in Fairmount

When I tell people I spent six weeks in South Africa last year and am about to do the same thing this summer, they always ask me how I can afford staying there for so long. Simple answer: I volunteer. Now, you're probably going "huh?! but volunteering is expensive!". And that's true. If you look up any volunteer organization, you'll notice how expensive their fees are; thousands of dollars for only a couple of week. But here is where International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ) comes in. I was like everyone, thinking volunteering was too expensive and, even though I really wanted to do it, I wouldn't be able to because of the excessively high fees.

But then I stumbled across this website. I was shocked by how affordable their fees were! Four weeks in South Africa? US $675! Four weeks in Thailand? US $500! Four weeks in Peru - Lima? US $555! And so on... You're probably thinking this must be a scam, and I thought so too, at first, but trust me it isn't! I went, and it was the most wonderful experience of my life.

How does it work? Well, you don't actually volunteer for IVHQ. IVHQ has partnerships with organizations in countries all over the world and it's for those organizations you volunteer. So for example, in South Africa, I volunteered for Dreams to Reality, an organization based in Muizenberg. If you go on DTR's website and you look at their fees if you go directly through them, you'll notice it is much more expensive: four weeks, US $930 (vs. the $675 through IVHQ). Which is why IVHQ is so amazing when you're on a budget.

Accommodation and meals are included in the price. For accommodation, you usually stay either in a volunteer house or with a host family picked by IVHQ. I've heard only good things about the families the volunteers live with, so you have nothing worry about. Personally, in South Africa, I stayed in a volunteer house, which was really great! You always have people to hang out with and you can be sure you'll never get bored. As for the food, in South Africa, it wasn't amazing, I have to admit. But for the price, I can't complain (even though we liked doing so). But I heard in other countries, such as Morocco, because you stay with a family, the food is absolutely incredible.

But for me, the best part about IVHQ is that they actually choose ethical organizations in the different countries. That is something very important to me because I've heard all about the horror stories of fake orphanages that take children away from their families just to attract people to give money, or the houses that are built by volunteers for absolutely nothing because when they leave, the house is destroyed just to have new volunteers come in and rebuild the same house again. But with IVHQ, after tons of research, I found that they make sure to choose legit and ethical organizations that do need help.

I would recommend to stay a minimum of four weeks wherever you go. You only start to settle in after two weeks, and you need those two extra weeks to really see most things. That was especially true for me in South Africa. I registered for four weeks, and I did do most things I wanted to do, but because I fell in love with the country so hard, I ended up extending one and a half more weeks.

So try it! You won't regret it. You will make some of the closest friends you'll ever have while volunteering and you'll meet amazing people... all while you're doing something good. And at the end of the day, that is the most rewarding part of it all.

I wasn't asked by IVHQ to write this post, these are my own opinions.