Rounding out the Canadian contingent along with my older sister, I have spent the majority of my young life in the gorgeous foothills of Perth County, a few short kilometers from the Mennonite hotbed also known as St. Jacobs. Two years have now passed since high-school. My first year of freedom was a mix of travel and work; four months spent teaching English in the Sichuan province of China, where we hope to end BMAsia, and then monotonous summer employment. This second year has brought university, the Arts and Science programme at McMaster in Hamilton; a beautifully ambiguous major that allows me to further delay any sort of serious real life decisions.

Now, my reasons for BikeMovement Asia. Initially, I was drawn to the brilliant mix of cycling and travel. Two of my greatest passions meeting in such a beautiful and mysterious locale was more than enough to convince me that a little student debt wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

Now those that know me would likely agree that I share a healthy dose of skepticism regarding the church, and I guess further, organized religion. Some would probably be surprised to see me on this trip. However, the more reflection I have done, the more I knew that the spiritual aspect of this trip would be just as valuable to me as the physical. At times frustrated with church, or feeling that I am part of a relationship wherein neither party has much to offer the other, spirituality is not something I am ready to abandon, and it is my hope that this trip will allow me to grapple with these issues. Further, euro-centricity and a degree of cultural exclusivity are in my mind also large issues, so I am both excited and optimistic that this trip will be an amazing learning experience. I hope it will allow me to indeed “practice what I preach,” in realizing global community and cultural appreciation through our new connections with the Anabaptists worldwide.