ACROSS CANADA

Arise, walk through the land
in the length of it and in the breadth of it;
for I will give it unto thee.
Genesis 13:17

I remembered a verse from the Bible as I looked at the map. From Alaska to Cape Horn in Chile was quite a way to go. One step at a time, I thought and continued with a smile. It was not for the destinations I was travelling, but for my love for the road.

I met Brian – a shining person, a traveller following the sun in his old-beautiful volvo, which made people smile. In springtime Brian followed the sun to Alaska, and as fall came, he turned his old girl South, where else, but toward the sunny California. We got to travel four days together. What a great gift of the road to meet a fellow-soul like Brian!

We saw the beauty of the big Rocky Mountains


and of the little flowers.

We got to dive into the Liard hotsprings and then into one crystal clear emerald green glacier lake. Nothing but great memories from that journey!

On my own again, I found myself walking East inbetween two highways. Lal, a man from India, pulled over – he was going to the mountains, but turned around to give me a lift. Instead of going to the mountains Lal ended up driving me to the prairies to his Mennonite friends. I was to spend one night with the Doerksen family, but ended up staying the whole week. Strangers yesterday, become friends and family today, every day – such was and still is my road.

I got to hold a wheel of a combain harvesting barley, participate in a baptism ceremony of a close relative a 17 y.o. Brett. Brett testified to have run away from home when he was fifteen. A truck driver from British Columbia, a ride he had then hitchhiked, made the boy change his mind. Many of Brett´s relatives had not known the story. I witnessed their tears when they knew. I thought it was beautiful.


I visited Mennonite and Hutterite community schools, gave speeches to children and teachers on my travels. Later I received two articles published in local newspaper about my visit. The authors of the articles “Journey around the world” and “World traveler visits Springview school” were children – Monica Doerksen and Kathy Wurz with assistance of Laura, Tabitha and Jolene Wurz. I was very moved to receive such feedback.



Once in an online conversation with Brandon, my good friend and a great traveller, we spoke of being seen as special, but feeling quite opposite – more like doing the most normal thing in the world.

“Hitchhiking around the world won´t make you happy. It is about hearing and answeing your calling, whatever it is, that does it. Know that there are no limits and that everything is possible! Dream, believe in your dreams, live your dreams!” This was my message to the children, and coming to think of it to everyone else I met.


I continued East and when reached Ontario, turned South. Two Mennonite girls picked me up just before I was going to camp in the woods. Sisters Hannah and Anita brought me home, took me to church, clothed me into one of their sister´s dresses and the next two days I got to dwell in their dream-like community. They sang in harmony before breakfast, in church and during work. Their long hair was hidden underneath a veil. Their dresses were hand-made. Many families practiced farming. Women and men were standing each on their own side in church. They did not have televison or radio. The girls showed me their school, which had its own curricula and had eight grades.
One night before I was to leave, Harry, the girls´father, said I could phone home. I called my dad.
“Are you up?” I asked him. In Estonia it was half past six in the morning .
I told him that I was safe, just one mile from the border to the States. “I am going to meet up with Brandon,” I said, “Do you remember – the guy who hitchhiked across Tibet to India? And then I shall go to Boston. Kushi Institute of Macrobiotics wants me to volunteer in their kitchen. Maybe I can get my visa extended and continue to Mexico in spring, ” I told him. “And then I would like to visit the Mennonite community in Kentucky, they still use horse and buggy for transportation and no electricity…”

I learned a painful lesson, when the U.S. refused me entry: “You can not work with a tourist visa.”
“But it is volunteer work. No money, just room and board,” I tried to argue.
It did not matter. After that incident I promioced myself from then on not to say anything of my tomorrows. No expectations=no dissapointments!
Hannah and Anita were with me. They wanted to drive me across the border and had now tears in their eyes.
“I have seen closed doors before. There is a reason, I am sure. I will find another way, you´ll see! I may not know the answer now, but I will when the time is right.”
I needed to hear those words perhaps even more than the girls. It was raining. I hugged my friends: “I will be ok. Do not worry!”
Anita put $12 in my hand and gave me two sandwitches. They dropped me off on the road East.
Where was I going? I looked at the map and saw Halifax.
If I can not travel the world in its length, I will go in its width, I thought and started hitchhiking.