Wander

I’ve spent the last twelve months discovering interesting subjects, traveling, meeting new people and preparing for the road ahead.

As I just left my previous job, January started roaring with a 2 weeks programming contract in San Francisco. There I discovered what great coffee is and enjoyed the diversity provided by the food trucks, bike messenger culture and the city’s overall forward thinking vibe. I also had the opportunity to visit both Stripe and Github offices.

Spring brought me to experience a 10 days Vipassana retreat, which I’ve described in this article. Challenged by a friend, I also tried to eat glutten-free for one week and I am forced to admit it has been quite hard to resist. I’ve also freelanced for Watershed Monitoring and had a blast learning about water management.

Lots of things intertwined during summer. I’ve road-tripped with some friends to Cap Hateras, North Carolina and had a great time. Then, back home I’ve learned how to butcher a lamb in order to feed a family. An abnormally generous barista from Café St-Henry in Montreal gave my friend and I a fine coffee making lesson. That night I tasted 21 epressos. I’ve completed Stanford’s Machine Learning course tought by Andrew Ng on Coursera and opened my mind to a new paradigm. The Musée de la Civilisation hired me for a few weeks. I used my spare time to explore the underground workshops of the museum.

As autumn arrived slowly, I enjoyed documenting a videoclip’s “behind the scenes” produced by my friends at La Raffinerie. I also had the opportunity to cook a whole lamb in an open pit to feed 30+ people for a friend’s birthday. After sailing with a team all summer long, I’ve competed for the last race of the season in Cap-à-l’Aigle. By the end of september I was stumbling through the organisation of my imminent departure for India. I wrote about these 2.5 months of adventure right here. Finally, 2014 ended in St-Augustine, Florida with some good friends in yet another road-trip.

I intended to start volunteering and learn a new programming language but I refrained to make it happen as a mix of fear and lack of prioritization.

I’ve really enjoyed wandering but now I feel it’s time to settle. Let’s see what 2015 has to offer.