Going on a bike trip
I am going on a bike trip this summer. I was invited quite a while ago by Jeff Cook - Jeff was one of the brothers who biked from Rocky to Argentina a couple of years ago. I am flying to Ottawa August 6, and will from there bike to Halifax before flying home on August 20. The schedule calls for 150 km of cycling a day on average, which will be tough to achieve consistently. It should be very challenging. Personally I think we should cancel our planned rest day (day 5) and ride shorter distances every day.
In conjunction with the trip, we are raising money for micro-loans to developing countries. This is where people can loan money to entrepreneurs, usually for expansions to, or creation of, their businesses. The organization we are partnering with is called Kiva. The website explains things better than I can, but the idea is that Kiva loans your money to "field partners" in various countries around the world, which in turn lend the money to local entrepreneurs. After the term of the loan is up, the money is repaid, goes back up the chain, and you get your money back. So it is quite a different model than the traditional non-profit organization, but yet helps support international development in a sustainable manner. You can even browse through the various projects and choose the one(s) you would like to support.
If interested, you can read more about the trip here. From that page, you can also (though the "Donate" link) make a loan that will count towards our $1,500 target.
Bike trips aside it has been a really good summer for me. I've attended three weddings (and accompanying bachelor parties) for friends this summer, and all have been a lot of fun. I am working at TELUS finance for an eight-month co-op, finishing in December. In the fall I will also be a lab instructor for an intro management science course, and taking a night class, so that should be good. After that, I have one semester of school left (January - April) and will be teaching again, and then I will graduate.
This fall I will need to decide what to do after graduation. In particular, I need to know if I want to go the Chartered Accountant (CA) route as recruiting happens in September-October for the following calendar year.
In conjunction with the trip, we are raising money for micro-loans to developing countries. This is where people can loan money to entrepreneurs, usually for expansions to, or creation of, their businesses. The organization we are partnering with is called Kiva. The website explains things better than I can, but the idea is that Kiva loans your money to "field partners" in various countries around the world, which in turn lend the money to local entrepreneurs. After the term of the loan is up, the money is repaid, goes back up the chain, and you get your money back. So it is quite a different model than the traditional non-profit organization, but yet helps support international development in a sustainable manner. You can even browse through the various projects and choose the one(s) you would like to support.
If interested, you can read more about the trip here. From that page, you can also (though the "Donate" link) make a loan that will count towards our $1,500 target.
Bike trips aside it has been a really good summer for me. I've attended three weddings (and accompanying bachelor parties) for friends this summer, and all have been a lot of fun. I am working at TELUS finance for an eight-month co-op, finishing in December. In the fall I will also be a lab instructor for an intro management science course, and taking a night class, so that should be good. After that, I have one semester of school left (January - April) and will be teaching again, and then I will graduate.
This fall I will need to decide what to do after graduation. In particular, I need to know if I want to go the Chartered Accountant (CA) route as recruiting happens in September-October for the following calendar year.
posted by Sam F at 5:33 PM
5 Comments:
Oooh, I love Kiva. Very good cause. Have fun!
that sounds great, cycling 150K a day sounds very hard to me.
If you can do 150 km a day, maybe I can get that bike down off the hook after all...
That trip sounds exciting.
Have fun, Sam! I tap out at 120km/day, so am thoroughly impressed that you're planning to do 150km. May your roads all be smooth, the shoulders wide and the grades gentle.
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