When I set out on this unconventional lifetime of journey, getting married was the very last thing I’d ever have imagined doing – not to mention doing so in a small church in Iceland, of all locations.
But I discovered a gem of a person, in the midst of the Pacific Ocean, after I least suspected it. And whereas an surprising and life altering flip of occasions knocked us off target in a giant means in 2020, in the end, it led us to a few of our most unforgettable adventures but.
Choosing a lifetime of journey
My life took a big flip after college, after I determined to attend trainer’s faculty on the Sunshine Coast in Australia – by no means having left Ontario by myself, not to mention Canada. Back in 2009, this wasn’t as widespread because it may be right now, and lots of people thought I used to be out of my thoughts. But dwelling there for that yr opened my eyes to a world past Canada. And it was there that I made it a life objective to show on each inhabitable continent.
Back in Canada a number of years later, I acquired a job supply to go and train Grade 5 within the Marshall Islands – a spot nobody appears to have the ability to pinpoint on a map after I inform them about it. I signed up, wanting ahead to 2 years of solitude, solely to satisfy Nick the primary week in. This American man with a southern drawl had the audacity to supply to hold my bike for me, which my jaded self took as an affront to my independence. It was not love at first sight. We did, nevertheless, change into shut buddies quick.
I discovered he had left the US after the demise of his marriage, which then led him to instructing within the islands for a number of years. The extra I acquired to know him, the deeper in love I fell, and our lives slowly grew to become entangled. From the beginning, I expressed vehemently that I didn’t need youngsters and I used to be by no means getting married. He didn’t know what he wished, apart from me, so he caught round.
We created a life collectively, dwelling and instructing in nations worldwide, leaving the islands for Niger, then Vietnam. Nick mainly proposed to me everywhere in the world. He’d say issues like “even though you don’t believe in marriage, you know I would ask you to marry me right here and now”, as we watched the solar set from the highest of a fort in Portugal. I’d snigger it off – I used to be certain marriage wasn’t for me. But he would hold saying these items, letting me know that he revered my selection, but when I ever modified my thoughts, he would marry me in a heartbeat.
Adventures placed on maintain
In August 2020, we discovered ourselves shifting to Ecuador in the midst of the pandemic, for our subsequent journey.
While we have been caught in quarantine upon arrival, I informed Nick that I had modified my perspective on marriage. We had been discussing our future when issues grew to become a bit tense, and although I had deliberate to make it a bit extra romantic, my ideas merely got here pouring out of me. I had learn that as a result of marriage is not essential, it makes it that rather more particular to decide on to marry somebody – and that basically resonated with me. His face lit up. All the earlier stress within the room floated out the window. He was all in. He informed me all he ever wished was to be with me.
We may by no means have predicted or ready for the misadventures to return. I ought to have been planning a marriage, however a number of months into our Ecuador journey, my chest started to scream in ache. I attempted to brush it off however ultimately I couldn’t excuse it away. The ache grew to become insufferable and I needed to search assist. Then my worst nightmare occurred. I used to be identified with a most cancers that I had by no means heard of: a number of myeloma – a sort of bone marrow most cancers that may have an effect on varied areas of the physique and causes harm to the bones and blood cells.
Reflections and renewed wanderlust
When they are saying your life flashes earlier than your eyes when demise approaches, they aren’t kidding. But it’s not like within the films; it’s extra reflective than that. I discovered myself wanting again on my life and being grateful. As I lay in my hospital mattress, I knew I had lived the life I wished – one stuffed with journey and journey and love. But as I endured months of chemotherapy, I longed for the times of journey once more. I’d sit and daydream about all of the locations we had been, and the locations I wished to go to at some point.
During my fifth cycle of chemo, I reached remission. To guarantee I stayed in remission for so long as potential, we needed to fly again to Canada so I may get a stem cell transplant. It was throughout this gruelling therapy that I got here up with the thought of getting married in Antarctica. Our life collectively has been one steady journey, so why not make our marriage ceremony one too? We knew we wished to go on an enormous journey after I made it by means of therapy, and Antarctica was the one continent we had but to go to collectively. Instead of dwelling on the anxiousness my sickness triggered me, I spent my days centered on Antarctica and future travels.
Saying ‘I do’ to an Intrepid journey
Soon, the thought snowballed into getting married in each place we travelled to after I recovered. So after getting the legalities nailed down within the US, we headed to the Galapagos Islands, adopted by Bora Bora, then Antarctica, to rejoice our love again and again, with small ceremonies the world over. We mentioned vows typically, different occasions not. We dragged my costume and his swimsuit with us to each vacation spot, throwing it on after the adventures of the day have been over, to profess our love for each other in entrance of strangers, or in whole solitude.
Our most up-to-date nuptials came about in Iceland throughout our first ever journey with Intrepid. Our native chief, Thordur, made the expertise actually particular for us. He had been notified prematurely that we have been hoping to have a small marriage ceremony ceremony whereas on the Premium Iceland in Winter journey, so he informed us to go away it as much as him and he would determine one thing out.
We set about exploring the nation we had been dreaming of visiting for years – chasing waterfalls, watching the dawn over snow-capped mountains, catching a quick glimpse of the northern lights and getting misplaced in Reykjavik. There is one thing so particular about travelling with a neighborhood information like Thordor, who shares Viking historical past, numerous legends and private insights that you’d by no means get visiting the nation by yourself.
Journey’s End
It felt much more particular when he introduced us to Hofkirkja, the church he had chosen to marry us in. Thordur additionally selected a good looking Icelandic poem, Journey’s End, to recite for us on the ceremony. Our tour group – who took pictures for us, rang the bell for the ceremony and even helped recite the poem with Thordur – appeared genuinely joyful to participate on this particular second with us. Even a random group of Spanish vacationers turned up and stayed for the ceremony.
It couldn’t have been extra ‘us’. It was the right ending to what we name our ‘redemption year’. A yr that took us again to our adventurous life, our adventurous love, after the misadventure most cancers dropped at us.
We’re now dwelling and dealing in Slovenia, ticking off the final continent of my unique instructing overseas objective. Perhaps we’ll transfer on to a brand new objective of getting married on each continent, we will see. My husband has memorised the English translation of our Iceland marriage ceremony poem. He likes to recite it to me in our new dwelling. As my favorite stanza says, “We laughed in the highlands while heaven grew clear, bright at the mountain brim. Not a single joy seemed to exist apart from living our life.”
Sara and Nick travelled to Iceland on Intrepid’s Premium Iceland in Winter journey. Explore the entire Premium vary or take a look at our Iceland adventures.