Have you ever stood on the edge of a cliff or rockface and jumped into a cold river or lake below? It is a common summer experience for many Canadians, myself included. The apprehension, exhilaration, shock, disorientation, and thrill are also a good description of what it has been like since I started working for A Rocha.

Just like any cliff jumper one of the biggest obstacles is psyching yourself up to jump. You stand on the edge looking at the water below and wonder, “Am I ready for this?” “Can I even do this?” and “What if it hurts?” I was filled with similar questions in the months leading up to my decision to join the Ontario A Rocha team as Program Coordinator for Cedar Haven farm.
It is hard to leave a safe secure place and take a leap into the unknown. Questions of staff support and what the job would really entail circled through my head. Not to mention leaving behind a good job and community I had grown to love. I had numerous conversations with family members, mentors and friends. I made pro-and-con lists, plotted possibilities, and PRAYED.

Finally like any cliff-jumper knows you have to just go for it. So in mid-April of 2015 that is what I did. I took a leap and moved from Sault Ste. Marie to Hamilton. I packed my bags, I moved to a new city, I started a new job. Watch me soar!

And then you hit the water! It is COLD! You tumble down into the chilly depths of the river or lake andsink into a roiling mass of bubbles. It is disorientating, and it is exhilarating. The first day in Hamilton I took a wrong turn and “fell of the mountain.” The view of the city from the edge of the Niagara escarpment was breathtaking, and for a rural girl-overwhelming. Getting used to a new city, new job, new home, new friends, new church, new neighbourhood, new everything, takes a lot of work. It is fun, I love exploring Hamilton and my new neighbourhood. I have even stopped getting mini-panic attacks when I see how big the city is, or have to use the bus. Hamilton is a great city with so much to explore and enjoy. But sometimes after a long day I just need to curl up at home and be quiet and not have to think or do anything at all. Because it is tiring. I would be lost without Google maps, I check it for everything, from bus schedules to finding the nearest grocery store.

If I am completely honest with myself I am still in that initial tumble into the water phase of this whole adventure. And that is okay, give it time, because; as you tumble in the water you remember-Don’t fight, just float. You relax, and follow the bubbles to the surface where you burst into the light, gasp for air, and exclaim,

“Come on in! The water is beautiful!”

ShariAnn Kuiper, Program Coordinator at Cedar Haven Farm in Hamilton, ON.

Contact shariann.kuiper@arocha.ca for more info