Work and Travel – Savannah Stewart

Barista/Cashier at brambles bakery

Here is a picture of some of my co-workers and me after a staff meeting. We all really enjoyed these meetings because we would often enjoy a nice meal together.

My first job was as a barista at the local coffee shop in Merritt, called Brambles Bakery. I think most would agree that your first job is always a monumental experience. This position taught me work ethic, budgeting, teamwork, how to be professional, and customer service- all tools that continue to be valuable to this day. For the majority of my time here the only male co-worker we had was our dishwasher, and in hindsight, I think this make the experience what it was. It felt powerful to be a part of a women-run business, it was inspiring to see women so comfortable and confident in thier role as businesswomen. I walked away from this job knowing that I could be whatever I wanted to be if I put in the work.

Tree Planting

Being outside every day was really refreshing, it was easy to find the beauty in each day.

I began tree planting in the summer of 2020, and completed my third and final season in 2022. I never thought I was capable of a job like this, I always heard tree planting was such a hard job, but when four of my friends decided to try it I thought, why not? This job pushed me to my limits physically and mentally, but the reward was unlike anything I had felt. Tree planting taught me grit, drive, self-discipline, and self-motivation. Just getting through the day was enough to make me feel empowered after every shift, regardless of how many trees I planted. This job showed me just how adaptable I am, and that I’m capable of more than I ever could have imagined. I quickly fell in love with these summers months I spent in the mountains, and each year I was eager to return and improve upon last year.

Some of the places we planted had been previously affected by the 2017 fire season. Although many planters would tell you they love to plant burns, the devastation and tragedy of it don’t go unnoticed. It’s hauntingly beautiful and quite mesmerizing to be surrounded by miles of it.

Traveling SouthEast Asia

Here we are in Laos after ziplining in the mountains behind us. Laos mountains took my breath away every day, they were unlike anything I had seen.

After graduation, four friends and I took a gap year to travel for three months. Coming from the small town of Merritt, B.C, this was a huge culture shock. For the first time in my life, I had the opportunity to explore different cultures and traditions in various countries, and it widened my scope of the world, I was confronted with the fact that my worldview is singular and perpetually naive. But each interaction felt like a tool for dismantling my views, and I have been searching for these experiences ever since.