ADVENTURE. She heads the René Verrier organizations and is confronted with death every day. He is semi-retired and wants to slow down to live better. Marie-Julie Tschiember and Éric Mathieu have been married for five years and will set off on December 27th to backpack through 15 countries.
The meeting is friendly. It must be said that nothing is stressful when it comes to narrating a life project, namely going on an adventure and meeting others. And about yourself.
Marie-Julie Tschiember, daughter of a cosmopolitan who unfortunately died too early, has had the dream of hoisting sails for many years.
“I will be 50 years old on December 28th. “It’s time,” she says, rubbing her dog’s ears. With her partner Éric Mathieu, who celebrates his 55th birthday next May, she will take a six-month break and will undoubtedly return completely changed.
“My father died at the age of 54. That’s how old Eric is now. “It makes you think,” says the Drummondvilloise. Every day I witness death at Maison René-Verrier. I see people of all ages come through the door. I observe that people die the way they lived. Some say: “So I should have done this or that when I was healthy.” Others say: “I’m happy, I did everything I wanted to do in my life.” Now it’s time, our dreams to make it happen, to take action and to have the courage to overcome our fears.”
(Photo: Ghyslain Bergeron)
The couple’s grand departure will take place on December 27th with only two backpacks as luggage. First stop: Guadeloupe.
“We feel like we are on the edge of a cliff at the moment. The further we move forward, the more we feel like we are heading into the void. We will give up our comfort and go live with a lot of activity,” adds Ms. Tschiember enthusiastically. “Somehow it takes courage to make dreams come true,” says her partner, an avid kitesurfing fan.
The couple meets friends in Guadeloupe for a few days and then sets sail for the west coast towards Los Angeles. He then flies to French Polynesia, where he discovers the island of Bora-Bora and then drives to New Zealand in a recreational vehicle. Then Marie-Julie and Éric will discover Bali in February, where they will definitely rent scooters. Vietnam, Laos, Japan – for its cherry blossoms and sumo wrestlers – Sri Lanka, the Maldives (for kitesurfing), Tanzania, Tunisia and Portugal are also among her destinations.
Although they’ll rely on improvisation throughout their adventure, they still made sure to plan activities and make some reservations to “avoid tourist traps.” Almost all flights and some accommodations are booked.
“There are several people who tell us that we are very lucky to be able to do this, but in reality we made choices. Choosing means giving up. When we left for six months, we decided to reduce the number of restaurants, keep only one car, etc.,” shares Mr. Mathieu.
During their trip, the couple wants to meet each other and explore paths that are rarely used by tourists.
“We all have lives and daily lives, but there are so many lives that are richer than ours in terms of history and vibration. I can’t wait to meet the locals. “We want to leave the beaten path, go to the markets, talk,” says Ms. Tschiember. She needed the help of a travel agent to organize certain parts of the adventure, to ensure that the impact of the time difference between stops was minimized and to take advantage of the best possible weather.
In which country will the couple end their trip? The lovers don’t know it yet and decide to let themselves be carried by the wind and the encounters.
“We will see! Then there will be our return. Will we choose to stay in our house or leave? We are fully aware that this journey will change us. It is inevitable. We will meet incredible people who “We may change us forever. Just taking the time to observe the environment around us will be a gift,” concludes Éric Mathieu.
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