Typically, when reading a blog from the Greenhouse Education Center (GEC) team, you get to hear all about what we’re doing during our hours manning the GEC at retailers, fairs, and schools. However, today I’m going to share a little bit about what goes on during our time in the cities that we visit while we’re off the clock!
Now don’t get me wrong – it isn’t unheard of for our team to hit the hay by 8:00 pm after working a full day on the trailer. But when we all get a little extra coffee into us and are feeling adventurous, we have a blast seeing the sights!
During our very first GEC trip, we visited Loblaws stores in Toronto. This was a very exciting trip as we were still getting the hang of our new jobs. Luckily, we had Brittany with us – she is a seasoned vet from last year’s GEC team! She inspired us with all her fun stories from the previous summer, so we decided to kick off this year’s season by buying nose-bleed tickets to a Toronto Blue Jays baseball game! It was a great time – I had never been to a baseball game in Toronto, and I loved every second (including Britt singing “Take me out to the ball game!”). If you haven’t met Britt, all you really need to know is that she is a BIG Jays fan.
Visiting Ottawa was also extremely memorable. Almost every night after finishing up at work, we would go on an adventure in downtown Ottawa. I got to visit Parliament Hill which I had never seen before, and I was taken aback by how beautiful it was in person. I had seen so many photos of the Parliament buildings and thought I knew exactly what to expect but being there was a completely different experience. We also got to visit the Canadian historical museum where we learned a bit more about our Canadian culture and saw many interesting exhibits. Bryn and I also went to Gatineau, Quebec which was just across the Ottawa River. I had never been there and was once again taken aback by the beauty. We enjoyed a very nice meal on a restaurant patio and made our best attempt at communicating with the locals in French.
During our adventures in Ottawa, the boys had also decided that they wanted to do something spontaneous. And what’s more spontaneous than a tattoo? Tyler and Zak both walked into a tattoo parlour and the next time we saw them they had tattoos!
We have had many trips to Ohio, but my favourite experience by far has been the Ohio State Fair. On our first night there, we went to a Brothers Osborne concert! This is a band that I wasn’t too familiar with, but I still had an amazing time. After the concert, the team all hopped on the sky lift where we got the entire view of the Fair – it was incredible. We ended the night with a ride on the Ferris wheel – we even made some friends on the ride!
Although we have boat loads of fun travelling from city to city, my favourite part of the whole experience is meeting and getting to know people from all over Ontario and the USA. Sharing these experiences with my team, as well as meeting the many people that NatureFresh™ impacts, is the most rewarding part of being a part of the Greenhouse Education Center team.
I have merely scratched the surface on all the good memories that I’ve made with my GEC team so far this summer, and I can’t wait to make so many more during our last month travelling together. I truly believe this is the most fun and impactful summer job out there!
