If you are a frequent reader of this website, then you are probably aware that I don't look so favorably at the whole world of employment. Therefore, when someone tells me what they do for a living, I almost never think, "Damn, that's so cool!" That is except for one time when someone said, "I live on boats for half the year, sailing through the arctic and docking in countries all over the world." This is how Etienne makes his living. And I can assure you that the person is just as awesome as the job.

I crossed paths with Etienne in Tbilisi Georgia this march, and instantly his chill vibe fit in with the hostel surroundings. When asked about why he came to Georgia, he replied, "I just felt like it," and whenever something was suggested like going on a hike at dawn or searching for a mysterious yet awesome Georgian wine cellar, Etienne was the first to join in. Even when everything was booked in the hostel, he decided to venture out on a spontaneous trip to the mountains.

But then there were the sea stories. As I mentioned before, he literally works on a Canadian merchant ship that sails across the arctic for half the year, and the ridiculous adventures he's already had seemed almost unbelievable. Night after night, he regaled the group of us with tales of barging through icebergs in the arctic to bribing Chinese authorities for alcohol, to nearly capsizing in the Suez Canal. I was a bit doubtful about the last one until he showed me a picture. Now I can fully confirm that it happened.

The standard life wasn't the one for Etienne so he nonchalantly opted out of it and chose is own bizarre yet awesome path around the world and through the frozen north. All the while remaining a chill person, fun to hang out with, and able to down bottles of Georgian wine like a champion. That, in a nutshell, is Etienne.

Be like Etienne: Do something awesome like sail the Arctic and sleep on mountains.