BY
      SEAN
      MCQUAID
     
    

    
     
      MASSIMO
      OSTROUSKA
      IS
      AN
      IMPOSING
     
     
      figure:
      tall,
      athletic,
      long-haired
      and
      sun-
     
     
      bronzed.
      The
      good-humoured
      Italian
      looks
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      like
      he
      just
      stepped
      out
      of
      a
      beer
      commercial;
     
     
      however,
      Ostrouska’s
      activities
      are
      much
      more
     
     
      ambitious.
      The
      25-year
      old
      cyclist
      is
      currently
      in
     
     
      the
      midst
      of
      a
      bicycle
      trip
      from
      Alaska
      to
      Argen-
     
     
      tina,
      with
      plenty
      of
      sightseeing
      along
      the
      way.
     
    

    
     
      It’s
      the
      sightseeing
      that
      briefly
      brought
     
     
      Ostrouska
      to
      PEI,
      where
      he
      boarded
      with
      UPEI
     
     
      professor
      Charles
      Blouin.
      After
      reaching
      Van-
     
     
      couver
      Ostrouska
      decided
      he
      might
      as
      well
     
     
      travel
      cross-country
      and
      see
      Canada
      in
      its
      en-
     
     
      tirety
      while
      he
      was
      in
      the
      neighbourhood.
      He
     
     
      will
      then
      bike,
      walk
      and
      hitch-hike
      back
      west-
     
     
      ward
      before
      resuming
      his
      bicycle
      trip
      to
      Argen-
     
     
      tina.
     
    

    
     
      Ostrouska’s
      parents
      were
      born
      in
      an
      Ital-
     
     
      ian
      region
      of
      what
      became
      Yugoslavia
      after
     
     
      World
      War
      II,
      and
      later
      moved
      to
      Italy
      itself
      to
     
     
      preserve
      their
      culture.
      Ostrouska
      himself
      grew
     
     
      up
      in
      Italy,
      where,
      in
      his
      words,
      he
      had
      every-
     
     
      thing:
      a
      good
      job
      as
      an
      electrician,
      an
      apartment,
     
     
      acar,anda
      girlfriend.
      Why,
      then,
      did
      he
      recently
     
     
      sell
      everything
      he
      owned,
      quit
      his
      job,
      and
      set
      out
     
     
      to
      travel
      the
      Americas
      on
      a
      bicycle?
     
    

    
     
      *’I
      felt
      old,’’
      Ostrouska
      says.
      ‘‘It
      felt
      like
     
     
      I
      finished
      my
      life.
      In
      that
      situation,
      you
      can
      live
     
     
      until
      you
      die.’’
      Tired
      of
      his
      comfortable
      but
     
     
      empty
      existence,
      Ostrouska
      decided
      he
      wanted
     
     
      an
      adventure
      while
      he
      was
      still
      young
      enough
      to
     
     
      have
      one.
      So,
      in
      June,
      he
      travelled
      to
      Prudeau
     
    
   
   
    
     
      From
      Alaska
      to
      Argentina
     
    
   
   
    
     
      An
      Italian
      adventurer
      sees
      the
      world
      on
      his
      bicycle
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Bay,
      Alaska,
      and
      began
      his
      journey
      to
      the
     
     
      southernmost
      city
      of
      Argentina.
     
    

    
     
      *’Travelling
      is
      the
      best
      way
      to
      learn
     
     
      about
      the
      world,’’
      he
      maintains,
      citing
      his
     
     
      acquisition
      of
      a
      variety
      of
      languages
      (includ-
     
     
      ing
      some
      English)
      as
      proof.
      He
      loves
      to
      learn
     
     
      about
      the
      people
      and
      culture
      of
      a
      given
      re-
     
     
      gion,
      and
      insists
      that
      to
      do
      this
      you
      must
      live
     
     
      among
      them
      and
      interact
      with
      them,
      even
      if
     
     
      only
      for
      a
      short
      time.
      ‘‘The
      most
      beautiful
     
     
      thing
      is
      to
      live
      with
      the
      people,
      to
      talk
      to
     
     
      them,
      to
      understand
      them.”’
      Itis
      this
      cultural
     
     
      curiosity
      that
      takes
      him
      on
      side-trips,
      like
      the
     
     
      one
      to
      Atlantic
      Canada.
     
    

    
     
      **T
      wanted
      to
      see
      [eastern
      Canada]
     
     
      because
      it’s
      the
      part
      that
      is
      richest
      in
      his-
     
     
      tory,’’
      he
      says,
      pointing
      out
      how
      the
      first
     
     
      settlers
      of
      North
      America
      came
      here
      and
      that
     
     
      Canada
      was
      founded
      in
      the
      east.
     
    

    
     
      Ostrouska
      partially
      attributes
      his
      wan-
     
     
      derlust
      to
      Italian
      culture:
      ‘‘We
      don’t
      move
      as
     
     
      muchas
      [North
      Americans]
      do.
      I
      lived
      for
      24
     
     
      years
      in
      the
      same
      place.’’
      Consequently,
     
     
      Ostrouska
      hopes
      to
      travel
      as
      muchas
      possible
     
     
      and
      absorb
      as
      much
      culture
      as
      he
      can.
     
    

    
     
      In
      Alaska,
      for
      instance,
      helived
      among
     
     
      hunters
      and
      learned
      their
      skills.
      ““They
      have
     
     
      to
      work
      for
      survival,’’
      he
      marvels.
      He
      is
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fascinated
      by
      peoples
      in
      harsh
      environments,
     
    
   
   
    
     
      but
      says
      his
      favourite
      locales
      are
      the
      cities,
     
     
      ‘*because
      they
      have
      a
      lot
      of
      girls.’”
      Man
      does
     
     
      not
      live
      by
      cultural
      enrichment
      alone,
      after
      all.
     
    

    
     
      An
      entirely
      different
      kind
      of
      city
     
     
      prompted
      Ostrouska’s
      American
      odyssey:
      the
     
     
      ancient
      Incan
      city
      of
      Macchupicchu,
      discov-
     
     
      ered
      in
      1911
      and
      visited
      by
      Ostrouska
      on
      a
     
     
      lonely
      moonlit
      night
      during
      his
      first
      major
      trip
     
     
      outside
      Italy.
      This
      exotic,
      near_mystical
      expe-
     
     
      rience
      was
      unlike
      anything
      Ostrouska
      had
      ever
     
     
      known
      before,
      and
      inspired
      him
      to
      see
      the
     
     
      world.
     
    

    
     
      Similarly,
      his
      encounters
      with
      the
      con-
     
     
      tinent’s
      natives
      inspired
      him
      to
      see
      the
      people
     
     
      of
      the
      world.
      The
      people
      of
      Latin
      America
     
     
      were
      the
      first
      people
      he
      met
      in
      the
      Americas,
     
     
      and
      he
      was
      amazed
      at
      how
      different
      their
      life
     
     
      was
      from
      his,
      and
      yet
      so
      contented.
      *‘They
      are
     
     
      poor,
      they
      have
      nothing,
      but
      they
      are
      happy
      to
     
     
      live.”
     
    

    
     
      Ostrouska
      hopes
      to
      find
      similar
     
     
      fulfillment
      in
      his
      new
      nomadic
      lifestyle,
      living
     
     
      on
      the
      road
      with
      only
      his
      bicycle,
      tent,
      sleeping
     
     
      bag,
      camp
      stove
      and
      clothing.
      After
      his
      trip
      he
     
     
      plans
      to
      work,
      and
      perhaps
      write
      a
      book
      about
     
     
      his
      travels.
      Regardless,
      he
      expects
      to
      be
      a
     
     
      different
      person
      at
      his
      journey’s
      end:
      more
     
     
      experienced
      ‘‘and
      maybe
      more
      wise.
      I
      hope.”’