Jean Duffy, a former media specialist at Wakefield High School, has begun to cross things off of her bucket list. In the past year alone, Duffy has been to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, allowing the different cultures to enlighten and inspire her.

“I wanted to go somewhere I had never been before,” said Duffy. “It was my first trip to Europe.”

Of the three stops Duffy made on a fourteen day trip, she made it plain that Sweden was her top pick.

“I didn’t get to see as much of Sweden as I wanted to see,” said Duffy. “I would love to go back.

However, Duffy still received the opportunity to immerse herself into the culture and lifestyle of Stockholm, Sweden.

“[Stockholm] wasn’t as bustling as New York or Chicago, but [it was] pristine and clean with nice people,” said Duffy. “Everybody spoke English and it was just such an easy place to be [in].”

Duffy’s most recent expedition was to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada to see polar bears in the wild.

“It takes until around the end of November or December for enough ice to form on the Hudson Bay to hold the polar bears that den there,” said Duffy. “[The bears] are waiting for the ice to form so they can hunt seals for six or seven months out of the year.”

Duffy also had the opportunity to learn about the protocol set in place for when bears wander into town.

“[The people of Churchill] have a bear jail where they keep the bears for about two weeks.  The bears are only given water, because it isn’t like they are eating anyway,” said Duffy. “While the bears are there, they are tagged and later shipped off by helicopter about thirty miles outside of town.”

Duffy’s latest escapades have also given her a chance to think back on her younger years, including the experience she had at the Woodstock concert in 1969.

“There’s certainly nothing like it now, especially considering the fact that there wasn’t any crowd control [back in 1969],” said Duffy. “There were over 300,000 people and New York wasn’t prepared for us, let alone the small town where the concert took place.”

Duffy looks back on Woodstock as a part of her growth as a person, and while Duffy experienced Woodstock when she was merely a young adult, she hasn’t lost her longing for adventure.  In fact, her retirement has given her the opportunity to go on adventures and take some time for herself.

“I feel like my life has taken a much-needed step,” said Duffy. “I have spent most of my life so far working and doing things for other people, but now I am blessed to have the opportunity to do things for myself and on my own time rather than everybody else’s.”