Thoughts
-
Feeling
Not gonna lie these last two months have been an emotional rollercoaster and a half. I’ve been feeling all the feels sadness, anger, disappointment, frustration, fury, love, depression, elation, happiness, pain, bliss, optimism, longing, and so many others. It’s been terribly wonderful. A necessary journey of growth and learning. It’s not my first rodeo, I’ve felt all of these things before, during a variety of different life events, and I can guarantee I’ll feel them again, but each time is different, unique in its own right. I’m sharing this not for empathy or support, I’m sharing this because I want to normalize being open and honest about how we feel. …
-
Acclimating to New Places: When Moving Becomes Normal
I’ve always been astounded at how quickly one can acclimate to new places. Forget about jet lag and travel fatigue. I’m talking about that familiar feeling you get once you’ve grown accustomed to a place. The first time I left the US was in 2012. I moved to South Korea on a yearlong contract to teach English. Although I had traveled quite a bit within the US, I’d had never been to a foreign country. Not even Mexico or Canada—and I’m half Canadian for goodness sakes! After a couple of months in Korea, it became my life. It was almost as if nothing existed before that, although obviously it had.…
-
The Te Araroa Was Great but What Happened to the Rest of 2020?
To say 2020 didn’t quite go the way most people planned would be an understatement. Along with travel restrictions and lockdowns, loved ones were lost, weddings cancelled, and ordinary life completely disheveled. After returning from New Zealand, I struggled in finding a new normal. I stopped working on my travel blog and did my best to separate myself from social media. I just needed a break from it all, a moment to reset and find balance, but I wasn’t quite sure how. It was a difficult journey but beautiful in countless ways. I’ve got a lot planned for 2021, but for now I’ll do a quick flash back on the…
-
Australia: Looking Back
On my flight back to California, I spent my time alternating between blogging and watching Star Trek: Discovery. When I attempted to write this post, I realized that I couldn’t, as, to quote one of my favorite shows, I was “emotionally compromised.” I had held it together pretty well, shedding a few tears while making a farewell Facebook post, but when the first boarding call came over the speakers I broke down. The crying didn’t stop until we were in the air and I managed to lose myself in SciFi. Travel is difficult in countless ways. There are those of us, however, who find the pros outweigh the cons. Australia…
-
Finding Happiness
It’s been almost a month since my last post and a part of me wants to apologize to my readers: I’m sure it’s been annoying not hearing from me. However, I’ve been working on not apologizing for everything and to be honest I’m not really sorry to begin with. When you move to a different country or even city; things happen. You find a full-time job, you go to the gym, you meet people you want to spend every waking moment with, get sick, almost get better, get sick again, and life goes on. Before you know it, a month has passed since your last post and you’ve simply been…
-
Sezdep
It’s been a beat since my last post; life has been doing its thing, and time has run away with me again. Normally, I’ve got several posts lined up to go public automatically, but right now the queue is only one post long. Just a quick note: this post is more of a reflective and educational one rather than about all the awesome adventures I’m undertaking. A few updates: I’m working two jobs, trying to go to the gym every day, socializing with friends on a regular basis, saving as much money as possible, and spending a good amount of time reading on public transit. Writing, both my blog and…
-
The Job Front
So, let’s talk a little bit about jobs. As mentioned in my last post; I hate job hunting. To be honest, I also dislike most of the jobs I’ve had. Anyone, who can find something they are passionate about and make enough money to survive…well, let’s just say, y’all are my heroes. This is something that I strive to find in my lifetime. Most people go to work because they must, not because they want to. Upon arriving in Melbourne, I had every intention of getting a job in hospitality, as that was what I was doing back home. When working anywhere that serves alcohol, you are required to obtain…
-
Bushwalks and Boundless Thoughts
I’m sure I could write multiple blogs about all the different bush walks I did in the Blue Mountains and go into extensive details about the flora and fauna. However, since I recently posted two blogs about ocean walks in Sydney, I felt like five more about walking would be a little overkill. During my three weeks in the Blue Mountains I hiked to Victoria Falls, Govetts Leap via Popes Glen, Asgard Head, Thor Head, Terrace Falls, The Three Sisters via The Prince Henry Cliff Walk, Euroka and Red Hands Cave, and the South Lawson Waterfall Track. See what I mean about overkill? I quite enjoy solo hiking and the…
-
O’hana
When I was looking into flights from Colombia to Australia, I was dismayed to discover they were insanely expensive. Realizing most of them had layovers in Hawaii, I investigated the cost of buying the legs of the journey separately. Initially I saved over seven hundred dollars…initially. I’ve got a bit of o’hana in Hawaii that I hadn’t seen in five years and they were kind enough to take me into their home, feed, and love me. The stop in Hawaii had been planned since before I was robbed in Costa Rica. It took me about five minutes with Jan and Dan to realize that two days wasn’t nearly enough time.…
-
Lazy
I had two options: go to Minca or stay at my hostel and lay by the pool for two days. Minca a small jungle town off the beaten path, with its hammocks overlooking the valley below and abundant cafes, seemed like a lovely getaway. Then again, I was beat. After four days of hiking and nearly thirty mosquito bites, which itched relentlessly due to being allergic, I had had quite enough of the jungle. Side thought: I’ve met so many people who try to cram everything they can into their trip, to maximize the time. Now, I get that if you only have a two-week holiday. But when you travel…
