Farewell 2015

It seems I let this blog fall to the wayside for the latter half of 2015. After returning home to Vancouver in June, things really picked up for me and I found myself constantly struggling with the feeling of exhaustion. I thought I'd throw together a summary of the last half of the year because it was a pretty incredible one. Although I was busy with work, I did my best to strike a balance. It was so important to me knowing that I would be back in school this year to take the time to satisfy my desire for the unknown.

I returned home in June and attended my university convocation. I finished my classes the previous December, but officially walked across the stage and received my degree then. It was straight back to work a few days after returning home, and things were pretty much non-stop from then.

I worked all through July and August, but managed to get some exploring in during this time. We took a summer camp group to San Francisco for a week and had a chance to visit some of the major landmarks there. I definitely did not feel as if I really had the chance to see the city, so I'm hoping that I'll get a chance to visit again in the future. There's so much I'd like to do without having to manage 45 youth. It was also nice to be a tourist in my own city. I love Vancouver (even if my constant need to be elsewhere begs to differ).

In September things settled down only slightly, and we visited Victoria for a weekend getaway. I love Victoria and find it such a quaint and peaceful little city. We didn't do anything spectacular, just walked around a lot and tried to take advantage of the fact that it wasn't raining. It was nice to have a super relaxing mini-vacation that did not require lots of planning.

October was spent at home. I had finally grown into a regular work routine and felt slightly less frazzled than I had since arriving back here. We took a day trip down to Seattle to celebrate my nephew's first birthday. We made the obligatory stop at Pike Place Market before making our way back to the ice cream party. It's always lovely to be able to spend time with family. At the end of the month, I headed out to Regina to visit with the other side of my family and help out a little where I could. We even journeyed out to Saskatoon for a day while I was there. This was definitely the most chill trip that I've taken all year. It was fun to drive around the city with my cousins and just spend time together; as we get older we have fewer and fewer chances to all be in the same place.

In November, I set off to Europe with just a backpack and a rail pass. My first stop was London, where a spent a few days with my great aunt. She's a sister with a church in Wealdstone and it was such a fun experience staying with the sisters. It was an incredibly warm and homey atmosphere and I wished that I had dedicated more time to being there. We visited the Natural History Museum, the British Museum, and Buckingham Palace among others. These places were all so incredible and I feel as if I haven't done them justice - another trip is definitely in order. I moved on with my journey as I headed out to Reading to visit with more family and we spent a day in Oxford as well.

My next stop was Amsterdam. I boarded the train at King's Cross Station and ventured onto the solo part of my adventure in Europe. Amsterdam was such a beautiful and historic city. I spent hours upon hours walking through the 17th century canal ring. I also did a guided walking tour that did a wonderful job of explaining some of the history and culture of the city. It definitely felt like a place that people went to have fun; there was a serious party atmosphere almost everywhere that I went.

I had intended to visit Brussels and/ or Bruges following this, but do to the heightened security and lockdown being experienced after the Paris bombings, I decided to skip Belgium altogether. The entire city of Brussels was basically shut down, and I was already feeling the tension passing through days earlier. So, I changed routes and ended up in Lille, just on the border in the north of France. Lille was such a beautiful little city. I loved that a lot of it was based around the older city structures, such as the train station and the citadel. The weather was far more agreeable in Lille, which made it perfect to walk and explore every day. I loved visiting the zoo in Lille, as it's just open and connected to a park in the heart of the city.

My fourth and final destination was Paris. I stayed in the Montmartre district just a stone's throw from the Sacre-Coeur. Paris awed me, and I fell in love almost immediately. I could not get over how breathtakingly beautiful the entire city was; there was so much history and grandeur everywhere I went. I spent the very first evening walking, talking, and having pastries with a stranger from my hostel until we reached the lookout point at the Sacre-Coeur where I got to take in the city lights of the first time. I could not have asked for a more perfect introduction to this magical place, and every moment after that was equally as inspiring. I got to see the city from the top of the Eiffel Tower, strolled down to to Moulin Rouge, dipped my fingers in holy water at the Notre-Dame, and spent hours exploring the Louvre. It was hard to say goodbye to Paris, and I'm certain that I will return.

I came home in December ready to settle into the holiday season. To me, Christmas is about family and friends and coming together with people to share in the spirit. There's a lot of baking, present wrapping, and holiday music that happens. To my surprise however, I ended up being asked to go on a last-minute work trip to China! We left on Boxing Day and were there for less than a week, making it home just in time to ring in the new year. We spent the trip in a smaller city north of Shanghai called Xuzhou where we did presentations, ran activities and worked with students there for three days. Although I was incredibly hesitant about the trip prior to leaving, it turned out well and I was glad to have been able to spend time doing something that I love.

2015 was truly a year of adventures. I could not be more thankful for the opportunities and experiences that I have had, and would not change a single thing about this past year. I am even more thankful for the family and friends that support me and love me unconditionally (and always keep their arms and doors open for me). I've started 2016 with a lot of thoughts and questions regarding the future. I know that this year I'm locked down in Vancouver as I embark on my second educational journey, but there are so many options available for the future and this excites me so, so much.

xx.

Unexpected Adventures

Last week I packed my bags and headed to Singapore and Vietnam for a few days. I didn't have much of a plan and was ready to just go with the flow when I arrived. My layover in Singapore was long, but thankfully it was a beautiful airport with lots to do. Wish I had a chance to go out and see the city but the timing didn't quite work out. I guess that just gives me an excuse to go back!

Flying out of Ho Chi Minh City.

As for Vietnam, when I arrived I had no plan and very little sleep so I headed straight to the hostel to check in and drop off my things. The moment I walked in the door I felt completely at home. I rinsed off, changed, and joined everyone for breakfast. The place felt incredibly warm and I knew then that it would be hard to leave. An hour later, I was on the back of a moped with people that I had just met. We ended up exploring Saigon for the next 10 hours and I had the most amazing day. 

The little lake resort that we spent our afternoon at.

We visited the market and walked through the aisles that sold everything from fresh seafood and hot meals to clothing and accessories. Our next destination was this little lake resort where we sat down with cold drinks and tried all the fruits we picked up at the market. It was incredible to sit out on the dock and watch all the plants float by. After that we headed over to a fishing spot where we didn't catch any fish, but had some really great food. After that, we popped down the road to go shrimp fishing. We ended up hanging out there for quite some time before heading back to the city. When we got back to the city we visited Little Tokyo and the city centre and just walked around. After that we called it a night. 

Boating through the mangrove forest.

My second day in Ho Chi Minh City was equally as amazing. We started off the day by heading to the backpackers' district where we had lunch. Then we drove out to Monkey Island - it was such a beautiful ride and so much fun to be in the rural areas. We got to the nature reserve where we got to feed the monkeys, boat through the mangrove forest and feed crocodiles. We boated out to this amazing area in the forest that had all these huts set up with descriptions about the war. It was better than being at a museum and something I won't forget. After Monkey Island we headed out to the beach to grab a snack before our long journey home. We finished off the night with one last dinner before I ended up falling asleep on the kitchen floor and waking up with a kitten hanging out on my head. 

Our lunch spot in the Backpackers' District.

I had the most incredible time in Vietnam and I am having serious withdrawals at the moment. It was the most amazing adventure and not having a plan really paid off. It was a holiday that I would never have even imagined having but I honestly would not change a thing. I fell in love with Vietnam and really wish now that I had more time there. I definitely want to go back and hopefully sooner rather than later. I'm so thankful that I met the most wonderful and warm people to share this adventure with. The highlight of my trip was definitely when we were on the country roads and the sun was setting, lightning was lighting up the sky, and I felt in the moment that there was no where else that I belonged more; I felt free. It all seems a bit surreal looking back on it now, but I suppose that's what made it perfect. 

xx. 

Fernweh

I recently stumbled upon this word and felt like it described my perfectly. Fernweh is a German noun that means the opposite of homesickness; it is a longing for a faraway place that you do not know. It is the urge to discover new places, a need for distance and the desire to experience something far away by escaping the present and travelling. 

Being a tourist in Hong Kong. Walled villages in Tai Po.

My heart has been craving a place that it doesn't yet know. I've had this deep desire to travel and be alone recently. It's not that I don't enjoy the company that I have here and that I don't want to go on a holiday with people, but my heart is longing to be somewhere on my own. I really want to experience complete independence in a place that I know nothing about. Something about this idea has me entirely convinced that this is exactly what will make me happy right now. I'm ready to take the dive. 

Dragon and Tiger Towers in the Lotus Pond Scenic Area in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.

In other news, I spent three days in Kaohsiung, Taiwan last week. It was a pretty relaxing city and a nice little getaway. The weather was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed walking around and seeing all the different temples and buildings and what not. We even managed to fit in a run in the morning on our second day. I've been trying to run a little more consistently but the heat and humidity here makes it very difficult for me to find the motivation to do so. 

Cijin Island in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Beautiful little place only 10 minutes from the city. 

It's actually a bit surreal to me that I'll be going home in less than 50 days. Without a doubt, things are going to fall back into a routine rather quickly. At the moment I'm having a hard time trying to figure out if that's really what I need. As much as I want to travel and continue to explore and experience new things, there is a part of me that misses home each time that I am away. That part of grounds me and reminds me of why my heart still considers one place home. Although Hong Kong feels more and more like home each time I come, there are little things that I miss that I'm always trying to find and recreate. I'm ready to make the most out of the month and a half that I have left and focus on just enjoying myself and living in the present. 

xx. 

Settling

It has taken me a shockingly long time to settle in here in Hong Kong, and there are times when I feel as if I'm still not quite there yet. It's been a very chaotic few weeks, but I have a semi-regular schedule now that makes me feel a little bit more calm about being here. I'm working part-time at a learning centre and private tutoring on the side and it's given my schedule incredible flexibility. I feel as if I haven't properly taken advantage of this yet. I have yet to establish a regular workout/ running schedule and the holidays have left me feeling stuffed and overly satisfied. It has been a really nice couple of weeks with family and friends and lots of visits. The next month is looking pretty packed already but I'm really looking forward to having visitors and hanging out.

5:30am adventure to catch the sunrise at The Peak.

I'm slowly crossing things off on my list of things to do in Hong Kong, but while I do that I seem to be constantly adding new items. It's crazy to think that I only have about 3.5 months left here. I'm trying to plan a couple of trips at the moment as I hope to visit some new destinations before I have to head home. I'm lusting for exploration and unfamiliarity already. I've got my heart set on a few places and I'm hoping to get on top of booking everything mid-March so that I can start researching and figuring out exactly what I want to get up to. I get so incredibly excited thinking about flying and travelling and I haven't even booked anything yet!

Visiting with a friend's family - 23 stories up and such an amazing angle.

The time so far in Hong Kong has been so lovely. I've had a chance to catch up with friends and family and spend quality time with them. We've been busy as we moved, so a whole week was spent cleaning, painting and building furniture. Our new flat is incredible though, and I feel so at home here it's really lovely. I tried to find the promenade I was told about to head out for a short run but can't seem to make it past all the construction that's happening right now. Ended up not feeling very well and cutting it even shorter to come home. Hopefully I get to try again sometime this week. Aside from that, there's just been a lot of random errands and work. I absolutely love the learning centre that I'm at right now and I couldn't be luckier to have landed a part-time position there. The students are amazing and the rest of the staff are incredibly kind and friendly.

Lunar New Year visits to family in Kwun Tong.

I felt compelled to sit down and write tonight, but I'm finding now that I have very little to say. I have nothing of real interest to share. It's been tough being here in Hong Kong this time around, as I miss home quite a bit. It's strange for me as well because it's the first time that I won't be returning to head straight back to school (which I finally received my letter of confirmation for convocation from!). It's exciting to know that when I get my certificate and will officially be done with my undergraduate career but at the same time it's slightly terrifying to think that I have the option to not attend school anymore. Although that's not what I have planned, knowing that is still a daunting thought. I feel like I'm rambling now so I'm going to cut myself off before I continue to go on and on about nothing at all.

xx