Sunday, January 11, 2009

Cheers to a New Year & another chance to get it right!

"I do think New Year's resolutions can't technically be expected to begin on New Year's Day, don't you? Since, because it's an extension of New Year's Eve, smokers are already on a smoking roll and cannot be expected to stop abruptly on the stroke of midnight with so much nicotine in the system. Also dieting on New Year's Day isn't a good idea as you can't eat rationally but really need to be free to consume whatever is necessary, moment by moment, in order to ease your hangover. I think it would be much more sensible if resolutions began generally on January the second. "

~Helen Fielding, Bridget Jones's Diary

... Okay- so I pushed it a little bit further than the 2nd... say- the 12th? Heck- what difference does it make so long as we`re still close to the beginning of the New Year and have 300+ days to look forward to? I`ve been a little late getting my act together. It`s not because I`ve been particularly occupied, but you know how it goes. The 1st is still technically a holiday. And then school doesn`t really begin until the 5th. And the first week is really only half of a work week since it started on a Tuesday. Anyways- scrap all that! Tomorrow is a Monday, it is a full week, and it is most definitely NOT A HOLIDAY---- so all bad habits are out the door from here on in!

I know we don`t tend to stick to the resolutions that we make for ourselves at the dawn of a New Year, but I`d really like to this year & you just never know! Maybe I`ll take myself by surprise this year. Maybe not. All I know for sure is that a New Year wouldn`t be a New Year if we didn`t at least pretend that we were motivated to make some changes in our lives. So here goes- my 2009 resolutions defined (alas!):

1). Start running.
(This year I`ve learned in my psychology courses that we are in our prime (physically) in our mid 20`s. This being said- I want to get my body into great shape!)

2). Healthy eating leading to losing 10 lbs
(need to shed the 8 lbs I put on while living in the country)

3). Travel to at least 5 countries.

4). Take part in more humanitarian work.

5). Find a hobby. (Yoga?)

6). Spend my money more wisely & save for September.

7). Let my hair down & put myself "out there" more (not so stand offish)

8). Live for the moment & worry less about tomorrow...

9). Be a social drinker & not a binge one.

10). Interact more with nature (especially when traveling)

11). Be a better person (kinder, etc)

12). Smile more.

13). Take more time to write.

14). Learn to apply make-up.

Merry Christmas to all... and to all a Good Night!


Another year has come and gone (and another 8 weeks of bumming around home in my pyjamas have also come and gone... ) I will be flying out of Halifax on Friday morning- just a few short days away & am beginning to think that 8 weeks at home was probably a little bit too long of a vacation. Afterall- as humans- we adapt & when given the chance, we are able to easily adapt to our current surroundings and settle back to our previous environments... I am well aware that I need to do something more with my life than wake up at noon each day, read book after book, and indulge in bubble bath after bubble bath. My bank account needs refilling, there are about a billion more countries that I want to explore, and with the possibility of university just around the corner... my freedom clock is a ticking! Mind you- 8 weeks surrounded by the comforts of home & all that is familiar- it becomes that much harder to revert back to the "backpacker" lifestyle. There`s something rather comforting about having your clothes sit in a dresser, or to lie your head in a bed that consistently has the same comfort level. It`s nice to turn on the television and be able to tune into the comforts of the sitcoms you grew up with. Privacy & personal space are also much appreciated!
I know that I will be fine once I am on my way. I go through this little "freak out" every time it comes to leaving the comforts of a place I`ve adapted to. If I remember correctly, I was on the verge of a panic attack last year when it came to leaving for Australia- I thought every ache & pain I experienced was a sign that I shouldn`t go. It seems like a lifetime ago now, but when I was leaving the country pub in Western Australia- I remember thinking to myself "I wonder if I could get away with just one more night- I CAN`T LEAVE NOW!"--- and going through my breathing exercises to relieve the immense symptoms of anxiety I was feeling as I rolled my luggage along the hallway of the Inn. Again- within mere hours I was quite content with my life moving forward.

I can`t help but feel a little bit apprehensive about embarking on another adventure- What if things don`t go as smoothly as last time? What if I hate the people I work for, the job, the town? What if this year doesn`t even compare to the last one?

Nevermind. There`s no reason for me to be frightened or weary. Everything will be ok- it always is. The psychic told me that being brave enough to pack up all my things and ship myself over to Australia was the best thing that I could have ever done for myself (and she was right!)- and that it was just the beginning... I am thankful that I booked my flight to arrive back in Perth because it does make it a bit easier. I know the city, I know that there is work and where to fing it, and I know some other backpackers that I can call upon if need be. I can`t even imagine how scary the idea of heading back to Australia would be if I were arriving in a brand new city!

I just have to keep telling myself- "This is no big deal! You`ve done it many times before & it was easy as pie. You can do this again... It`s what you love best."

Monday, November 24, 2008

Getting my head around things... Home for a rest...

Well- here I am. Home alas & yet I cannot wait to be " on the road again." It`s ironic because as much as I enjoy traveling & exploring the unknown- there always seems to be a countdown going on in the back of my head until I`m back in my own bed- surrounded by everything that it familiar... and yet a few days surrounded by the familiar & my feet are already beginning to itch! I don`t know if other travelers experience this and perhaps it might even be different my second year in Australia- but the grass really always does appear to be greener on the other side. How bizarre...

Anyways, I`ve been home for three weeks now- ample time to relax, study for my remaining psych exam, catch up on all of the shows I`ve missed, and stuff my face with all kinds of Christmas goodies (when really I had intended to spend this time at home undoing the damage of Neta`s cooking in Quindanning--- the pub where I stayed for 16 weeks to get my second year visa). I`m just going to enjoy it while it lasts & take each day one at a time. In about five weeks or so- I`ll be stuffing my clothing back into my backpack (which I might actually trade in for a suitcase) & will be boarding a plane back to Australia. And this time I`m going to try my best to live in the moment & not have this constant forecast of the future... I`m going to lie back & enjoy the uncertainty of tomorrow. Not everything needs to be perfect. Not everything needs to be planned. These are some important things I`ve learned about myself this year. I try too hard to control everything around me. Not everything needs to be written in an agenda. Things change. It`s ok.

While home, I am going to be applying for two schools for admission into the Bachelor of Social work program for this upcoming September. It will be interesting to see if I get in--- and probably a whole lot more interesting to see if I actually end up going if I do. The thing is- this is hands down my absolute last shot in Australia- my final 12 months! And I love Australia. I really REALLY do. I love the weather, the lifestyle, the high standard of living, its diversity, its people... And if I leave it behind to go back to school in September- I`ll be throwing away 5 good months in Australia. I love how uncertain my future in Australia is when I`m there... It`s like a rollercoaster ride! Yet, back in school in Canada- It`ll be back to that boring & predictable (no social life) life I was so desperate to escape 2 years ago when I finally left behind Halifax & my student status... Hmmmm... All I know is that I`m not going to make any decisions now. I will wait and see what happens in a few months time when I receive word from the universities whether or not my application for admittance has been approved. Time will tell...

Just a few words on my past year abroad---

Getting on that plane & sending myself as far away from home as I possibly could (all by myself) was the best thing I could have done for myself. I learned more about the world around me & about myself than I have learned in the past 24 years of my life here on earth. I had a blast & never imagined that it would be half as great an experience as it was. If someone were to ask me what my favorite part of the trip was, what my favorite country was, or where I enjoyed myself the most--- I wouldn`t even be able to answer them. All of my experiences were unique & great in different ways and it would be therefore impossible to compare them. Of course each place I was had its fair share of times in which I thought I couldn`t bare another minute & also of times in which I couldn`t imagine ever having to leave... everything had its good & bad points, but overall--- all of the experiences were worthwhile! As I`m about to go back into the world a third time--- there are quite a few things that I`ve learned that I want to do differently & I will. I want to go out there with an even MORE open mind & I want things to just happen... one day at a time...
Here are some pics taken while home (this time around...):
























Aloha from Hawaii!


Overall, my year in the world has been the greatest learning experience of my life and I can only hope that my next adventure overseas into the unknown will prove to be just as enlightening. Among the many things that I came to learn in this past year- is that you have to take things one day at a time or you`ll wind up going crazy. I`ve learned that the flights we want aren`t always the ones we get, that hindrances like expired passports and required country visas sometimes stand in our way, and that as much as you research and think that your trip plans may be finalized- there`s always the chance that you`ll come across something that makes all the more sense- and you grab it! Just like that- any number of a million different factors can drastically alter your adventure`s course... and so they have!
While I should be writing this entry from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam- I write it from the island of Oahu in Hawaii. For months I had researched and planned a November stint in an orphanage in Vietnam, but in the end it did not work out the way that I wanted it to. The position I was offered dealt with children suffering from abnormalities, & physical and mental disabilities, and though it seemed like a good opportunity to lend a helping hand- I knew it wasn`t "my thing." Someday I hope to work along the lines of international adoptions, and so I would like to work in your typical developing country orphanage. In addition to the initial blow that the assignment wasn`t what I had in mind, I was living in Quindanning (45 minutes away from internet access) and I couldn`t get the necessary paperwork (visa for Vietnam entrance & passport renewed) in time for my trip`s start date.
I was starting to stress abit at the time about what I was going to do and where I would go for the month of November with Vietnam no longer a feasible option. I wouldn`t have been stressing if not for the simple fact that I just didn`t have the access to internet needed to fully research other possible routes. In the end, I trekked into the nearest down with Hayden, one of the Quinny locals who works in town, and spent a full day on the internet looking up flights, etc. In the end, I decided to extend my work at the pub by an extra 2 weeks & booked a flight for home with a stopover in Hawaii (Why not?). Stopping in Hawaii was my cheapest option and I decided that I would make it a 6-day beach holiday before heading home. I decided I may as well just head home as opposed to traveling anywhere else until December because I knew I just didn`t have the time to do the research I would need to do, anyways.
Probably the dumbest idea of my entire trip was that of spending three nights alone in a hotel in Perth before flying out to Honolulu on the Tuesday. I spent 16 weeks literally surrounded 24/7 by people. We lived three girls practically on top of one another, when we weren`t chatting it up with hundreds of different people from behind the bar, we were doing so from the other side of the bar, or we were hanging out in groups around the fire outside, or talking with the women in the kitchen. There was always someone banging some kind of a tool or shouting outside my bedroom window, always someone to talk to, and always someone to hang around with. And all of a sudden my world had turned upside down and I was standing on a busy city street all by myself or sitting in my hotel room - all by myself. It probably wasn`t as depressing as I make it out to be, but it was just a little bit too much time to think things over. I may have only been in Quindanning for 16 weeks, but because I spent every waking hour surrounded by the same people- it felt as if I had known them my entire life. Without a doubt- of all the places I`ve had to leave- I would say that Quindanning was the hardest to say good-bye to. It`s always hard to look people in the eye and know that you are more or less saying good- bye forever. I know that with the passing of time I`ll often find myself wondering what all of the locals are up to & how the pub has changed (or whether it has at all). I used to joke to the others that I felt as though Red was my cranky uncle from down the street & as I say this- I wonder what he is doing right now... haha.
Anyways, after a 9 hr flight to Honolulu, I took a shuttle to the "Waikiki Gateway Hotel" about a 5 minute walk to the world famous beach. Of course my room wasn`t yet ready because it was still before 8am, so I went and grabbed some breakfast at the restaurant across the street (a veggie omelette...mmmm!) At noon, my room was still not ready and I was honestly too jetlagged to wander the streets any longer, so I quickly accepted a $5 upgrade to a room with a kitchenette and a balcony- and was on my way. I was tired to the point where I was near tears that my room was still not ready! haha. And so the next 6 days were spent lounging by the pool trying desperately to add some color to my now white skin (after an Aussie winter in Quindanning), exploring the shops (where I spent the majority of my time), walking around the streets, and shopping at the nearby Ala Moana outdoor shopping centre. I really didn`t do anything very touristy and didn`t take in any of the culture, but sometimes we just need a bit of space and time to unwind. Afterall, I had been gone a year and was on the last leg of my adventure- I didn`t want to have to do the hostel thing--- I wanted to be alone with ample of time to reflect on my year abroad... and that`s exactly what I did... and still am doing! (haha)




My thoughts on Hawaii: I can`t say that I would ever necessarily want to go there again. After being on some of the beaches I was on in Southeast Asia, I didn`t find Waikiki beach to be anything very special at all. I found the shops to be full of REALLY tacky souvenirs (aka. junk). The feel of the city was that of being caught between an American influence & a Japanese one. The beach boasted brown sand. The shops that weren`t tacky were too high end to even consider walking into. Then again- I didn`t go to any of the shows or a Lu`au- so maybe had I taken in some of the culture my thoughts on Hawaii may have been a little bit more positive. Overall, I enjoyed my time in Hawaii, but I won`t be going out of my way to plan another stopover there in the near future. There are just too many other places to discover and explore.

"Utes", Johnie Cash, Cowboy hats, & Sheep pastures= Feeling as though I`ve gone back in time 50 years...

16 weeks spent living virtually in the middle of nowhere 2 hours southeast of Perth. The nearest gas station/ grocery store/ internet facilities were 45 minutes away. At times I literally felt as though I had gone back 50 years in time--- seeing the farmers pull up at the pub with their old style "utes" with their sheep dogs on the back while the farmers sipped an afternoon beer to Johny Cash in the background.... hehe

At times I felt so absolutely lonely & isolated- frustrated at being so cut off from the rest of the world, but I lived there with two other girls and we got each other through it with our "shenanigans." The locals were really friendly & such characters! The pub/restaurant was really busy for the most part (which kept us on our toes)--- and the scenery & surroundings were beautiful. I was so sure that I couldn`t wait to leave and yet at the end of 16 weeks I was absolutely devastated when it began to register that the ending was near... Even now- 4 weeks later- I still think about good `ol Quinny all of the time. I wonder whose at the pub, what the locals are talking about, what band is playing this Thursday...etc etc. It`s funny how we see things differently once we remove ourselves from the situation. The hardest part to adapt to was going from always being surrounded by someone (we`d always be sitting in the pub when we weren`t working surrounded by people or us girls would be at home in the crash palace with each other)--- to being completely alone all of a sudden with no one to talk to. I decided to check into a motel in Perth for three nights to relax and have my own space. At the time it seemed like a smart idea- but once I was dropped off I found myself not knowing what to do with myself or with all of the space at my finger tips all of a sudden...

Quinny will always be a fond memory. I think perhaps my constant thoughts of it to this day are the result of feeling as though there was no closure in respect to certain aspects of the experience. One minute things were just like they had been for the past three months- and the next I`m saying good-bye as though I`m just going for a short ride when really my bags are packed at the door--- and this is good- bye forever...