On The (Air) Road Again!

Well, here I am, waiting for my first flight of 2013 to take off and literally all I can think of is how bloody glad I am to get the hell out of the north and all it means to me. If I were in a metaphorical mood, I’d wax poetic about how the coldness of the place reflects the coldness of the more ‘human’ atmosphere, but I’m not in a mood to do so. Besides, the World Wide We is hardly a place to air my dirty laundry in such a traceable way. The people I’m speaking of might find it.

On a happier note, tonight I get to call my best friend again (missed you, babe!) and sleep in my bed, with my pillows and my view. As this is a combination of tree branches, the dorms across from me and a road, you can tell it’s really something special. I’ll have to show you sometime.

Ah, I amuse me. What else can I waste out collective time with?

Oh! I was reading Kimberly Gould’s most recent blog post, and turns out that Cargon: Duty and Sacrifice is nearly ready to be on my shelf! She’s reading the…______ (can’t remember the term), which means it’s all set up in book format, and all that’s left—assuming I understand and remember correctly, ha!—is title art and press! Fantastically exciting. (As I’m typing this, I’m reading it back in a British accent. Do it with me, it makes everything classier. Try it. Read ‘buggery fuck’ in proper English, and all of a sudden, you’re proper when you insult people!)

(Yes, I have a slightly unhealthy adoration for the British accent. No, I shan’t change that.)

Looks like we might be getting ready to at least do safety announcements…so I suppose I’ll bugger off now and read my lovely fanfic while I wait for four hours to get to Edmonton. Camrose, here I come!

Hiatus

Ugh, it's my last night at home before I fly of to Atlin for the next three weeks. Jolly good.

I'm looking forward to coming back on January sixth, though!

Unfortunately, this will probably be the last post of 2012, as there isn't likely to be internet where I'm going. So, I bid thee farewell, and my best tidings for the Yuletide.

(No idea where that came from, but roll with it, yeah?)

See you next year!

Trimmed To Travel

I've been (sketchily) following the BodyRock program, and doing some more walking and jogging. Tonight I've got a 2100h jogging date with some girls on my floor—night jogging, ready, okay!

I don't know what that was about—apparently I'm on a cheer squad, too…?

Couldn't hurt. For me, the hardest part is getting up to do the workouts—especially if I don't have to be up for a while. Hmph. Once I get past the first week, though, I'll be getting through it easier as it becomes a routine. Definitely looking forward to it!

On another note…I'm looking into going abroad again this summer (the travel bug seems to hit me around this time each year…). This summer it would be a working holiday to Ireland, for May-mid August. I'd be doing this via the SWAP program, and have a one-year visa to Ireland. The reason I'm holding off on France and the UK is simply because I don't want to only have three and a half months there—I want the full life of my visa. One year for France, two for UK.

I can see me living and working in Edinburgh, travelling up to Stirling and around Loch Ness, down to London, visiting the southern parts of the island…hmm.

I can equally see my self in France, perhaps back in the Bordeilles region that I was in last year.

I also considered Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, but I think Ireland would be the country I'd be most okay with visiting for only three months—especially since I've already been there. I've toured it, now I want to live it!

Club Lag

This weekend was interesting—I went out both Friday and Saturday nights, as a sort of belated birthday/we-miss-you event, and was immersed in the culture that is clubbing.

Ha!

I couldn't keep a straight face while writing that, how about you, reading?

So…drunks, dirty-dancing, spilled drinks, shouting, ringing ears, sub-woofers, freezing-while-waiting-for-a-cab…. 'Bout sums it up. Of course, I don't actually drink, so I get to alternately laugh my pants off and worry for the sanity of our race when I watch others do so.

I don't really know what else to say on the topic—but going out twice in as many nights isn't good for me. I can do one night/day of five sleeping hours, but not two! I usually make sure to go to bed early after a late- or all-nighter.

Which is what I'm doing tonight. I've been in my PJ's since 1800h, waiting for it to be a respectable enough time to crawl into bed and be done with today. I think that time is about now….

Cramming

So, a month. All too often I seem to be doing the 'it's been too long' speech…so I'll leave off it this time. I do feel like a general update is in order, though.

I recently switched to veganism, after nearly two years of vegetarianism. I found it was no longer ethically enough to soothe my conscience. Research into it—how chickens are the worst treated animals on the planet, for instance. Or how 'they' get that dairy cow to produce your 2%. Or what the fashion industry does to foxes for the one piece that is desired for a finished product.

It's sickening. Compassion and empathy over profit and greed, any day.

What else? My family is moving, so while I have my semi-permanent home on my university campus, they'll be hauling all of their things hours northwest of here to settle in a tiny town of four hundred people (that jumps up to nine hundred in the summer).

Wow. Crazy, yes?

I've fallen in love with the uni lifestyle—definitely something I'm glad I did. I'm currently on a break, and (shh!! Don't tell my folks!) visiting my hometown. I'll swing by my old place on Sunday, surprise them all.

Speaking of surprises, yesterday I had a delivery made to my Mommy (the librarian I used to work for, and who I've adopted…) that was me, with a bow stuck to my face, carrying a pen. She was surprised, and we spent about four hours or so together, going out for supper, looking at photos, and talking, talking, talking! (Turns out local pizza is way better than chain! So much flavour!)

A friend of mine put me up last night…at his grandmother's. I know, ridiculous, right? We had to get out of town by 0730h to be on time for his 0830h class, and I had set my alarm for 0630h. It didn't got…. His grandmother, lovely woman, came down at about 0705h, asking if I was going in with N today, and if so, I better get up!

Needless to say, I rushed through my toilette, and was ready and waiting by 0730h. (He was a few minutes behind.)

Now I'm sitting in the café in his (used to be mine, too!) college, waiting for the Winners to open so I can spend the gift card that I can't at home, and then go to Fabricland for the same reason. A crazy day ahead of me, that's for sure!

Confusion

I've been AWOL again, but I have a pretty good reason that's actually so private and far reaching that I'm not comfortable even attempting to censure and post it. For those of you that care—I think I've got a solution on the horizon. Maybe. Wishful thinking…?

Anyway, I visited Vernon last week, got to ride my great-uncle's boat (awesome!). My favourite one was actually the night before we left, we got to go out late and go around in the twilight. The half light…I sat at the very tip of the bow, so if you closed your eyes or only looked down, you couldn't see the boat and could almost forget about it. It was absolutely breathtaking.

I think I've made an unfortunate discovery—apparently I'm more vindictive than I thought I was. I'm not okay with that, so it's something I need to work on.

I have to go now, I have a fashion show tonight and tomorrow that I get to partake in. Looking forward to it!!

At Long Last

Well…here I am. After a month in Franc—of which I have no photos available for you yet—I'm back. The thing is, I leave tomorrow for a week in Vernon, and for at least part, if not all, of that, I will be completely without computer/internet access. I'll journal while I'm there to keep things fresh for us, but until I get back, in a week, there won't be any more posts.

What did I do in France? I visited Lascaux II, Brantome, Biarritz, the Dune du Pilat, Arcachon,  Bordeaux, Saint Astier, and Mont de Marson. A few other places, too, that I can't remember the name of….

My favourite was probably the Dune—largest in Europe, it's quite a walk to get up, but it's amazing once you do. The sheer expanse of sand…!!

Are there any questions you have about my trip? What would you like to hear about most?

Finality

The final post, before I leave for a month. I'll be back…but right now, one of my favourite songs. It always reminds me of the Encounters With Canada crowd, and I think of them every time I hear/sing it. I'd like to believe I'm taking a bit of them with me. Plus, from a band I listened to in my childhood….

Also, for documentation's sake, here's a 'Before' photo, so we can compare the (potential) difference in a month:

Between me and the vast internet, I'm not one hundred percent sure I'm ready to leave. I guess it's too late to turn back now….

Wish me luck. I hope my camera, journal and mind is filled with France to share with you when we next speak. (Is this my version of 'Have a good life?!')

To Do For France

It is literally a week until I leave for France. I leave at 0540, Friday the twenty-ninth of June. Holy freaking cats, that's soon. Here's what I have to do before:

• Contact my exchange family
• Clean my room
• Find space for my partner
• Gut my closets and wardrobe(s)
• Be ruthless
• Take undesirables to Thrift Store
• Purchase and load MP3 player with Zumba songs to choreograph
• Scholarship/Awards/Transcript/Residence forms filled out and mailed.
• WRITE MATH DIPLOMA
• 'Bonding Time' with my mother
• Grocery shop for the needed snacks 
• Rehearse my (trite) French phrases
• Make bed ready for return
• FINISH SCHOOL PROJECTS
• Two FAS (Fashion) modules
• One Art piece
• SLEEP
• Transition to Parision time
• Apron for my 'Mommy'

Well? Any strategies…?!

Blessings

I get to do so much tomorrow…OSEF meeting, watch my brother's football game, check my sewing machine (and maybe purchase it?), watch a movie with friends….

I am damn blessed.

Inventory

Official last-day of my trip—all flights, drives, walks have been finished, all that's left is to unpack and sleep off the jet lag. With that in mond, let's look at what I went with, and what I came back with.

White Skin=>Sunburned Skin
Rash-Free=>Spider(?) Bites
$200 USD=>Hats, Food, Food, Jewellery
Tender Feet=>Sore, Calloused Feet
Dullish Hair=>Sunbleached (Partially!) Hair
Functioning Watch=>Broken Watch
Assumed Fitting Clothes=>Donation Bin Clothes
No Deadlines=>Countless Deadlines

Was it worth it? Yeah, I'm starting to think it was. At least, until I deal with the fall-out!

Aloha

I'm so very tired tonight…my last night in Hawaii. What a trip! I've gotten lost in the US, I've been to so many touristy places (Byodo-In Temple, Iolani Palace, Polynesian Cultural Centre, Waikiki, Maui Divers Jewellery, Kualoa Ranch (twice!), Pele's Chair, Waimea Valley, and I'm sure there's more I can't remember).

I've done the luau, the hula show(s), the SUP, the surfing.
I've done beach, rock, walking through forest.
I've swam through currents, waves, ocean, river, waterfall, jacuzzi.
I've walked over roads, sand, grass, dirt, wood-chips, rocks.
I've been sunburned horridly, gotten better, worse again.
I've driven on country road, city road, freeway.
I've bought food, jewellery (custom!), hats.
I've been woken by rooster, rain, chirping, mother.

I've had an amazing time.

Stick To The Rivers

For those of you who know any TLC, you probably know their most radio-played song (at least where I live!), Waterfalls. You also know I linked it yesterday, after I disregarded the ladies' advice, and chased a waterfall. Today? I stuck to rivers.

Literally—I paddle through a river-mouth, right off the ocean. We did our Stand-Up Paddle (SUP) lesson today, and it was great. I literally lost count of the times I fell in, but it was great. Aside from nasty tasting water, it was absolutely fabulous.

This trip is growing on me!

don't go chasing waterfalls…please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used too…I know that you're going to have it your way or nothing at all, but I think you're moving too fast…

Chasing Waterfalls

Today was an amazing day. As a whole, it was a 'meh,' but there was one part that made everything so much more fantastic. To really appreciate it, though, you need a bit of background.

For one, I'm fairly severely nearsighted—without my glasses, I can't even read what I'm typing. I'm also a relatively poor swimmer, despite loving water and being in it. I simply do not have the strength or stamina to hold myself up and move. I've always had an issue with floating, too. Lastly, I have a fear of new things. I want them, but until I do it, I 'm terrified (though I usually love the experience).

What does this all have to do together?

Waimea Falls

See that swimming hole there? It's measured at over nine metres deep, and the falls are such a force, pushing anything that comes near, away. There is a strung current, and undercurrent, leading away from the white water…which pound down quite heavily, and is relatively high right now in terms of volume.

Despite this, at the end of our walk up…I got in the water, hideous sunburns and all, and swam out to the falls—twice. My first time, I didn't quite make it, but after that, I conceded that I needed a floatation device (read:foam noodle), and used that for the next two times.

I made it all the way out, and even sat in the falls, water pounding over me.

For me, it was such an amazing accomplishment…despite my poor depth perception and ability to see ahead; my struggle to stay above the surface; my weak upper body strength, I did it. I fought the current, and made it through.

I don't know if I can impress what a huge thing this is for me…how deeply (no pun intended!) moving and almost spiritual.

This is definitely a recommended trip!

(On the offside, the only thing running through my head as I reached the falls was this song. It's one of my favourites, but the chorus was all I could hear. And I didn't heed. I'm glad for it.

Mediocre

Today was rather lackluster…aside from some choreo done up, and a bit of sun, it's been slow. My burns on the backs of my legs are still there, still terrible, abut I'm doing what I can to avoid a hospital visit. At least until I'm in Canada again!

Polynesian Cultural Centre

Polynesian Cultural Centre…wow. I definitely recommend it, simply as a general rule. As to what we did…well, here goes.

We went for the Ambassador level—I don't remember where that is on their ladder, but I knew there were people fancier and less fancy, package deal wise. What we got was a guided tour, hitting all the shows along the route pretty much exactly when we needed to, and we got a break in the middle for snacks/drinks/photos. We did most of the major attractions—rode a pole catamaran, visited each 'island's' cultural presentation (and some hands-on stuff), and got to see the canoe parade. There is a formal word for that, but it's late, and again I don't remember.

One thing I wish was different about this was it was too short; I knew all along—especially toward the end—that I was missing other things that I could have done as well. Being me and a  rather…particular…person, that bugged me a bit. Granted, we took the tour right from opening (1200) through dinner (1725), but it still felt compressed.

After the tours and day shows, we had a luau-style dinner, complete with emcee (he was attempting to be funny, I know…but it was actually really annoying), hula and live music. The luau was actually the part I liked the least, as there was not much for me, Ms. Veg., to eat. I know it's authentic Hawaiian…but I was a bit disappointed that there were so few veg options. Even some of the salads tasted fishy. Plus the smell of pig was everywhere, what with the whole, "We buried this pig to cook it all day and now you can pose beside it before you eat its relatives," routine.

What really made the day, though, was the night show. We saw their production Ha: Breath of LIfe, and it was amazing. Now, I don't want to spoil it for you, but the transitions—birth scenes, death scenes—were amazing. One of my favourites is when the main character is depicted growing and maturing. They do it in a few moments, but it's very clear!

The whole show was a spectacle, and I mean that in the best possible sense. (Free ice cream with our admission in the intermission didn't hurt!)

I can't think of anything else to say…at least, not about that. We did do the Dole Plantation earlier, but it was not nearly as impressive. The pineapple was really fresh, though!

A huge bonus for me was that I didn't acutally burn today—I got a bit browned (no comments on how that's all in my head, please!), but other than that, I'm untouched! Sweet!

Sun, Sand, Sludge

What did I do today? There were so many things that made me say "Oh, I should blog about this tonight," yet I can't remember any of them. So, a general run-down.

I went to Kualoa Ranch today (I think that's how it's spelled…!), and took their 'Secret Island' tour. So far the best planned excursion we've done. On the way back, a pair of sunglasses were dropped into the fishpond we were boating across…so me, being the heroine I am, hoped in the squishy, and apparently smelly. water to fish them out. Mission accomplished! Now I will definitely need a shower in the morning! (I've been skipping a day to conserve water….)

What else…oh, the veggie/garden/??? panini at the ranch was great—eggplant, zucchini, sprouts and cheese. Yum!

After, we drove to Waikiki to see a hula presentation (fabulous!) and did a bit of shopping…. I found a beach hat that will provide lots of sun protection for my ghost-whiteness, but still allow for my hair to be up. Score…!

Now, though, it's bed time. Tomorrow's another busy day, we're visiting the Dole Plantation and the Polynesian Cultural Centre. I'm looking forward to the Centre best!

Guts

Today I played with plant guts.

No, really.

I gutted two leaves of aloe vera, threw it in a blender that I can't seem to get to work, and slicked the slime on my hands over the rest of my burns. It looks like dog drool mixed with snot mixed with craft glue.

Yuck. But it works!!

Burn Lines

What do you think the first photo I took in Hawai'i would be of? The beautiful retreat I'm staying at? The gorgeous beach? The Japanese-replica temple I visited? Local food? Nope.

My extremely sunburned legs. I laid on my front to do my (horridly strenuous) English work, reading Bethune. As a result, however, I have a very definite burn-maybe-soon-to-be-tan line across the backs of my thighs, then down the rest of my legs. And of course, the shorts rode up more on one side than the other, so the lines don't even match…I swear there's got to be at least a five centimetre difference. It is very noticeable…. Plus painful. Ouch!

I burn easily, though, because I'm so damn white—I literally glow. It must be the Scottish/Irish/Dutch/German/English in me—I'm white across the board! Oh well, I got to try a supposedly authentic remedy—no word yet on how it works. It's an oil from a tree—the kukui, actually. Apparently it's been the state tree since…1959, I think. Don't quote me on that!

Anyway, the oil goes on nicely, and gets soaked up really quickly, so I think there's a decent chance I'll be in better shape after I sleep through this. On that note…goodnight…!

Hawaii Arrival

So, I'm in Hawai'i, and I wish I had photos to show for it at this stage, but it's been an amazingly long day. As well, I've now found out that the plug in doesn't work…how will my computer stay alive…?!