celebration of a decade

This is a celebration blog of the past decade. Truly it has been one to remember.

2000/2001

Woooowhee! So this is grades 11/12 for me. Awesome year by the way, and a great start to my blog! This was one of the years I went to Stratford ON, and except for two classes, this is also the year I finished most of highschool! Whew. I loved this year... The apex of my highschool experience.

I started working part-time and tutoring more often. I spent time with friends and just plain old enjoyed highschool! PS> I'm the one with the rifle. Of course. *wink*

2002/2003

I graduated highschool and started working full time to save for university. When I first started working it was 2pm-10pm, then switched to 6am-2pm, spent a summer working 10pm-6am, and then back to 6am-2pm! This is the most wealthy I have ever been at one time, with no loans, no school, no bills, and no car! It was great!

I spent TONS of time with my second family, the El Dali family. These are my younger sisters and brothers! *grin* Mariam is gonna kill me for posting this! In the fall I also started school at SSU!

2004

Oh dear. My first years at SSU. What a time! Putting off papers, crashing laptops, late nights, crazy friends and one wild roommate. I'm amazed I'm alive! Summer of '04 is also when I first lived in Scotland for a year and met my THIRD family, the MacDonalds!

2005

My second year of school was pretty amazing too! I spent a LOT of time with Sam and Brie. Second term was the easiest of all my terms there by far, and I spent SO much time chillin' at the local pub...

At the end of the year I travelled to Southeast Asia. The Philippines, Malaysia, and Thailand. I studied cultures, languages, and history. It was an amazing experience. I also had a LOT of fun!

2006.

After returning home from Asia I spent a few weeks chillin' at home and then moved back to Aberdeen and family three! I worked in the bar of the local Holiday Inn and had a blast. I rebonded with old friends and made new ones. Then, when my visa ran out, I went to Ireland for a few days!

Later that spring I met up with my classmates again and we travelled across western Europe. From campsite to campsite. Tenties forever Brie.

Then Brie, Chris, and I went to Scotland and we were all together!

2006/2007.

oh man. my final year at SSU. Such a fantastic time. Everything from new friends, close friends, apple picking, playing in rainstorms, HALO, Hallowe'en, birthday parties, and Claire visiting from Scotland. Woo! best ever!

2008.

To me. This is the year of Korea. for 15 months I lived and breathed Korea (literally). I may have gone with friends, but I also made many, many more while I was there. I love you all my Chingus!

Wait a minute! Claire was in Korea too! Hey, you're in my life in each year from 2004-2008. Sneaky!

I also went to Vietnam this year... and got my SCUBA license!

2009.

This is the year of boredom. 4 separate jobs. Monotony and depression. It is the most difficult year of the entire decade, although it is looking up here at the end. I have started school again, made amazing new friends (are you reading this Krista?), and have a job I enjoy. I didn't have a camera for most of this year, but I'll see what I can dredge up...

While the year hasn't ended with a fantastic bang, I've still got a smile on my face. Lets be honest, it was an amazing decade. Yay new year!

Things I fear

I have many fears, and most are illogical. Water, heights, and speed are the three major ones I have been fighting most of my life.

Water:

Water is my nemesis. It is my oldest and strongest fear, one which had been reinforced as an adult. When I was very young I took swimming lessons and failed 'yellow' because I refused to put my head under water. I was terrified of not being able to breath, and even splashing water on my face resulted in gasping fear. I later made it past 'red', but have always been a very weak swimmer, and to this day am afraid of swimming without holding my head up and out of the water. I still need to hold my nose when I jump in. After a bad scare a few years ago, I was afraid of even venturing into water past my shoulders.

Heights/high speed:

This is a childhood fear. When I was little my sisters and I used to go to a park near our house, and there was a twirling swing. Being the youngest and smallest, when my sister used to spin us around, she held my swing because it was the lightest and easiest with which to run in circles. When she released me, my swing would suddenly soar up higher than all the others until I could almost touch tree branches. In my little imagination I saw my swing breaking and me soaring across the park to my death. It terrified me. Eventually I started refusing to go in twirly swings, and never could enjoy normal swings without that twinge of fear and picture of the chain breaking and me sailing to my death.

The breakdown:

I was fine with avoiding these things until I went to Southeast Asia. While there I REALLY wanted to see the view from the bell tower of a church, however, that would involve climbing up a rope to the roof (no guard rails). The rope climbing was fun because it was in the tower, but once up there I was, literally, on the roof. Scary? YES. But the view was amazing, and I felt like a superhero once my shaky legs were on solid ground again. That was the point in time when I decided to overcome my fear of heights, a little bit at a time. From that I went climbing with Chris in Korea and even jumped on the glass floor of the CN Tower. After every one of these major accomplishments I felt amazing!

My fear of water was enhanced while traveling in the Philippines, and I decided that I could not let it cripple me or I would never enjoy water again. I forced myself to swim with a life jacket while in Malaysia (the water was dead calm). I braved choppy water in Europe (with the help of my friend Allieren and an inflated bed). I decided to face my fear head on. Chris and I decided to go on holiday in Vietnam, and while there we took an open water SCUBA course. I panicked while we practiced in the pool (when you have to go under the water and learn how to breath with the mask), but kept trying. I found that every time I had to go from the surface to underwater, I would freak out inside and have to just allow myself to panic-breath while I held myself face-down. Eventually my breathing would slow down and I would dive. Soon I started to really enjoy myself! Learning to dive showed me that I CAN enjoy being under water. So I decided to boogey-board. I had one paralyzing moment of complete and utter fear when I was under, breathed in some salt water and couldn't find the bottom with my feet, but after crying and shaking for a little bit once I found the surface (which was after the wave had passed) I went back in and enjoyed myself!

Now, I would say that, although I am still wary of heights, as long as I'm on the ground or in a building (no skydiving for me yet!), I'm not afraid. I can finally thoroughly enjoy myself in high-up places. I am still very cautious of choppy water/waves, but I KNOW that if I can calm down, I WILL enjoy myself and even forget my fear for a little while!

All of this is to say that fears don't have to stick with you. I have learned to love climbing to high places, looking out from the CN tower, SCUBA diving, boogey boarding, swimming, and riding on the back of a motorcycle. Six or seven years ago I would have loved none of those things. I still get scared and panic sometimes, but the feeling of accomplishment I have afterward is my driving force. I feel amazing. I feel strong, brave, and ... well... like a hero.

In closing, check out this video. Chris sent it to me and it reinforces how I feel about my fears.

goodbye 2008; hello 2009

Ever notice that you have a lot of pictures? They're like your diary; 1000 words for each shot; capturing the different stages and events of your life. Summer camps, jobs, camping, university, friends, travel, travel, travel. I take pictures with an obsessive compulsion to capture the moment; stop time.

Then, when I look at them again, later in life, I get sad. I miss old days, good times, and friends. My pictures record everything with both clarity and deception. I can't remember what I felt at the moment the shutter clicked, but the picture is so beautiful I imagine my life as nothing but the blissful scenes in front of me. I know my life hasn't all been peaches and rainbows, but when I look back that's all I see. I've glamorized events; no matter what, my lens seems to be rose tinted. I don't want to envy my past self, but to look forward to my uncertain future. Instead, I seem to constantly find myself mired in the sticky memories of days past.

Thus, I can't properly tell you about 2008; or even 2007 for that matter. Instead, I'll show you some of my favorite pictures. The ones that bring the most longing; the ones that draw me into the past; the ones that make my heart ache.

Vietnam: The place to be. Seriously.

OK, so Chris and I went on an AWESOME trip to Viet Nam for a heavenly 8 days and 7 nights. We wanted to go somewhere to get our scuba diving lisences so I looked at a few countries and picked Viet Nam because of the weather, and Hoi An because I'd found some divers' blogs online saying it's the new place to go for diving. That was the extent of our planning. off, got tickets, jumped on a plane and arrived in Da Nang (the closest airport to Hoi An) with a bunch of Korean money and a nearly empty bag. Totally random, unorganised and relaxed! The town was georgous, the people really interesting, and the experience, oh so wonderful!

a coracle on the sea.
If anyone has any desire to visit Vietnam in the future, I highly reccomend it, and would be happy to provide information on the town we visited, the people we met, and the place we stayed. It was positively amazing.

Here are some pictures to better tell the story of my trip to Vietnam! To see more, go to

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39922&l=9c431&id=512991936

or

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42017&l=0767e&id=512991936




Chris made a friend, Sang, whose father is a fisherman. They kindly took us on a tour and showed us how they catch their fish. His father didn't speak English, so his son translated for him. He was the most beautiful man. His face was weatherbeaten, and full of life and love.
















a fisherman's hut and our dive team!


















There were very few traffic/safety laws (so it seemed) but everyone was going really slowly anyway...















This is the view from the restaurant on top of the hotel. The land and sky were both breathtaking. I couldn't get enough of sitting on the roof, eating a free, buffet, all-you-can-eat breakfast and staring out from the top of the world to such spectacular beauty. Amazing.
















We got a bike taxi back to the hotel at one point. Chris bought fresh-squeezed sugarcane juice!
















the view everywhere was amazing. The sky was huge.
















Another stunning sunset.

Vacation in Nam...!

Yes. I'm in Hoi An, Vietnam right now! Chris and I spent the morning arranging scuba diving for the next few days (we're getting out international certification while we're here) and this afternoon was spent at the markets, checking things out and taking pictures. Right now Chris is off on a bicycle somewhere with his camera and I just had a nap with my scuba text (that I started reading but fell asleep with).

This place is amazing. The hotel we're staying in is $35/night with free breakfast and bicycle use. There is also a pool and sauna, as well as the option of a manacure or massage (pay extra for those last two). We had a very expensive dinner last night that cost $20 for the two of us and it was DELICIOUS! We start scuba diving tomorrow morning with a French instructor named Rudolph (ze scuBAH divING instrucTORRR).

It's a blast and we've only been here 24 hours! I love every minute!