Clear

Mystic Beach, Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, Vancouver Island, BC

3 nights with great friends on a beautiful secluded beach: complete digital detox, thunderous waves, playful seals, glorious sunsets, calmest mornings, campfire-scented everything. 

So thankful. 

Lucky

On the road... Cambodian countryside 

On tough, stressful days like today I put on headphones, lie in bed (for as long as necessary...), think about happier times, and remind myself that I am incredibly lucky to be where I am. Then I take a deep breath and try to forgive and forget. 

Sometimes you cross paths with people who remind you how cruel the world can be. In this case I just have to let it go and move on. 

karma. 

(Another) Home

on the road to Tofino

 East Sooke Provincial Park

Goose Spit, Comox 

Goose Spit, Comox

Salt Spring Island

I've been here for about 11 months now and the Island is really starting to feel like home. I still miss my family and friends every day, but there is something about this place that is calming, comforting, just...right. 

2012

Sunrise at beautiful, majestic Angkor Wat, taken January 3, 2012

I can't quite believe that it is *already* the middle of January. Here I sit in my office at school, hopelessly jetlagged, trying to mark 180 assignments and catch up on hundreds(!) of pages of reading. 

More photos from Angkor to come (since I have lots of work to avoid over the next few days :). 

New favourite places (and new favourite people)

photos taken at Chesterman Beach in Tofino, BC on a particularly beautiful day last week

I've been to Ucluelet/Tofino twice since moving to "the island" in September and it is becoming one of my favourite places to visit. The drive there and back is so beautiful, the beaches are just magnificent, and everywhere you look is the most amazing wildlife (we spotted a few bears this time around!).  

I went on this trip with some new friends from school and we had the most wonderful time. What is it about travel (near or far) that seems to accelerate the friendship process? Some of my dearest friends are people that I've met on short trips, whom I've gotten to know over a few short days. 

I'm so thankful that I was given the opportunity to study here, and I definitely intend to make the most of it (travel and otherwise :).