Look at this place! This tiny corner of our beloved Pale Blue Dot is my home. In my utmost biased opinion I believe it to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. It's where the lush mountains meet the rocky tides of the ocean, where constant rains feed the plants and the trees, and where (again biased opinion here) the best sushi and salmon are consumed. To me this is home. And it wasn't until I left home that I really began to appreciate it.
The months leading up to this adventure were some of the happiest in my life. I felt an overwhelming sense of freedom and excitement, love and support. Each day I peeled a Post-It note off my bedroom wall counting down from 100 "days till departure". However even then I never really had any plans. I was going to travel until I ran out of money. That was my plan.
I remember sitting in my dorm room in Calgary writing lists, drawing maps and dreaming about seeing the world. I wanted (and still aspire) to be like Anthony Bourdain- travel like him, eat like him, write like him. Even then my heart knew that I was suppose to be elsewhere. I loved my life. University was great, I adored my boyfriend at the time, my family is super fucking cool- in some all American (Canadian) dream my life was perfect. But as a girl who grew up in immense excitement, movement, and chaos ( I should note here that I am the youngest of five kids). I longed for something more. More adventure. More stimulation to ease my curious mind. I was craving something new. Perhaps one the strongest and most mentally challenging of my personality traits is a sense of constant restlessness, my mind never at ease, a constant struggle to embrace the now and take in the moment... perhaps it's time for me to take myself back to the Monastery (but more on that another time).
At this point in my life I don't know what I would do if someone told me I was going home.... my wandering eyes still fascinated by what lies outside the borders of the Pacific North West.