Halloween is a perfect time to revive blogs IMHO! I can’t believe it has already been a year since I last posted something of value. So much has happened that I’m a little sad for myself not to have those flashes of somewhat intelligent discourses with myself to look back on. So, a brief synopsis of my life right now and then, hopefully, I will start being a little bit more frequent in my blogging habits— if only to give my Facebook friends a break from my frenzied links posting habits.

My summer was grand. We traveled from Victoria through Northern BC, (passing through Alaska) to the Yukon up the fabled Dempster Highway all the way to Inuvik. I have so many photographs from this period of time that I still haven’t been able to look at them all but I will, slowly but surely. And there will be stories I hope I can remember the little details that made life so beautiful during that time.

After that crazy trip all the way to the North of this gorgeous, beautiful, grand country, I moved to the absolute Eastern coast of the country– still living on a rocky island, although inhabited this time! My new home is in beautiful Newfoundland where I am doing my MA in Geography at Memorial University. My time here so far has been frenzied and full of quirky happenings that weren’t planned and that have at turns completely overwhelmed me and made me stronger in the process.

The last week of August itself felt like I had lived a lifetime in a week. Ryan and I bought a house! It’s in beautiful Tors Cove right next to the ocean. We fell in love with it and it was a challenge getting it but its ours to love and make a home. Second, Ryan and I got engaged! Woah– marriage. It’s funny to think that at this time next year, I will be married to the most amazing person I know. I suspect I will be posting some things about how it is going and the difficulties of planning a two- culture wedding that also reflects our personalities without offending or sending anyone into crisis mode! Its been a challenge already!

Then Ryan left for Race Rocks to start off the year with the students there leaving me alone here in Newfoundland. Now, for those of you who don’t know me, I had never driven before this year (having passed my license through the miracle of who knows), I had never paid electricity bills or taken care of an entire house on my own, I had never even put gas into a car by myself! You will laugh I guess. I have traveled and lived in exotic place but the things “normal” people do in life in North America completely escape me and were even more bewildering than living in a mud hut in Rwanda. But I learned to drive on a highway and how to navigate through the narrow streets of St. John’s (that even the GPS can’t handle). I fed myself and cleaned and took care of a hot water heater breaking (well, sort of— my amazing neighbour took care of it but I worried about it), then a car accident (no one was hurt) and buying a new car which has also broken. In the meantime, I have made amazing friends here in Newfoundland. My cohort in Geography are all incredibly talented, fun, high energy students who I am very lucky to count as colleagues. Winter has arrived here. I am preparing for two more months of frenzied action here, before I am off for 6 months in the Philippines! So many adventures awaiting.

Last year on this day, Ryan had left Race Rocks to start a teaching position at Pearson College. This year, he is has also left Race Rocks but this time, it is to join me back here in Newfoundland. So, not feeling too alone in life tonight, he will be home in about 36 hours and I look forward to the calm that envelops me when he is around- the feeling that everything will be ok that makes me feel almost invincible in his love. In a few hours, I suspect as I look outside of the window, little halloweeners will be going trick- or- treating even in this rainy night— rain doesn’t dampen kids’ enthusiasm, only their parents! May we always remain with that childish attitude where no weather is too awful to go out and play!

My world is made of islands. They are all connected somehow, somewhere but they are also self- contained entities that have their own culture, identity and future. So, if you can bear my self- indulgent, nonsensical, verbose sentences and story- telling, please keep up as I hop between worlds, explore some issues and figure out this adventurous, quirky life of mine. And as usual, my Flickr Site is the best place to check out my photographs and perhaps an easier way of keeping up with the places and islands I am exploring and seeing. Keep Dreaming!