The Travelling Teach

On March 11th, I discovered something new about myself; I like surfing. The way the water feels against the board, the movement of the waves, paddling and actually standing up, all took a bit of getting used to. But the excitement you get when you realize you're "riding the wave" is pretty addicting! Erin was a great teacher and was super patient with me as I slowly began to learn the ropes. I definitely had my fair share of wipeouts, but standing up for a second at the end made them all worth it. That evening we watched the most beautiful sunset and said our final farewell to a city that has stolen my heart. The next day we stopped in Waipu on our way to the Bay of Islands. This a small village in Northern New Zealand inhabited by descendants of settlers from Cape Breton, NS. It was such a neat connection to be made, especially since Erin's family is also from Cape Breton. While there, we even met a girl from Port Hood, which is only about ten minutes ...

It’s been about two weeks now since I left for New Zealand. Time has just flown by, yet at the same time it seems like I’ve been here forever. This country reminds me so much of home. The landscape is somewhat similar to NL with its rolling hills and the people are all so friendly - could listen to their accents all day. I’ve also been trying to learn some slang, maybe I’ll do a post on it later. Something I wasn’t quite prepared for was driving on the other side of the road. This has been interesting, and I’m still getting used to the concept. I’m sure it will get easier with time. My days have been filled with all kinds of adventuring. I was lucky enough to spend the first few days in NZ with my lovely friend Jane. We explored northern Thailand together in the fall and it was so nice to get to see her again. This time she was able to show me around her hometown, which brought great views, hiking, cable cars, a planetarium, markets, festivals, waterfront strolls, wine tours and win...

The new year has brought with it the chance to spend time with family and old friends. This has been something that I missed so much during my time away and I'm grateful for the opportunity to have spent three full months enjoying special moments with them. But alas, travel beckons and I'm about to embark on another adventure in two weeks. "Where am I going?", you may ask. I'm headed to a world "down under"; where kiwis are not just fruit, they are birds and apparently people too. New Zealand is a place that seems to have it all, mountains, oceans, wildlife, cityscapes and quiet villages. The more I learn about this country, the more excited I am to experience it. As for exactly where I will be going once I arrive, I'm not exactly sure. The general plan is to travel around, choose an area in which to work, make a bit of money and then head off again. SIDE NOTE: If anyone has any recommendations of places to stay or things to do, I'd love to ...

Indonesia was my last stop before heading home. This country is made up of over 17 000 islands! I was fortunate enough to visit three of them; Bali, Lombok and Gili Trawangan. Each of them offer something unique and beautiful, although each has breathtaking scenery. In Bali we walked through the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, found hidden waterfalls and trekked to the top of a volcano (and that was just in the first 3 days!). We visited hot springs, coffee plantations, and elaborate temples. We watched many traditional dances and went to a yoga studio that will forever hold a special place in my heart.                  Lombok was the next island on our list, so we hopped on the 5hr. ferry and set off towards the east. Here we visited a local village and got to learn about the way of life of the people. The villagers even treated us to a musical performance as well as a traditional fighting match. While in Lombok w...