Well, I’ve decided to sweep the dust off my little old blog
and give her another go. I decided to write a post to give a little catch up of
what I’ve been doing and what I plan on doing! Enjoy homies!
Present: I’ve
been in the states since mid-April (jeez, no wonder I’m getting antsy) and have
been a flower girl with Heide’s Flowers and a nanny to her two kids, Tai and
Taz, which I’ve done for a few summers now. I love the flowers and the kids
equally and am thankful to have such a unique job that is never monotonous and
always keeps me interested. I’ve actually found myself dreaming of owning a
flower shop some day. I love the creative energy used to pair and arrange the
flowers and simply put, they make me smile. People love arrangements and I love
making them.
Here's a link to a wedding we did flowers for:
Tai and Taz are bright, curious and well behaved. I enjoy spending
time with them and seeing them grow and learn. I also value their openness to
the world and their insightful view on life. Sometimes I find myself wishing I
were a 4 or 6 year old again, which is why I believe I love to travel.
Everything you see is new, everything you learn has a big impression on you and
the world is full of rainbows and sunshine.
This summer, I went for it and bought a dslr camera, which
I’ve dreamt about for a long time. I have taken my interest in photography and
turned it into a new hobby. There is a lot to learn but I’m really excited to
be opening my eyes to a whole new world. I can’t wait to take it on all my
travels, I’m sure it will become a really important part of my life.
I’ve been lucky to have a lot of friends here this summer,
including one who is having a baby in October! I’ve been reminded how important
it is to have good relationships in my life. I’m really blessed to have all
these amazing chicas around me!
Past: I had
always dreamt of backpacking Southeast Asia ever since I went to Cambodia in
high school and was forever impacted by the impressive array of emotions that
left with me and continued to stay. Now that I am in the most liberating,
free-spirited phase of my life, I have the opportunity to see the places I had
only witnessed before in endless daydreams and Google image searches. I took
the chance last winter to strap on the backpack, pull out the passport and hop
on a plane to Southeast Asia. I know I could go on for days and days about all
that I experienced so I decided to just mention the highlights.
Thailand
Completing (and might I add, surviving) the incredibly
informative CELTA (Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults) certification course in Chiang Mai where we taught local
Thais ages 14-65 and spent an estimated 322 hours stressing over lesson
plans.
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| Most of the CELTA trainees :) |
Watching in amazement as the world lit on fire with
lanterns, candles in the river and fireworks during Loi Krathong.
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| A picture by Emily |
Being humbled at the Elephant Nature Park by the amazing
work of the foundation and the heartbreaking stories of the elephants there.
Finding myself in an out of this world realm of obsession-forming
karst mountains, turquoise waters, bleach-white sand and insane, techno-pumping
beach parties where I found myself jumping (literally) on the fire jump rope
band wagon.
Laos
Meeting new friends by being hilariously packed in the storage area and trying to avoid the fumes on the slow boat from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang.
Meeting new friends by being hilariously packed in the storage area and trying to avoid the fumes on the slow boat from Chiang Rai to Luang Prabang.
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| Slow boat |
Spending a tropical Christmas biking in Luang Prabang where
I had never tasted a croissant so amazing.
Lying in hammocks while taking in the jaw-dropping scenery
of the spectacular river cities Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi Neua.
Sri Lanka
Riding the most beautiful trains through the most beautiful
tea country.
Single handedly saving the night by stealthily massacring a
giant man-spider on the wall.
Surfing for the first time in some blissful, warm Weligama
waves.
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| Don't judge the claw hand, please |
Trying on a sari!
Being invited to have dinner at a Sri Lankan’s house and
experiencing the famed Sri Lankan hospitality.
Singapore
THE FOOD. Endless options, temptations and opportunities to
spend a ridiculous amount of money.
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| Dim sum! Mmmmm! |
Witnessing one of the most impressive, futuristic skylines
in the world.
Philippines
Spending time in Batad, a small rice terrace village where
the only way to access it is to hike in. I spent hours contemplating how truly
incredible and awe inspiring our world is.
Seeing magenta colored sunsets, binging on mochi balls,
scuba diving for the first time and being stunned by the endless tourism in
Boracay.
Spending the night in a pigsty (no joke) where later, a pig
was killed and butchered below us at 4:30 am.
Vietnam
Falling in love with the beautifully chaotic streets and
amazing bbq of Hanoi.
Meeting amazing people and laughing until I couldn’t breathe
on a cruise in Ha Long Bay.
Getting cheap, custom made clothing and being surround by
some of the cutest, most beautiful buildings ever in Hoi An.
Nearly dislocating my jaw from screaming so much at the
water park at the delightfully tacky Vinpearl Island.
Indonesia
Seeing Mt. Bromo at sunrise and feeling like being on the
moon. One of the most astounding places I’ve ever seen, and probably will ever
see, in my life.
Learning why Bali is one of the most amazing places on earth
by spending time at the Tegalalong rice terraces, watching pro surfers in Uluwatu,
lounging on first-class beaches and marveling at stunning temples and evidence
of a beautiful culture on every block.
Malaysia
Seeing the Petronas Towers, one of the tallest buildings in
the world.
Drinking tea while visiting a tea plantation!
No words are needed to describe why this little gem was a
highlight:
Hong Kong
Eating indescribable food (literally, I could not describe
what I was eating).
Going up the tram and seeing a once in a lifetime city view.
I'd also like to do a special shout out to Maddie, who I traveled with a majority of the time in Southeast Asia. She is an amazing person and I was so lucky to have had such an awesome travel mate. We had some incredible times together and I'll always connect them to her when my mind wanders to that unforgettable winter.
I'd also like to give a shout out to Brant, who has been one of my best friends for a long time. We met up and were able to travel quite a bit in Thailand, Laos, Indonesia and Malaysia. It's great to be able to adventure with someone you trust and get along with so well. He's a really awesome guy and someone I'd like to be more like.
Future:
I met quite a few people traveling Southeast Asia who had
either worked in Australia to fund their trip or were broke and needed to get a
job there to make it by. I always thought, wow that sounds fun! You guys are
awesome! And then it occurred to me, why don’t I do it? So here I am, two
months out from moving to Australia. I don’t know where I’ll live or get a job
yet but I plan on traveling around a bit to figure it all out. Very exciting,
but nerve racking at the same time. But hey, what’s an adventure without those
two feelings?! I’m going to do a one week trip to Japan visiting Tokyo, Mt.
Fuji and Kyoto (another Boracay-esque mochi ball binge will occur) and then
spending a couple of days in Seoul before I’m in Australia. Can’t get enough of
those Asian cities! I’m so excited to get on the road again. This is what I
live for and I feel so alive :) Cheers to more posts ahead!
xo
