A Day in the Life...

Hello peoples. I must give a shout out to Andy on her special day! Happy birthday my dear :)

Mom and Dad, thanks for the sweet picture in your matching outfits, love it!

The photographs here represent a day in my Glaswegian life. I am absolutely loving my time here. With two jobs, playing on a Scottish Basketball Team, sightseeing and landing a great flat I can't comlain one bit. Currently I am planning, saving and looking forward to the big brother's visit on December 27th 2008. I've built quite the agenda leading up to New Years and we also plan to rent a car for our Scotland Tour 2009!! That's life in a nutshell. Apologies on being so breif. Hustling is tough work! Keep me updated how how things are going during your busy holiday season.

Love you alls'

- kisses.

Glasgow

I'm glad I followed my instincts to Glasgow. It's everything I wanted it to be. Once the layers of grit and gloom are peeled back, so much raw beauty is revealed here. This being said, you would assume that my transition to Glasgow was smooth sailing. It was nothing but. My first two nights here were hell. I stayed at the dodgiest, darkest, smelliest hostel ever and got eaten alive by bed bugs. I even went to emergency paranoid that a bug crawled in my ear...nothing was found. As soon as I saw the trail of bites along my limbs I checked into another hostel across the street with a much cleaner and friendlier atmosphere. But damn it, my new critter friends came along to feast on me during nights 3, 4 and 5. As grossed out as I was, there wasn't much I could do but bundle up at night and try to sleep with my mouth closed and my eyes open. Yeah, I'm exhausted.

I refused to let my night time visitors taint my first impression of Scotland . I had a fantastic time getting to know Glasgow by taking candid photographs, visiting the sites, being among other fellow travellers, working at my new job at the cafe and boogieing to sounds of the local D.J.'s. The night photo (above) is of Mitchell Library where I have a new membership and have made good use its free Wi-Fi. The photo of the father/son sporting kilts was in Botanical Gardens where a wedding was being held. At Kelvingrove's Museum and Art Gallery I photographed the floating heads which represented an exhibit titled, "Expressions." Finally, the photo of myself is on Byres Road in the West End which is known for good shopping and food.

Something else I've been involved with is the local basketball. An email of basketball clubs in Scotland was sent to me. I ended up training with group a few miles outside of the city. I didn't know a lot about it, but I had a ton of fun and was impressed with the ladies' skillz. The second time I went out to train with them I was surprised to discover it was the Scottish Senior Women's National Basketball Team that I was practising with! Yeah right!? They invited me to join and we have our first game this Friday night. We practise once or twice a week and have a game every weekend either at home in Glasgow or elsewhere in Scotland.

Some more good news is that I found a single room in an amazing flat to rent for 2 or 3 months. I posted an advert on a UK website and connected with a young Irish couple. I viewed the flat this morning. It is situated across from Kelvingrove Park which is between the West End (Glasgow University) and the City Centre. The flat is modern, newly renovated with high ceilings and massive windows. And the price is right =-0 It works out well because while they're in Ireland visiting family over the holidays, my brother is coming to visit me! Can't wait!!!

Since these bed bugs have been so persistent with me I will return the favour in my attempts to get rid of them. I'm spending the day at the laundry mat washing ALL my gear. The last thing I want to do is infest this couple's lovely home with these unwanted guests.

Stay Posted

xoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Some Mo' Soul Searching

First off, Happy 30th birthday to my brother Jeff! This year has been huge for you. I hope all your dreams come true on your special day, cause it all goes to shit after this...just kidding ;) On Nov 5th I participated in UK's annual Guy Fawkes Night (photo of 4 bundled up bunnies.) It is a night of fireworks and bonfires throughout the UK to commemorate the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 when some Catholic peeps including Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the House of Parliament in London. The bonfire was massive and very mesmerizing (photo.) The fireworks were so close that I could smell the burn and feel falling ashes on my face, much different than viewing fireworks from a barge like Vancouver's Symphony of Fire.
Another celebration I was happy to partake in was Halloween. The act of dressing up in costumes and getting hammered is emerging in its popularity among UK adults. I decided that it was only fitting to dress up as Amy Whinehouse. My housemates and I went to a house party (photo) then ventured to a nearby pub. Good times! The final photo is of a vibrantly coloured tree in front of Chester's Cathedral on an autumn day.

While enduring all this fun I've also had my knickers tied up over indecision. Arriving in the UK with a chicken scratch agenda is liberating but at the same time overwhelming. It's like starting a paper without a topic. The opportunity to travel and do it solo is rare so I want to make it count. Over the past few weeks I've asked myself what do I want? What kind of experiences do I hope to have? I've applied these questions not only onto the upcoming year but onto life itself. Making choices without any distraction or influences from other people is pretty cool and the sense of self-reliance is huge. In time one answer revealed itself to me, Scotland baby! I recently gave two weeks notice at the cafe and on November 17th I am taking the train to Glasgow to live. I have never been there before but I know in my heart of hearts there is something for me. I look forward to networking in a big city and what I'll discover in terms of Glasgow's employment & volunteer opportunities, accommodation, people, sports and the arts. I will update with news as it comes hither.

Thinking of you often. xo
PS. Woot Woot Obama!

Knowing Me When I Don't

I miss you
For making me laugh at inappropriate times,

I miss you
In our moments of discussing nothing and everything,

I miss you
For offering tenderness when I'd act a fool,

I miss you
Along with the happiness and tragedy we share,

I miss you
Your sound, your sunshine, and your stance,

I miss you
For knowing me when I don't.


CSD

Cardiff, Bristol & Bath

Before I put my head down and work like a hog over the winter months I decided to take advantage of some free days I had last week. Since I've enjoyed Wales so much I decided to begin my three night venture to its capitol city, Cardiff. Cardiff Castle (photo) was the first castle I've ever been to, other than the Disney Castle, so it was memorable. It was occupied by the Bute Family who founded the city's coal. The next morning I rented a bike and rode it along Tariff Trail to Castell Coch. Note to self, as awkward as it feels, STAY LEFT! After Hostel Happy Hour, myself and two other lone travellers found and Irish pub complete with a 17 piece band upstairs. F**king wicked.

Day two found me in Bristol. Originally I planned only to have lunch in Bristol en route to Bath, but was seduced by the city's raw industrial allure. The photo of The Holy Cross was taken at St. Mary's Redcliffe Church. (It seems nearly every Church was named after St. Mary) I was lucky enough to be in the church during organ rehearsal. I never knew there were chords that low! Rumors of Bristol's vibrant night life was convincing enough to check in for the night. The hostel I came upon wasn't choice at first glance, but ended up being very memorable. After a few rounds in its basement bar I took to some live jazz at Old Duke Inn (photo.) Kudos on the local talent. Since my time in Bristol I've been flirting with the notion of relocating there sometime in the New Year... hmmmm...

12 miles East along Avon River is Bath. Soaking in the rays and the city's harmonious, leisurely feel was a perfect way complete this trip. I thought it wise to do a hop on-hop off bus tour due to time constraints. It was neat to see rows of narrow streets flanked with Georgian inspired buildings and see where Jane Austin wrote her classic novels. My next must read is Jane Austin's Persuasion. I also toured The Roman Spa Museum (photo) and was amazed at how well preserved the artifacts dated from the First Century AD were. Soooo old!

The photo of the train is myself at Newport Train Station. The photo is an important addition as I spend good amounts of time at stations like these on my travels throughout the UK. I feel happy and content to come home to Chester and get back to my bedroom and my work. The boss lady is giving me full time hours and I may work for Royal Mail over the Christmas months to earn extra £ :)

Keep in Touch XXX

Feel the Vibe

I feel fortunate to be where I am. To be in the UK and living in Chester with Tamara and Jo. Currently, I'm working as a Batista in one of the city centre's cafes. I'm pictured above in front of it. From working there, I've gained insight into British culture. There is some good with the bad of course but I'm embracing the cultural differences. I also start a waitress gig today at an Italian Restaurant in town. I'll let you know how it is. I tried to do the netball thing, but I just don't like the sport :( It's not hands on enough for either Tamara or I. So, to avoid the true consequences of the high-carb British diet, I'm running along the canals and doing weekly group circuit training at the community centre.

I'm loving how central Chester is to the rest of the UK. On my days off I've been able to do day trips to neighbouring parts of Wales and England. Two weeks ago I explored Manchester. The city has been my favorite thus far because of its vibrant people, fashion and eclectic architecture. The Picture above is of St. Mary's Cathedral in Manchester. I'm anticipating a return visit to catch some live music or a football match! The landscape photo was taken from the top of a hill in Wales. Jo, Tamara and I, along three of Jo's mates, spent last Sunday hiking. The photo of myself with the fantastic backdrop was taken a few days ago in Llandundo Wales. Spontaneously, I decided to spend the day there on my own and it was an amazing day. The ocean, landscape, animals and pastel coloured buildings created such a calm, peaceful vibe. I love that each place I have visited so far has an energy that I have connected differently with. I can anticipate that my memory on the specifics of historic buildings and museums will eventually fade, however, the way I feel in a place and from the people in it is simply unforgettable.

Chester, Liverpool, Wales

Here I am in Chester now. I think I like it. I think I'll stay. I captured Chester's vibe in the photo of the city center. Chester offers a bit of everything, but most importantly it has Tamara and Jo, the two ladies I'm staying with. Tamara is Canadian and Jo is from Wales and they've welcomed me to stay with them as long as I'm in Chester. I met Tamara working at Gateway Society (for Autistic youth) about 8 years ago. They both have been soooo hospitable and welcoming. I have met some people while I was in London but it seems a bit more challenging here. Conversations run few and far between other than asking locals for directions or to take picture of me. I feel fortunate to have Tamara, Jo and their cat here because loneliness would have found me by now. Tamara and I are trying out for the local Netball team this evening. It's competitive here. There are 32 girls competing for 12 spots, we'll both be nervous. She grew up on Softball and I on Basketball. I think we'll be solid recruits. Our strategy is to pretend we know what's up, when neither of us have actually played before. What can we lose right?

When I'm not job searching I have visited Liverpool which is on Merseyside River, pictured above. It is a 35 minute train ride from Chester. Liverpool has a more modern feel to it, but also a little rough around the edges. I was intrigued by it's International Museum of Slavery. The Museum exhibits the history of Atlantic Slave Trade and how Europe has benefited.

"They will remember that we were sold, but not that we were strong.

They will remember that we were bought, but not that we were brave."

-William Prescott, former slave

1937

Last weekend Tamara and I went to Wales (pictured with Tamara & the dog and myself in yellow.) Chester is on the boarder of Wales so it was about a 30 minute drive to Hilbre, on the Irish Sea. We took Jake, Jo's pup along. Because the tide was out we walked for hours to a nearby island, rested, ate and walked back. I felt so free and happy to be back to nature, smelling the salt, investigating sea life and walking barefoot through muddy sand.

I will keep you updated on my future happenings

I think of you often and I love you very much.