Sunday, February 7, 2016

The travel bug is still alive...update 4 years later!!!



People are my favourite part of traveling!  All I can see on both of our faces is pure joy! I have so many photos from my trip that I love but this one is in the top 3!



So it has been more than 4 years since I set off on my world wide adventure. Since I returned I have not wrote anything on my blog. However during this time I have been on a few great adventures. Anyone that knows me well knows I could not go a whole 4 years without traveling. I have a co-worker that has been encouraging me to get my pictures off of my camera and computer and do something with them.  My first step is updating my blog and then printing some photos to add some art to my bare walls in my house. Thanks Quang for inspiring me! I am going to go back in time a bit but this is the only way to make sure I don't lose any of my amazing travel memories.

Over the next few weeks I plan to update my blog with all of my travels from the past 4 years.  My excitement and spark for travel is alive and well. My world wide adventure in 2011/2012 changed me in so many ways. Thinking back I think that my passion for travel is more present now than before I set out on my trip in 2011. That trip changed me in so many ways. Before I left I knew that I would gain a deeper knowledge and appreciation for people and customs of the world. What I did not know is that learning about one culture just fuels the fire to want to learn more. What I value most about my trip was spending time with locals in each country. I hope to continue to make this part of my future travels whenever possible!

My life has changed drastically since I wrote my last blog post. In this time I moved back to Cincinnati where I worked for a year. I am very thankful for this year. It allowed me to have a significant amount of time for reflection about my trip, as well as allowing me time for forward thinking about my future. After this year I made the big decision to move back to Canada. It was something I had been thinking about for a while but  the timing finally felt right.  The move was not easy and there are many moments in my first few months back that I would never want to relive. Moving to a new country as an adult, even if you have lived there as a child is not easy. My largest struggle was finding a job, but I am happy to say after many months of applying it all worked out. Some time people say "it was worth the wait" and this is true for me. I had a few bumps along the way but I am thankful now to work at a job I love with a group of colleagues who are amazing. I am so thankful that I did not give up on my goal.  In 2015 I bought a house. As I sit on my couch writing this I am sometimes still shocked that I did this, as it means that I have committed to living in one place for a while.  I have been called a nomad before and many friends were shocked I was settling in one place. I am happy with the decision, but remind others and myself that buying a house does not mean I will no longer have adventures they will just look a bit different! I think I will have the travel bug for life.

So that is my short life update. I will be posting my travels updates through out the next few weeks. My goal is  to stay up to date after this. I made this blog with the plan to just use it for my world trip. I know now that this trip will never be over. I plan to spend my life exploring the amazing planet we live on.