Lianne, Sara, Me and Kyle - Shanghai 2006
Let me introduce you to my friend Kyle. If you've ever had a conversation with me lasting longer than 5 minutes, Kyle has undoubtedly been mentioned at least once. Although realistically, he's probably even made it into conversations under 5 minutes. And usually the dialogue follows something similar to this:
Me: "...blah, blah, blah, my friend Kyle, blah, blah, blah..."
Other Person: "Who's Kyle?"
Me: "Oh, Kyle?! He's great. He's just great. He's just, you know, great. He's....great..."
It's really hard to describe Kyle, and usually I get a little overwhelmed at trying to wrap all his awesomeness up in a few words, so "great" is the unfortunate descriptor that he's acquired. Ask any of my friends now, and they will say, "Oh Kyle! That great friend of yours?" Yes, that great friend of mine. *Sigh* I have never really done him justice, so I'm taking a little time out of my Saturday morning to give him and his greatness the attention it deserves, particularly because he's out doing something that I think everyone should know about.
I first met Kyle back in August of 2006 as I was starting my second contract teaching English in China. Sara and I were doing the new staff orientation and training, and one day Kyle (a newbie) came up and introduced himself. A small group of us went out for dinner, hung out at his apartment afterwards laughing (and laughing!) and the rest, as they say, is history. We continued to laugh together, shop together, cook together and travel together. Then came the unfortunate day in February 2007 when we had to say goodbye. Kyle was only on a 6-month contract, and as hard as it was to let him go (there were tentative plans to tie him up and keep him in a closet), it was for a good reason. He was off on his Dream it. Do it. World Tour.
As a spokesperson for Youth Venture, Kyle was traveling to 11 different countries on 5 continents to highlight youth-led organizations for social change. Youth all over the world were taking action to change their communities - on local, national and global scales - and Kyle documented it all through writing, video and pictures on his website. Currently, Kyle is off on another adventure. This time, he's on a 40 day road trip across America and Canada with the same purpose of highlighting social change through youth initiatives. Take a minute to check it all out, and you'll see why it's hard to wrap this guy up in just a few choice adjectives...
Official Blog: http://mrkyletaylor.blogspot.com/
YV Road Trip America Website: www.yvroadtrip.com
Generally, I'm not a big fan of surprises. I tend to react a little strongly, turning into a over-emotional bubbling fountain of tears who looses all ability to form words let alone comprehensible statements of thanks (ask Jen and Jeff - they witnessed this first hand after super-surprising me at Christmas). That said, I was pretty thrilled at the surprise I received today...
Just as I was hitting the 'publish' button on the previous blog post, my doorbell rang. Opening the door, I found a man on my threshold holding a package addressed from my brother in Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada. And it was heavy! Sunday marked my two-year anniversary of being overseas and this was the first surprise package I've received so I was pretty stoked. Inside, a care package of Timmie's products with an awesome new mug to drink them from. My brother was pretty cool to start with, but he just bumped his coolness factor by an infinite amount.
One of two things will happen with my new treats:
1) They will be rationed and in 6 months when it's time to leave, I will still have enough to be brewed on the airplane home.
2) Over the next week, I will be wired out of my mind on a daily intake of 6 cups and in two weeks, writing random strangers back home in illegible handwriting from withdrawal shakes to send me more.
Between this little care package from my brother and the tampons Jen is bringing me back from her most recent visit home, I think I'll be able to get through the next 6 months without a care in the world. Oh the things that make us happy...
I am in the middle of moving desks this week as everyone gets organized for the students to come back on March 3rd for the new school year. In all this chaos, I tend to check both desks daily for anything people may have left for me in my absence. Today I came in and found two new teacher’s resource books on my desk from the district. Distributed to all teachers in the district, they are supposed to help spice up our lessons and add to our treasure chest of ideas. Always on the lookout for activities to get my kids motivated, I flipped through the first book, Elementary Communication Games, as I checked my email. Skimming through the activities I noticed the standard introductory English themes: directions, food, feelings, housing…and then just as I was about to close the book for a more thorough examination later, something caught my eye in an activity called “Chit-Chat”.
The activity is a role-play whereby you give students certain role cards that lists their age, marital status, occupation, hobbies, etc. The students are also given a ‘Find Someone Who…” survey sheet where they go on an information search asking for and giving personal information based on their given roles. Among the possible roles you can find:
Sam Steves: The judo practicing fireman
Celia Parsons: The doctor with a penchant for pottery
Harry Myers: The hard-working bank manager
And my absolute favorite...
Tony Owen
Age: 24
Lives in Brighton
Not married
Job: Student
Hobbies: Drinking
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this activity it exactly “Print and Go” for my classroom! Cracked me up though :)
It's been about 10 days since I returned from holidays in Shanghai and Thailand and am only now getting around to posting the last few pictures on my Flickr account. You can access them either by clicking on the photos tab of this page or by clicking here. The photos aren't organized into a set like pictures have been previously because I have apparently run out of sets and need to upgrade to a "Pro" account for some ridiculous amount of money. Right now I am just happy that they're floating around on the web somewhere, but realistically we all know how the disorganization will break me down eventually :) Enjoy the photos!
"You've got like 9 degrees, 2 masters and 4 certs. You're the most educated vagabond I know".
- Chris Thomas (my little brother)
February 2008
Aww. I miss my brother. Most days. He is currently try to convince me (again) to move to Cold Lake, Alberta and do some teaching there. And live with him. 'Cause we got along so well when we lived together for 22 years previously.
I don't even know what Freud would have to say about the situation. Especially since we have the most ridiculously identical eyebrows and dimples. Ask anyone, they also find it on the slightly creepy side of odd.
When traveling to the tropical beaches of Thailand, what better souvenir to bring back than a stone mortar and pestle.
For serious.
I have always wanted a mortar and pestle, and after taking a Thai cooking course on Koh Chang, I knew freshly made curry paste would be the delicious secret behind many meals to come. While I look for the last few ingredients I need to make phad thai and panaeng curry, I just had to find other uses for my new toy. So, tonight I made tahini for uber-awesome cumin and coriander hummus.
Happiest camper ever! Any other suggestions for mortar and pestle creations?
Beach holidays are some of the easiest holidays to pack for. Really, the essentials, in my opinion, are sunscreen and a bathing suit. That's it. Two easy things to remember. So imagine my surprise when arriving on Koh Chang last week in the afternoon, excitedly opening my bag to dig out my beach stuff for the first of many swims, only to find that I had managed to pack my bathing suit top, but not the bottoms. Mortified, I quickly rationalized that it wasn't a problem, this was a beach resort, and as we drove in, I had noticed many shops selling beach essentials. And then I remembered I was in Thailand, land of the little lady.
Shopping for a bathing suit in Thailand (for me) involves the following situation, varying slightly store-to-store, but generally following a similar pattern of self-esteem deflation:
Me: Picking up a bathing suit. How much?
Clerk: 500 baht.
Me: Can you do 300 baht?
Clerk: No lady, you biggie size! More fabric!
Repeat this at least 5 times until I reach a breaking point of wanting to yell at the clerk (usually a woman) that I have already been on the beach, seen other people in their suits, and there is no way that you can call me biggie size. But, knowing the rant would just likely cause embarrassment on both our parts, and likely increase the suit to bitchy-biggie-size prices, I instead pay the clerk what she wants and under my breath hope that she someday balloons to twice her size.
In the end, the bathing suit I had to buy got a lot of use - the water and beach at Had Sai Khao were spectacular and I spent many blissful moments lazing about in the new beachwear, completely over-riding any negative experience I had in acquiring them. Also, I now have a fourth backup to the other bathing suits I already own - as long as I remember to pack them...;)
A couple of weeks ago, Jen posted an interesting blog entry idea that had the following instructions:
Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me". I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions. You will update your own blog with the answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Cool! I'm game! So I wrote Jen a little comment saying to interview me, and she came up with the following questions. Enjoy! And if you want to do the same, leave me a message in my comments :)
1) What was the best thing about returning to Shanghai? The feeling of returning home. I lived in Shanghai for 18 months, which, since September 2004, is the longest I've stayed in one place.
2) What are your next top three travel destinations? Dreaming: Turkey, India, Egypt. Realistically: England (Great Britain), Spain, Prague.
3) Why do you like to knit? Really I don't, I'm just afraid of disappointing Jen because of all the time she's put in teaching me :P Just kidding, I love it! I love the tactility. I love the work-at-your-own-pace, work-anywhere nature of it. I would have taken up weaving, but it's difficult to pack a loom into many of the handbags I own. I love the surprising social nature of it. Never did I think I'd bond with an old Korean woman on the subway without speaking a lick of the language.
4) What's your favourite childhood memory? Christmas season, 1986, Goose Bay, Labrador. One evening, in the weeks leading up to Christmas, my parents sent us across the road to our neighbours, the Croteaus, to be babysat while they ran some last minute errands. The Croteaus had two children, Krista and David, who were me and my brothers ages respectively and our friends. When my parents called later that evening to have us come home, neither of us wanted to because we were caught up in playing. Mrs. Croteau gently insisted we go home, so my brother and I waddled our way across the street in our snowsuits probably grumbling the entire way. When we came through our back door and shed our outer layers, my Dad called from the living room to come talk to him for a sec, and still a little disgruntled that they had called us away from a great play date, I half-heartedly wandered into the living room. My dad was in his recliner, and pulling me to his side, I looked down and saw a little, furry, ginger coloured kitten sitting on his lap. At 7 years old, I had wanted a kitten for as long as I could remember, and now this was my first. We named her Ginger and she lived through a cross-country move to Victoria, a big bearded collie we added to our family named Barney (he liked to walk over her when she was sleeping and then collapse on top of her), another kitten named TC, and the general abundance of adoration I shed on her.
5) What is your favourite Noraebong song to sing? Oh Bla Di Oh Bla Da by the Beatles or Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond. Everyone knows the tunes and most of the words, and they are some of the few songs where the melodic shouting I call singing is successfully masked as enthusiasm.
Happy 4706! Today is the first day of the Year of the Rat (brown, earth rat more specifically) according to the Chinese lunar calendar. Check out this site to see what the year holds for you! This is me, the Sheep/Goat (1979):
The rat year brings sheep romance that may be true love, but overall the year will seem less positive than what you may be used to. The year may see unhappiness in romantic relationships. Accepting your part in the disharmony will help to return happiness. In this area, your family may be part of the problem. A trip to a faraway land brings calm back to your love life, but beware of seeming to promise more than you are willing to give. Foolish decisions in the early part of the year can bring ill fortune for this cycle. Seek the advice of family and trusted friends before making hasty decisions about money or career. There are many opportunities but choosing the best path is important. The rat offers chances for learning and culture. Looking at the past or cultures that are different from your own may lead to knowledge that will bring success in personal and business ventures. Find a group that will offer you the chance to talk about these things. Travel to new places adds to the good fortune and gives you a chance to spend energy in growth instead of following roads that will lead to dead ends.
Hmmmm, luckily I don't put too much faith in horoscopes! Happy New Year everyone!
Happy Birthday to Me!
Last year this time, I was blacking out in a hotel room in Lhasa because of altitude sickness. This year, I find myself soaking up the sun on a quiet beach in Thailand - much more my ideal way of celebrating a birthday! Considering how rocky my 28th year started out, it settled down after that and ended up being chock-a-block of adventure and wonderful memories and expereinces. So, here's a little event summary of the year past with hopes that my 29th year (as scary as it is being the last one for this decade) brings me as much happiness. This year, I ...
Was stranded on a Tibetan ferry in the middle of the Yarlung Tsangpo River.
Cruised the Yangtze River before it became fully flooded by the Three Gorges Dam project.
Climbed Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province, China.
Ordered a full meal in Chengdu, China without a lick of English...and got what I ordered!
Made a left-hand turn into traffic on my bike in Shanghai.
Had dinner with THE George Perry at M on the Bund in Shanghai.
Enjoyed pricey drinks and a spectacular view on the 88th floor of the Jin Mao Building.
Was a foster Mom to three furry bundles of joy through the SCAA: Trista, Annie and Zoe.
Surprised my Dad for his 60th birthday with my brother, in Halifax.
Completed my second teaching contract in Shanghai.
Hiked the Tiger Leaping Gorge over two days.
Ate yak products on more than one occasion.
Kayaked in Vang Vieng, Laos and capsized for the first time.
Learned to weave on a loom in Vientianne, Laos.
Trekked through Laotian jungle to have lunch surrounded by butterflies.
Was left humbled Cambodia's history and the strength of it's people to overcome.
Shared a hearty laugh with a raincoat vendor while stuck in a storm at Angkor Wat.
Weaved through traffic on the back on a moto-taxi in rush hour Ho Chi Min City traffic.
Put an rumoured home remedy to the test after being stung by a jellyfish in Mui Ne, Vietnam.
Rented a hotel room by the hour in Hoi An, Vietnam (it's not what it sounds like).
Stayed on a junk ship, kayaked and swam my way to bliss in Halong Bay.
Cruised the Li River on a bamboo raft in Yangshuo, China.
Returned to Canada with a ridiculously messed-up internal clock.
Drank martinis in Edmonton with some of my favourite people: My brother, Kate and Dave.
Met Jayden Miles Whitney for the first time and admired what a Mom Robyn is.
Marvelled at how the Keast kids have grown and wished they hadn't done so so fast.
Attended Folklorama for the first time after living in Winnipeg for 8 years.
Shared many a glass of wine with Matt (but at the same time, not enough)
Blushed at the stories of the incomparable Uncle Barry.
Spent too little time with my Mom and Dad on a whirlwind visit home.
Started a new contract in Seoul, Korea in September.
Learned to knit under the guidance of a very patient teacher, Jen.
Made a wonderful group of friends that I know I'll have for a lifetime.
Paid a visit to Kim Jong Il's neighbourhood.
Watched soldiers from the South and North have a staring contest in the DMZ.
Happily regretted the first ever Noraebang Sunday.
Experienced the most ridiculous Korean cookie swap: 10 people, 1 oven.
Celebrated a wonderful Christmas and was reminded of the generosity of others.
Returned to Shanghai during freak weather conditions that left many a traveller stranded.
Got away from it all, and started a new year on Koh Chang, Thailand.
