Medal Ceremony Videos

Vancouver 2010 Olympics

After a long awaited 7 years, the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics arrived on Friday with a bang! I always knew Vancouver was a beautiful city and according to the most recent survey, the #1 best place in the world to live! As much as I love to travel and record my experiences, I feel blessed to be in my home town for this international event, and why do I need to travel when I live in the best country in the world, as Walter Gretzky said so perfectly just before his turn with the Olympic torch.

The national pride that has fallen upon this city has created an excitement and thrill that nothing can bring down. As humble and gracious as Canadians are known to be, we also have the determination and the ability to bring home the gold!

It was already proven this evening as I watched Canadian Alexandre Bilodeau take the gold from Australian Dale Begg-Smith in the men's moguls. (Even though Dale is actually born in Canada) It was a perfect and fitting win!

I love this city! I love this country! GO CANADA GO!

China

Well, it’s been 2 weeks now that I’ve been in Beijing and I must admit, it hasn’t come without its challenges. I still have yet to adjust to some of the cultural differences and communication barriers. I’m also still coming to terms with the fact that the food will never taste the same as our oh so loved westernized cuisine. My stomach has still not forgiven me for trying some food last week of the U-people, one of the minority groups here in China. I’m also still trying to get used to the idea of no lineups. ???? If you want something, you just have to shove your way to the front to get it, and car lanes? Yeah, they don’t exist, so if you consider 10 million people here in Beijing all trying to get somewhere, well you can imagine that it’s not a pretty sight. I just close my eyes in the taxi so as not to scream at every turn.

I started Chinese language study my third day here and have been taking lessons 3 hours every morning. It’s not an easy language to learn, but I’m eager to learn as much as I can so that I might be able to communicate better with the locals. I’ve also started two English corners, one beginner and one advanced for students at the university campus. Both have been fun and interesting, as I’ve never done any sort of teaching before, so it’s been a learning experience for myself as well as for the students.

I have also gotten the opportunity to spend some time with a U-friend of mine which has been really nice. She’s taken me to a couple of the sights here in the city, including Summer Palace, Tian’anmen Square, and the Forbidden City. During our little day trips I’ve had to endure the experience of what I call the “Chinese Paparazzi”. Being tall, blond and fair skinned here automatically makes me someone to stare at and take pictures of. I have to admit, I’m definitely glad I’m not a celebrity because although it may seem flattering and fun, it’s actually more of an annoyance.

A few things that I’ve really enjoyed so far are the fact that everything’s so cheap! A bus ride is $0.20, a taxi ride is $3, I can buy a sandwich and a drink for $2, to name a few. At the market, the sellers try to grab you to buy their things, so it’s easy to bargain. Sometimes if you even give them a hint that you’re interested, but walk away, they’ll chase you down and offer such a low price that you want to buy their items just for that fact, not because you actually need it. That’s going to be one of the difficult things about going home because I’ll feel like nothing is worth what we pay for it in Canada. They also have McDonalds delivery here! How funny is that?!?! My leaders Matt & Jill have been fantastic! They’ve helped me so much to adjust and settle into the lifestyle here, which has been a huge blessing.

Next week I will continue with my language study and English corners before I head out to travel to other parts of China to meet up with other leaders. I’m not sure if any of you have heard, but my trip to XinJiang has been cancelled due to unrest in that part of the country. There are still on going issues and it is unsafe for any tourists to travel there.

I hope this update finds you all well, and for those in Vancouver, I hope you are enjoying the beautiful summer weather you’ve been having. I’m very jealous as it’s been very hot and smoggy here.

The End

When we arrived at the airport in Vancouver I was in tears to see my best friends Kathy and Dan and my brother Mark. I couldn't have asked for a better home coming present than to have them there to welcome me with open arms.

Now that I've been home a couple of days, it still feels a little strange, but at the same time almost like I never left. As I sit here in my living room, everything that I've done, everything that I've seen, and everyone that I've met almost seems like a dream. That dream soon turns into the fondest of memories as I go through my photos to remind me of my journey this past year. From L.A. to Australia to New Zealand, Thailand and Fiji... I've added a few of my favourite moments to this final post as they remind me of only a few of the many good times I've had.

When I think back to all the things I've accomplished, I feel so blessed that I was provided with the opportunity to take this year and run with it. I've learned not only how to drive on the wrong side of the road, but how to drive a stick shift (Siobhan, I know you loved that!!!), I've learned how to salsa dance, how to scuba dive, I've learned about patience... and oh how important that is when you're travelling! I've also learned that if you're open to meeting new people, you could find yourself making some really great friends.

So as I close this chapter in my life, I look forward to the next season of adventures. I have many things to look forward to already this next year, including a white Christmas at Big White, friends coming to visit, turning 30, a trip to Ireland next summer, being a bridesmaid for my friend Kathy's wedding, and who knows... maybe even a trip back to Sydney!

I hope you've all enjoyed reading about my adventures, and even though I may not be recording them anymore, they're definitely not over! Maybe I'll even have my own travel show someday! ;) ;)

Fiji

"BULA!" as the Fijians said when mom and I arrived in Nadi on the evening of our first day. We didn't have much time to see or do anything that night other than eat dinner and re-pack our bags for our trip to the islands over the next few days.

A bus arrived to pick us up from our hotel the next morning and took us to the boat where we had a 4 1/2 hour trip out to the first island we were visiting called Nacula Island where we stayed at Oarsmans Bay Lodge.

To get to the island, we had to off-load the big boat onto a little dingy boat that took us right up onto the beach where we were greeted by the staff with a traditional Fijian welcome song. After we were assigned to our Bures it was time to chill out, relax, and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

The next day we signed up for one of the daily activities which was to go to the caves. It was pretty cool. We entered the first cave where you have to jump into this big pool of water. The other caves were only accessible by swimming under the rock and through to the next cave. A little scary as it's pitch black in the caves and the guide is the only one with a little flashlight. It was really interesting though to see where the Fijians used to hide when they were being attacked.

That same afternoon we took a trip to the village on Nacula Island. As it wasn't part of the daily activities for that day, we had a private tour by one of the staff members. It was just a tiny little village with one church, one meeting hall (or large Bure), one medical centre, one school, and a bunch of Bures where the people live. After our tour we got to sit down with a couple of the elderly Fijian ladies and purchase some of their handmade jewelery and wood carvings.

Oarsmans Bay Lodge was known for it's spectacular reef which extends right off the beach, so that evening just before dinner I headed out to do some snorkeling and check the reef out for myself. It was pretty amazing how many fish and how much coral I saw only meters away from the shore. Not to mention the crystal clear turquoise water that was so refreshing to swim in after walking around the village all afternoon.

The following day we set out for the next island that we stayed at, Nanuya Balavu Island where we stayed at Manta Ray Island Resort. Well known for it's excellent scuba diving, I decided to put my diving certification to good use and went out for a dive. I have to admit, the first part of the dive was a little scary as the guide took us through a cave that I wasn't too keen on entering as it looked like a big black hole! So the guide had to come and take my hand to bring me through because there was no way I was going through on my own. After that it was sweet as! I got to hold a Seal-Faced Puffer fish and sea cucumber and we even saw a sea turtle, which are my favourite! All in all, it was a fantastic dive and I'm so glad I got to experience the reef in Fiji.

The last couple of days on the island were spent lounging around in the hammocks and on the beach. We took part in the basket weaving activity one afternoon where I made a beautiful basket out of coconut leaves. And for our last night on the island we were lucky enough to see the locals come out and put on a show for us. Little did we know that we would become a part of that show in the end dancing this crazy snake dance. Too much fun!

For our last day of our holiday, we went shopping in the town of Nadi and checked out the temple. We also got some last minute sun-tanning in and a few cocktails before heading to the airport. Note the amount of bags we had to bring back to Canada! I don't know how we didn't get charged for overweight baggage!

And then we were off... on our way back home!

Good Bye Sydney

Well, after an entire year living, working, travelling, and meeting such wonderful people in Sydney, it's time to say good bye. I had a great time at my farewell party on Saturday and thanks to all those who came out.

Not only have I enjoyed my time here, but I have met some truly wonderful people, who I can now call my friends and I feel so blessed for all the amazing friendships I have made here. I expect I'll have some visitors in Vancouver... as early as January! See you then Fi! And now that I know more people in Sydney, it just gives me more reason to come back and visit... and that I will surely do!

Many people have asked if I am sad to be leaving. There are obviously a lot of mixed emotions and feelings I have about going home. I'm sad to be leaving the life I have had here, but am anxious and looking forward to getting home to friends and family. It's never easy to say good bye, so the way I look at it is that I'll be back. So... it's really more like, I'll see you soon.

One week of travelling left to do, and then I will send out my final post!