December 04, 2012

A Short Autobiography

It is always nice to know a little bit about the person behind the blog so here goes.

I was born in the lovely city of Vancouver on Canada's west coast in the early 1990's. Shortly thereafter - nearly two years to be precise - my sister was born and our family made the move to Vancouver Island. I grew up in a rural area outside of Courtenay. Bordered by a river on two sides and covered in tall trees, our little chunk of the island was a great place to grow up.

Through the years I have had many hobbies and such, most of them involving things that go vroom. From a very early age I was intrigued by cars and trains and diggers and planes. That fascination shows a little bit in what I got up to over the years. Before I could drive a car by myself I already had a boating license, a glider pilot license, and a private pilot license. I always found the fact that I had to get a ride to the airport to take people up flying was kinda funny.

But enough about that. This is a blog about travelling, and so that is what I will talk about. My family has always placed great importance on getting out there to see the world, if only to appreciate your home even more. My first big trip was when I was just four months old. Needless to say I have no recollection of it, but I am told that it was a trip back east to the provinces of Ontario and Quebec.

Over the years, we took many small trips around BC, and some into Alberta. As a result, the map of Canada that I draw my trips on has lines covering most of the highways in southern BC. Our Next big trip covered 6 Canadian provinces, 5 American states, and many many thousands of kilometers. I turned 8 on that trip, having just ridden the train all the way from Vancouver to Toronto over the course of two weeks. We then embarked on a 9 week return journey in the car, taking whatever road tickled our fancy that day.

It was a few years before the next big trip, this one was to Mexico. We had return tickets out of Mexico City almost a month between them and not many firm plans. We stayed away from the tourist spots, and our motto was that we were so far off the beaten track that we were actually on a beaten path. This trip showed me a different kind of world. It was my first introduction to the hardships faced in other parts of the world.

Two years later, we returned to Mexico again, and visited some of our favourite spots again, and found some new ones we liked as well. This time I was a little older, and I was better able to take in what was going on in the places we stayed which included hotels where you had to stick a chair under the doorknob at night, and tiny family homes in weaving villages.

My third trip to Mexico was when I was in grade 11. I went on this trip alone. I spent one month living with a family in the state of Xochicalco in the state of Tlaxcala. Once again significantly older, the differences in the world around me popped into focus like never before.

The most recent big trip I took was also alone. I spent nearly 6 months over the winter of 2010-2011 in Europe with just me, myself, and I. That is a bit misleading, because I did have several extended stays with several different lovely families to whom I wish to extend my warmest thanks. Much of my time - four and a half months to be precise - was spent in Italy. My trip began in London, and moved briefly through France before arriving in Italy, and afterwards took me to Spain and back to France before a short trip to sunny Florida.

That is it for big trips in my past, although there have been many smaller ones closer to home. Just for curiosities sake, and because I love lines on maps I will post a map which includes most of my major forays into the world at large, as well as a few not so major ones.



I do like drawing lines on maps...

Anyhow, the point of this blog is to be my upcoming exchange to Australia. It is much more than just an exchange to Australia however, if it is even allowed to say "just an exchange to Australia"! The first "phase" of my trip for lack of a better word is about a month long stay in Europe. I am leaving just after christmas to London. After what I hope is a smashing new years in London, it is off to Switzerland, a road trip to Prauge and perhaps beyond, then into Italy for some visiting with friends.

The second "phase" is my pre exchange travels in australia before my school starts. I begin in Sydney in late January, just in time for Australia Day. After a week there, and another week a little south of there, I am off to Byron Bay for some relaxation with cousins. It is only then that I begin school. I am going to James Cook University in Cairns. At the end of the school semester, there will be some travel shennanigans I presume, and I will end up back home in the middle of July.

It is getting really close now, and I am getting super excited! I have just finished all my classes here at UVic, and now there are just a few exams to get through. Then a lovely christmas with my family, and that is it! Off on an adventure!

Thanks for reading! Cheers!

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