Thursday, May 6
Settling Back In
Well the worst of the Jet Lag is behind me and I've been busy settling back in. It's strange but suddenly my life feels like it fits. I'm officially enrolled at the University of Regina and once I talk to my academic advisor I'll have my courses lined up. I've been checking for places to rent in Regina, getting the house organized and cleaned for sale, and all the other things you need to do when you've been gone for 3 months. I've spent time with friends and family with lots more planned in the weeks ahead. It's nice to be home!
If you want to see my photos and have tea with me someday just let me know, you'll be glad to hear that out of 3000 photos my photo slideshow is only 300 pictures long. Of course if you want to see the rest of the shots I'm happy to oblige just book a day off to come over. :D
The cats survived well without me and have now forgiven me for going away. How did I know I was forgiven? They joined me in the shower looking for attention. I think I have the only cats in the world that don't mind getting wet and will come into the shower if you forget to close the door tight. WEIRDOS!!
While traveling was great and I'm still processing all the things I've seen and done; it is fabulous to be home. Even if it's just home for 3 more months. August is moving month and then I start school Sept 8th. I'm debating about going for orientation on the 7th. I'm hopeful I don't have to take Math 100 but there's still a chance I'll have to :( it's not that I suck at math but it's been a LONG time since I did any higher level math.
Like I said I feel much more optimistic about the future and like I have the strength to move forward. It's strange to feel so much energy after dragging butt for over a year. I guess even when I thought I was doing good I was still moving pretty slowly. I feel bad for how much I let slide and how many people I let down over the last year. I also have made some decisions that weren't the best and tried to rush when I needed to just be still. Looking back at the last year I realized how crazy I really was and how impaired my judgement was. I'm so grateful for my friends and family sticking by me and for telling me the truth when I needed to hear it and for being patient and quietly supporting me until my whims changed. It's nice to feel like sanity is slowly returning (although some people may say I've never been completely sane :P)
Monday, May 3
Home Home on the Plains
Well I did it I circled the entire globe and made it safely home. I'm tired today but satisfied. There's nothing quite like getting home after being away and after so long it was very wonderful to be home and in my own bed. It was awesome to be greeted by my family with lots of hugs and a chance to visit and begin to catch up. Today I tackled the pile of mail and began to get things under control. I'm already seeing the benefits of my trip, things that would have overwhelmed me to find or catch up on or I would have avoided I'm tackling with ease and feeling like I'm in control of my life. I have to catch up on some things that I've been avoiding but I have a plan now and I'm moving forward. I needed to get away and grow up.
It's strange I always thought I was a strong independent woman but I'm realizing that I relied on Armin for a lot of support and to take care of things. There was a lot of fear for me in facing life doing it alone but now I know I can handle it. I tackled the pyramids, went on a jungle hike, I've been to the Taj Mahal, searched for Nessie in Scotland and so I've proven to myself that i can be a strong independent woman.
I'll post my Scotland pics and share my adventures soon I'm pretty tired today but just wanted to share my happiness at being home and my excitement for the future.
Tuesday, April 13
Reasons I Love London
1. They speak a form of English
2. You are not allowed to intimidate or make insulting comments to a woman alone
3. I don't need a headscarf to try to blend in
4. No one cares what length my skirt is
5. Tea mmmm tea with scones and clotted cream and jam mmmmm
6. Shopping!!
7. Entertainment-movies, theatre,
8. The food isn't too weird (aka testicles never show up on the menu)
9. The metro means I can easily get anywhere
10. It isn't too poluted
11. It isn't painfully hot
12. No Geckos
13. I don't need a man to walk down the street
14. No one has asked me where my husband is
15. Marks and Spencer
16. Cheap Internet
17. I can be anonymous if I want
18. Children don't act scared or me or stare at me like I have two heads
19. No one has asked me for my photo
20. When asked and I say from Canada not one person mentions Canada Dry
21. It's the last stop before going home
22. Haven't been propesitioned once
23. No random marriage proposals
24. I can go outside at night
25. The government isn't obviously monitoring my internet use
26. There aren't armed soldiers outside every hotel and on every street corner
So you can guess the last few days in Cairo were difficult on me. It isn't easy being a woman alone in a muslim country. It was muted during the tour because there was a group of us but by the end of my time in Cairo I just gave up on going out of the hotel. I got leered at enough and strange questions just in the hotel. So I'm very glad to be once again back in London, although I'm pretty much ready to head for home. Today at heathrow I saw the Air Canada planes and found myself wishing I was getting on one of them and heading home.
That being said I am excited to be here I've got tickets for some shows and I'm booking a tour into the countryside. It will be good and I'm excited to see Scotland probably the place I've read more about than anywhere else. I have a weakness for Harlequin Romances set in the highlands...you know the ones with the buff guy in a kilt on the front (LOL)... usually with a big (cough) sword....(shoot mom when you read this please disregard the double entendre)...I'm pretty sure there won't be any fabio types running around but it'll still be nice to see the countryside where so much history took place and that has been described so picturesquely in so many books I've read.
I'm sad to report that I will be sending yet another package home....which is proof that I shop too much....I mean Egypt had nothing except tacky souviners and I still have stuff to mail home. It's all the carpet guys fault. Yup I bought a carpet...not a big one but still a carpet. It's a hand knotted silk/wool blend...very pretty and not a single camel on it....very hard to find things without a camel on it.
Well I'm getting silly partly because I was up at 5am for my flight this morning and partly because I went to a movie and so haven't had supper yet. I'll post more later but mostly just had to say I'm glad to be in London but sorry it isn't home.
2. You are not allowed to intimidate or make insulting comments to a woman alone
3. I don't need a headscarf to try to blend in
4. No one cares what length my skirt is
5. Tea mmmm tea with scones and clotted cream and jam mmmmm
6. Shopping!!
7. Entertainment-movies, theatre,
8. The food isn't too weird (aka testicles never show up on the menu)
9. The metro means I can easily get anywhere
10. It isn't too poluted
11. It isn't painfully hot
12. No Geckos
13. I don't need a man to walk down the street
14. No one has asked me where my husband is
15. Marks and Spencer
16. Cheap Internet
17. I can be anonymous if I want
18. Children don't act scared or me or stare at me like I have two heads
19. No one has asked me for my photo
20. When asked and I say from Canada not one person mentions Canada Dry
21. It's the last stop before going home
22. Haven't been propesitioned once
23. No random marriage proposals
24. I can go outside at night
25. The government isn't obviously monitoring my internet use
26. There aren't armed soldiers outside every hotel and on every street corner
So you can guess the last few days in Cairo were difficult on me. It isn't easy being a woman alone in a muslim country. It was muted during the tour because there was a group of us but by the end of my time in Cairo I just gave up on going out of the hotel. I got leered at enough and strange questions just in the hotel. So I'm very glad to be once again back in London, although I'm pretty much ready to head for home. Today at heathrow I saw the Air Canada planes and found myself wishing I was getting on one of them and heading home.
That being said I am excited to be here I've got tickets for some shows and I'm booking a tour into the countryside. It will be good and I'm excited to see Scotland probably the place I've read more about than anywhere else. I have a weakness for Harlequin Romances set in the highlands...you know the ones with the buff guy in a kilt on the front (LOL)... usually with a big (cough) sword....(shoot mom when you read this please disregard the double entendre)...I'm pretty sure there won't be any fabio types running around but it'll still be nice to see the countryside where so much history took place and that has been described so picturesquely in so many books I've read.
I'm sad to report that I will be sending yet another package home....which is proof that I shop too much....I mean Egypt had nothing except tacky souviners and I still have stuff to mail home. It's all the carpet guys fault. Yup I bought a carpet...not a big one but still a carpet. It's a hand knotted silk/wool blend...very pretty and not a single camel on it....very hard to find things without a camel on it.
Well I'm getting silly partly because I was up at 5am for my flight this morning and partly because I went to a movie and so haven't had supper yet. I'll post more later but mostly just had to say I'm glad to be in London but sorry it isn't home.
Thursday, April 8
Egypt Photos
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=strohhaeckers&target=ALBUM&id=5457727636881063297&authkey=Gv1sRgCMra5af0ubOAjAE&feat=email
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=strohhaeckers&target=ALBUM&id=5457812529512020801&authkey=Gv1sRgCI7B1oL238jpJQ&feat=email
Here they are the links to the long anticipated and stupidly slow to upload egypt pictures. Once again due to my patience being worn thin there are no captions or comments. You'll just have to wait and see me in person for my commentary, trust me it's probably better that way anyways.
Well I'm done in this one task took me all bloody day yep that's right all day with a frustration break to watch some tv and calm down. Oh well it's done now. Please enjoy!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=strohhaeckers&target=ALBUM&id=5457812529512020801&authkey=Gv1sRgCI7B1oL238jpJQ&feat=email
Here they are the links to the long anticipated and stupidly slow to upload egypt pictures. Once again due to my patience being worn thin there are no captions or comments. You'll just have to wait and see me in person for my commentary, trust me it's probably better that way anyways.
Well I'm done in this one task took me all bloody day yep that's right all day with a frustration break to watch some tv and calm down. Oh well it's done now. Please enjoy!
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