10,000+ Page Views. Wha?!

lundi, le 14 janvier 2013; 21:01

emplacement: 3 ave Albert Einstein, Batiment E, Chambre 302

pourquoi: I just hit 10,000 page views...might as well keep going!

So, I'm a little bit beside myself. Before I packed it all up and stuffed my life into a Gregory Deva backpack, I mentioned to some friends that I would keep a blog of my wanderings.

Well, a few weeks into my 12 month sojourn, my good friend Asmin C messaged why I hadn't started my blog. Henceforth Wanderin' The Globe was conceived. After hours of trying to figure how the heck I even start a blog, I chose blogspot and ran with it.

Along the way, some readers started running with me, commenting as I rambled anecdotes of stumbling around SE Asia and Europe. I had never done much writing beforehand and was unsure how to go about telling my tales on the trails. Alas, I said Feck It, just write!

So here I am, 20 months later and I'm still rambling away. I try to make my million scattered thoughts into a somewhat coherent piece for each post I write. At first, I didn't think much of it as I served this to be a journal of sorts rather than for an audience. What I've learned from this writing is I write most easily from my own actual experiences. It's the only way I know how. I try not to censor myself too much but also remembering not to give all of myself away.

Recently, I re-read some old posts and thought, I have left myself vulnerable in cyberspace. I have literally put my "Heart on My Sleeve" in some of my posts. That's my terrible attempt in saying 'read the post with that title!' It's in the 2011 November folder....Anyway...one thing that has left me rather surprised is I have never received a negative comment (privately or publicly) from a post.

So, I keep on keepin' on. And here's the kicker: I checked the status of my blog for shits n' gigs just now and hit 10, 016 page views. Wha?! Uh-huh. See, this is a big deal for me because I've just been writing and posting pics for fun. I don't even know how to link my own posts!

But I've seen readers come on to this little amateur site from places far far away. From countries my blog has no business being found.

It is humbling.

So to everyone who has read my tall tales or just blitzed through by accident, thank you for reading Wanderin' The Globe!

Or as I would say in my practicing French: "Merci de lire Wanderin' The Globe!"

Um, I'm living in a French Uni dorm room and some dude is blasting Carly Rae Jepson's Call Me Maybe..... What just happened?

Oh right, I like writing tall tales...that are true!

Gear of the Traveling Ninja

dimanche, le 06 janvier 2013; 22:56

emplacement: 3 ave Albert Einstein, Batiment E, Chambre 302

pourquoi: Je vous voulez présenter les essentiels pour la vie du voyageur.

In case Google Translates the above incorrectly or in case I’ve written it incorrectly, “I would like to present to you the essentials for the life of a traveler”…

My life as a language exchange scholar with my French host family has finally come to an end. Alas, I packed all my worldly belongings into two backpacks and threw them into the trunk of the family car. Then we solemnly climbed in and drove me out to Villeurbanne, a neighbourhood in Lyon.

After getting myself sorted out at security, I received my keys and opened it to a giant closet; I mean tiny room.

Yep. Tiny. Room. University style. Université Lyon 1 to be exact.

Alors, c’est pas grave. That will be another post. Tonight I am writing from my spacious desk in my tiny room. Without internet. So this will be posted tomorrow when my wifi kicks in.

Actually the size of this room is what inspired me to write this post. Months ago, I had meant to write about my travel essentials. If you recall an old post, I’m obsessed with the weight of my travel gear. And over the past 20 months (!) I’ve become a pro at keeping the essentials.

When I was preparing for Wanderin’ the Globe, the first and most important gear I needed was a backpack. After hours at MEC, I chose my now well traveled yet mighty Gregory Deva 55L. This pack was on sale for $199CAD and designed to fit my petite 5foot (150cm) frame. This pack is near perfect with the exception that it is somewhat heavy when empty – a whopping 2.35Kg (5.17lbs)!

This pack has been around. A few times and counting. You can’t tell but there’s a pair of runners in the top compartment:

So, what goes inside this backpack you ask? Well, the most real estate goes to clothes. However, to minimize this burden, they all get vacuumed sealed in heavy Ziplock bags. This technique saves space and saved me from the stinky fish sauce incident in Vietnam. I believe you can find that post in “Jonesing for the Jungle”. I wish I knew how to hyper link my own work…anyway, it's in the Sept 2011 year section...

All my clothing gear, including two jackets believe it or not…:

For the male readers, this won’t apply to you but for the chicks, this product is better for the environment and wallet. And it’s a Canadian company! Google it:

This two-in-one mirror/brush has been through some rough times that it finally broke ):

Thank goodness, I have a light back-up comb! And every traveler (especially an Asian) needs a ninja style pair of chopsticks:

 The two-in-one is pretty sweet but check out this badass four-in-one. To all the gals and gays who want to keep their nails lookin’ good, this is a must:

As a modern day solo female traveler, I wouldn’t feel complete without my gadgets. They keep me connected with family, friends and capture most of my experiences:

And allow me to carry more reading than I could ever imagine:

Pulling a McGyver when the occasion calls. One luxury I afforded myself before France was upgrading from my degrading Acer netbook to a fancy MBP:

The next four pics are items I cannot travel without. In Malaysia, I met the guy who sits next to the guy that designed the Spork. The Swedes are brilliant industrial designers. Did you know the guy gets one penny for every Spork sold? Probably the smartest Christmas gift I’ve ever requested was my Swiss Army knife – thanks big brother! My travel towel and sleeping bag liner weigh next to nothing and dry faster than I can slice a baguette open with my Swiss Army Swag. The sleeping bag has saved me from creepy crawlies in dodgy beds. Yep.

I’m totally going to plug my friend’s product here. During my pit stop in Toronto before heading to France, I met up with an old friend who makes animal cruelty-free personal grooming products. Check out her products at: www.peculiarpotions.etsy.com and help support the handmade revolution!

Becks, thanks a million for this delicious soap!

When my friend Andrea C joined me in Cambodia, I asked her to bring me one of those reusable nylon shopping bags that tuck into themselves like they barely existed. Well, she did one better by having our good friend Asmin C pass along some swag from one of our suppliers at lululemon.

This lightweight yet indestructible shopping bag is about the size of my iPhone. And it carried my bed linen when I was in Bali:

All these little things along with a few I haven’t mentioned, add up to weight that must go into my main pack and my daypack. And just to completely nerd myself out, here are the numbers:

Total weight of my gear is 19.25Kg (42.35lbs).

However, if I remove the pack weights when empty, I lose 3.35Kg (7.37 lbs) making my actual gear 15.9Kg (34.98 lbs)

You might be wondering how I got these numbers. Well, math does not run in my Asian blood (I know, what?!) And this may not be an essential travel item, but the slight OCD in me travels with one.

This awesome digital scale allows the geek in me to weigh just about anything:

As I reflect on all the shtuff I have with me, I know I can still trim off more weight on the scale. Like do I really need to have 12 pairs of G-strings? But, but they were on sale at Undiz!

Puppies, Teachings and Learnings

mercredi le 2ème janvier, 2013; 14:31
emplacement: Ajuntamente de Roses, Costa Brava, Spain
pourquoi: Parce que je n'ai pas écrit depuis longtemps. And playing catch up.

Leave it to my good friend Andrea C to ask why I haven't written in a while. I love having friends who make me accountable. I have no excuses save for the fact that I have been a little bit lazy. Alright, let me write about shtuff that's been happenin'.

Back in mid November, my host family finally decided on getting another dog. It had been 10 months since their last dog, Vergule (which cutely enough means 'comma' in French) passed away. We piled into the family car and drove 2 hours to a village somewhere in the countryside to see the litter. There, we picked up the latest edition to la famille Dimouchy, a mixed terrier name Pin Up.

Yep, Pin Up.

She looks like a tiny lion with her ginger fur and black markings:

Alice with Pin Up, whom she has also decided to name "Étoile":

It was a joyous day for my host family. Pin Up is so damn cute it almost makes me wanna get one myself. Almost. JP, we'll talk about it...

And in other news, I started my French studies in the beginning of November at the Alliance Française de Lyon, a reputable language school found throughout the western world. My classes run Monday to Friday from 12:30 - 15:30. I look forward to getting on the bus everyday for the ride into the city and immersing in the language although sometimes I am left literally tongue tied from speaking it so intensely. Ironically, I am speaking more French at school than I am at home with my host family. 

Alliance Française de Lyon:

Sometimes during break, I come out here on the outdoor patio for a breather:

I also had the opportunity to put the skills I learned from the TEFL training course I took back in February. My instructor and classmates from that course would have been so proud of me! The TEFL methodology works really well!

So in early December, I agreed to give an English lesson for Alice's split grade 3-4 class at her school. Initially, I was nervous about doing this but after consulting with my rock star school teacher sister, I came up with a nice lesson plan for the one hour class.

The topic was: Canada!

The student's English was very basic so I kept the lesson pretty simple. I taught the names of all the provinces and territories by having students pick the names and facts out of a hat and placing it on the correct province/territory. They were all very enthusiastic kids and suddenly I forgot that I was supposed to be nervous. Once I felt the class had a good understanding where all the provinces were, I had them do a worksheet of what they'd just learned orally.

I got a kick out of seeing my work on the board and the students taking it all in while completing their worksheet:

I ended the lesson with a dance freeze using a Justin Beiber video that sure got the kids dancing and laughing:

I left Alice's school on a natural high and thought perhaps I should do this and make some money. However, by the time I got to my French class, I was completely wiped out. I totally crashed; teaching that class had exhausted me. 

Maybe I shouldn't teach. I mean that was just a one hour lesson. I can't imagine doing hours of this five days a week. I struggle with giving 2 hour English lessons to my host sisters each night...hmmm but I did love how "in the moment" I was when teaching the class...

Alas, it is 2nd January and my homestay officially ends tomorrow. We are all in Spain again and while I'm fighting this awful cold, I am looking forward to moving out of my host family's house and into the room at the university in Lyon when we return to France in a couple of days. Mentally and physically, I've gone through many ups and downs with this homestay experience and to be honest, I wouldn't do it again. After having traveled around for so long coming and going as I pleased, the obligations required in this homestay program was really not for me.

Don't get me wrong, my host family is lovely, but it just didn't provide the freedom that I needed. That being said, once I move into Lyon proper, I will have all the freedom that my little heart desires.

My three months living with a French family has taught me about some things I want and don't want in life. And that can only be a positive thing.

As I move forward into 2013, I am filled with anticipation of the next chapter in my life and wanderings. Remember the Dashing Young Buck I mentioned in previous posts? Well, guess who's making the trip over The Pond to see me?

Uh-huh. Stay tuned.

And Family, if you're reading this, um...surprise!

Lyon: Une Promenade Matinale

vendredi le 23 novembre, 2012; 18:35
emplacement: dining table, chez Dimouchy. Vourles, Lyon France
pourquoi: Because Anna asked why I haven't posted lately


I really love my traveling soulmate, the Amazing Anna. We are so connected because I was tinkering with a piece for my next post. I sat inside a café in Lyon with the goal of hashing it out but guess what distracted me? No, not boys. Facebook. Fail.

Sorta.

Because you see, it was on Facebook that my travel soul sister asked why I hadn't been blogging.

Ma belle cherie-soeur, ce post est pour vous. Je t'aime!!

One of the great things I love about wanderin' is not going to the 'must sees' and doing the 'must dos'. Instead, I find complete pleasure in the simple things. Such as 'une promenade'. And I have gone on some nice walks.

One crisp morning I took the bus into Lyon d'aller faire une promenade. This city is full of lovely bridges so I started my walk by hanging out on one of them. The rivers Saône and Rhône split the city of Lyon into three major parts. It's easy to remember that the Rhône is on the right side, the Saône is the left side and they converge southwards in the Confluence area. The two rivers create Presqu'île which is the city center of Lyon, aka "The Island"

Hmm, what am I looking at?

Oh, that's a nice view of the old buildings...

Lyon, like a lot of other European cities, is very old. The cool thing is this is a designated UNESCO heritage site. I think I'm subconsciously drawn to these sites because it just occurred to me that the cities I absolutely adored were UNESCO places. Melaka in Malaysia and Luang Prabang in Laos. Oh, how I pine for these two cities...

One of my favourite things to do is meander in the narrow streets and laneways of old towns. And Vieux Lyon did not disappoint. I highly recommend going on a weekend morning stroll when most of the city is still asleep. I adore this 'alone time' because I enjoy the quietness of a place before it roars to life.

Sunday morning dance practice? Peut-être:

As I traversed the streets this one morning, I just headed upwards from the left bank of the Saône where Vieux Lyon rests in her quaintness.

Every so often, I would take note of her crumbling textures:

And always keeping a keen eye on street art. I'm jonesing for some Banksy or Mr. Brainwash. Definitely always looking for Space Invader. But none so far....in Paris perhaps? Peut-être.

But these types of street art are cute too:

I wonder how I can free Joe...he looks more like Federico Aubele...

As I climbed upwards in the old city, I stopped to take in the views incrementally; stealing glimpses as the sun slowly warmed the rooftops. I could feel the city waking up from it's Sunday morning slumber. The air was still crisp and the soleil toasted my chilly cheeks as I hiked towards the big church at the top.

The river Saône in the near distance:

Alas, I made it to the top! The statuesque church, known as Basilique de Fourvière is definitely a touristy place. But lucky for me, at 10:30-ish, I pretty much had the place to myself. And for some strange reason, there wasn't any Sunday mass happening. Perhaps later in the day? Peut-être.

In the meantime I took in the nice view of the city. The tower in the distance is Part-Dieu, a shopping and business center. It is also known to locals as 'le crayon':

My obligatory self portrait:

And look at me all fancy using the self timer on my camera!

I spent a good little while up here just watching the clouds moving life by. And with hardly anyone around, my mind was free to focus on some music in my headphones.

At the moment: Song For Max:

And as I put Shed Demo's album on repeat, my mind was also free to focus thoughts on the Dashing Young Buck. Do you think boys are still distracting me? Peut-étre. My favourite French word these days. Maybe. No, really, that's what it means.

So, was I thinking about a boy. Totes. That's Canadian for totally. You can take the Canadian Girl outta Canada but ya totes can't take the totes outta her!

Hmm, that was kinda corny. Boys. Make. Me. Corny. Sometimes.

Coastally Surreal

lundi le 5th novembre, 2012; 13:11

Location: Starbucks, rue de la République, Lyon France

Pourquoi: Beautiful things happen in threes.

Ever see something so f@cking beautiful, you could cry? Make that two things for me. Okay, three.

Firstly, Spain. Ohhhlaaa, espagne. I sunbathed topless the first time with you 13 years ago in the Mediterranean Sea. You filled me with so much warmth, it never left me. Then the universe brought me back to you with the most wonderful host family in the world. How do I honour you with this post?

Let me start with my ode to you:

For one week, my host family, the Dimouchy's and I spent our holiday in Ajuntament de Roses, a town that wrapped itself around the Med Sea near the French/Spanish border. On 28th October we piled up all the necessities into the car needed for the 5hr drive out of France. One thing I deliberately left behind was my laptop, thinking that since we're on holiday, I wouldn't be giving English lessons to my host sisters. Wrong. Luckily Adaptability is my #1 strength (Thanks StrengthFinder.com) and lessons centered around our daily happenings.

But before any English words were written, young Alice took the time to draw a wonderful "Portrait of A Chinese Girl" in the middle seat.

She pretty much captured the essence of me sleeping in the car (minus the drool thankfully). I mean look at the lips! And my misspelled name will be in a future lesson no doubt (:

D'accord, a few hours later, we pulled into town and filed into our flat for the week - a small-ish home facing the sea. Sunsets on the balcony? Sure! Better still - sunset on the pier. Simple pleasures.

One day we strolled into the local market to sample the good eats available. Now, I have had some good churros in my time...

But nothing beats a local making it right there. BAM! Now that's fresh:

Ever want to sample sangria to your heart's content? Then get your butt to Roses, Costa Brava, Spain.

Yup, some serious sampling happened here...

On another day, we went for a leisurely hike on the well marked trails. We're on holidays after all so stress-free activities was on order. Hugging the cliffs while the sun sparkled like diamonds in the sea is pretty stress-free don't you think? 

Clear blue skies and the snow capped Pyrénées Alpes didn't hurt either:

Like diamonds in the sea:

Secondly, on a rainy day, my host father, Marc and 15yr old Juliette took me to the one place I had anxiously been awaiting. I've got goosebumps writing this and wish I could articulate what an experience it was for me to go to this place. The first time I saw his work in the flesh was back in 1999 when I was in Paris' Montmartre neighbourhood and happened to stumble upon the somewhat hidden museum. This artist was a coming of age for me in my final high school year. He opened my eyes to the world beyond the "normal". Before him, I thought Gustav Courbet was the kind of artist I aspired to be. Or emulating Van Gough would validate me.

But when clocks are melting, giraffs are burning and drawers are coming out of a woman's breasts, it changes your perception of what is real. It becomes surreal. Which then becomes real.

He was an absolute Genius:

I have spent countless hours studying his work. And while The Persistance of Memory piece is in America, The Hallucinogenic Toreador is appropriately placed in this museum that He Himself conceptualized, designed and painted.

A close up of one of the most alluring paintings to me:

The following piece trumps the Raft of the Medusa in the Louvre in terms of size. Overwhelming.

 "Apotheosis of the Dollar":

Homage to Mae West, was...surreal. She was as unconventional an actress as Dali was an artist:

Visiting the Museu Dali was the highlight of being in Spain this time around.

The past week, my eyes feasted on clear blue skies, diamonds dancing in water and brush strokes by a master.

Beautiful things happen in threes. That's why it's my favourite number. The third thing was receiving two pictures in my messages this morning that were so beautiful, I could cry.

And of course, I won't share this with you because...well some things are just meant for me (:

In the Land of Love

jeudi le 18th octobre, 2012; 22:22

Location: Ma chambre, Vourles Lyon France

Pourquoi: Parce que mon amie m'a dit que j'ai été une source d'inspiration. 

In case you have no idea what I just wrote in the above sentence, the reason I'm writing this post is "Because my friend said I was an inspiration" Hey Kelli K, I hope I don't let you down!

Now let's see, I've been in France two weeks and one day. And I've only written one post about my adventure so far - fail. But I have an excuse! You see, I'm now writing for two different blogs - this lovely one you're reading and one for my scholarship exchange program. These things take time. Okay, that's a poor excuse but I'm on a roll tonight as I just submitted a post to my co-ordinator at Greenheart Travel. When I figure out how to link the two posts, I'll let you know.

En ce moment, I have been adapting to life with the best French host family that a Canucker could have outside Quebec. But where do I start? Let me just see where I left off in my last post....oh yes! Dreaming about boys, brie and all things French!

Hmmm, let's start with boys - I know some of you inquisitive readers have commented on one of my Facebook status'. Um, yes, there is a boy. A 'dashing young buck' as one of my friends called it, haha. And if you have been following my antics for a while, you know how I tend to be cryptic. That ain't gonna change. However, keep Love bottled up and it will explode. 

So in the meantime, my favourite natural element has spoken for me. The sky knows about us:

I didn't make this up, seriously. I recently woke up late one morning and the cloud gods teased me with this through my bedroom window. So did I find love in the Land of Love? Ironically no! Cupid has played a rather mean trick on me by spearing his bow into my back just before I left Canadaland. Yep, He's across the pond, 6 hours behind me. ):

That's all I'm gonna feed you about the complicated beatings of my heart. But perhaps you might know there's a skip in my step, a flutter in my heart and a warm feeling in my, um loins! Okay, I need to tell you about other cultural things happenin' here in France. 

Like FROMAGE!

Sometimes, I think I've died and gone to cheese heaven. And it's only been two weeks! If you're from Canada, you understand how this heavenly substance can be expensive. Even more so when it's 'locally' made, say from Salt Spring Island...

Well, let me tell you something that'll make you green with envy. There is a local fruit market just around the corner from my home in Vourles where every night at 18:00, local fresh cheese of all kinds, especially the chèvre kind is sold at €1 each. Tax included!

This is what we usually buy. I'm salivating right now knowing there is some in the fridge downstairs...

There is a container in the fridge dedicated to all things cheese. Brie, camembert, Bleu, chèvre. Sometimes, I'm jealous of the container. Can you tell I love cheese?

No? Well, let me show you something that happened today. As I wandered the streets of Lyon this afternoon, it was noontime and I was starting to feel peckish. I decided a jaunt to a supermarché would have the answer to my belly's craving. So inside, I picked up a fresh baguette €0,39, some delicious Soignon chèvre for €1,57 and a tomate for €0,32.

I sauntered out of the shop with the baguette under my arm (how French!!) and walked towards the Pont de Guillotière to sit by the river Rhône and put my project into action.

Here are the ingredients you need to make yourself a tasty lil lunch, Lyon style:

A Sandwich is Born:

And eaten!

As if this simple pleasure wasn't enough, the warm October breeze blew through my hair, Federico Aubele was playing on my iPhone and a handsome cyclist whizzed by behind me accidentally dropping his bike light. I stopped eating, jumped up on the step and picked up the light, walked over and handed it back to him. Bemused, he grinned a big 'merci beaucoup' as I replied 'de rien' and went back to my seat. I looked over to find him somewhat enchanted by me. It was no big deal but, aww how sweet. Don't worry Dashing Young Buck, my heart belongs to you!

To end a pleasant autumn day, I went into the Lyon Métro headed for Stade de Gerland to meet up with my host mum, Sylvie. Entering the station, I bumped into the only friend I have in Lyon, Virginie, a pint sized Vietnamese expat that I had befriended on my Easyjet flight two weeks ago. Cheek kisses ensued as we delighted in seeing each other again and made tentative plans for next week.

Well, Kelli K, I hope this was a little bit of inspiration for ya! Make your plans and travel, travel, travel!! And for the rest of you reading this, lemme know what you think, I love feedback.