While doing my own search for a photographer for my annual family photos, I realize that so many photographers put very little on their websites about themselves. I find this so odd, because in my opinion, the person behind the camera is just as important, if not more important than their portfolio... so I decided to write a little something about me over the next little while. Every second Tuesday, I will write a little tidbit, naming the blog posts, tidbit Tuesday. This week's Tidbit is all about my love for travel.
Our first family trip out of the country was when I was in grade 6, we went to Costa Rica. Our little family of 4 rented a car and drove all over the country seeing everything we possibly could. While I don't remember too much from that trip, I do remember getting up early one morning and heading out in hopes of seeing wild toucans, and not seeing a darn thing! I also remember the rain forest (walking in the clouds), monkeys stealing food from tourists on the beach, and the smells of San Jose, which mostly consisted of exhaust and pollution. This first trip was so exciting and has instilled the 'travel bug' in me at a young age.
4 years later our next family trip was Jamaica. Not an all inclusive resort trip, but again, renting a car and traveling across the whole island trip. It was pretty cool to see the whole island and seeing all the culture there. I do have a few more memories from that trip, like climbing the dunns river falls. Partaking in beach parties in Negril, getting lost in the most dangerous city on the island, Kingston, (which we luckily didn't get shot or robbed, lol), as well as the abundance of marijuana and having the locals pushing it on us (mostly our parents), even though us kids were right there beside them. After this trip, the travel bug hit hard!
The following year, in grade 11 I went on an exchange to France. It was such a positive experience! For the first few days we toured around Paris, seeing all of the touristy things, like the Louvre (seeing the Mona Lisa in person, as well as the original painting of the last supper was pretty cool!), the arc de triomphe, the Eiffel tower, along with many famous castles etc. Once we arrived with our host family, the next 3 weeks weren't nearly as eventful, but never the less, we made the best of it and ate cheese everyday for dessert and hit up the bakery for 'pain au cholcolat' (chocolate chunks baked in bread) on a regular basis.
Our grade twelve year, for the class trip, we had the opportunity to travel to Africa. Tunisia to be exact! I'm so thankful that my parents really valued travel and pushed me to go on all of the trips that we had the opportunity to go on. We did a 10 day tour around the country where we slept under the stars in the Sahara Desert, rode camels through the Sahara Desert, and swam in the Mediterranean sea, just to name a few. This was such a cool trip to go on!!! and even several years later, have so many memories from it.
The year following high school, a friend of mine who worked for Air Canada at the time, asked me if I wanted to take a trip to Europe. Of course I said YES! We hit up 5 countries in 3 weeks, and spent a lot of time waiting in airports (the beauty of flying with an employee is the buddy pass, the draw back is flying stand by). We did Ireland, Scotland, Denmark, Holland and Germany, where we got delayed a few days due to 911 happening. It's funny that you always remember where you were when 911 happened. I was in a shoe store in Germany that had TV's everywhere, and seeing these two planes crashing. Because I couldn't understand a word of German, I thought it was pilots who were just out of control. A little while later, we found out it was terrorists. The trip was a whirlwind, but I was so thankful to do it!
Fast forward another year and I took the TESOL course (Teaching English as a Second Language course), which took me to Veracruz, Mexico, where I lived for a year. Again, another amazing opportunity! It was pretty cool living and working in what I like to call 'real' Mexico, where the pot holes put Saskatoons to shame (hard to believe, I know!), the tacos were delicious and the sweat dripping down every inch of your body even at 11pm, was completely normal, because we were too cheap to turn on the AC. Some of my fondest memories were from living abroad, and if you are considering teaching English somewhere, go for it!!!! It was an amazing experience! I have to admit, I'm so glad I did all of these things when I was young because the older I get, the less desire I have to be adventurous.
Each year following my living abroad, I have gone on a trip. Mexico a few times (a couple of those to shoot weddings), Jamaica (again, to photograph a wedding), as well as Maui for the last few years. We've fallen in love with Maui, as it he scenery is that beautiful, tropical palm tress, without the litter, harassment and food born illness that seem to come along with third world countries.
So... as you can see, I love to travel! Even if it is just up to a northern Saskatchewan lake for the weekend. Getting away for a while is good for the soul!!! I feel so thankful I'm able to do it.
I leave you with a few images of our first year in Maui.... why we fell in love!
