Travel Stories | Expat Life
I’m back from spending two weeks in Canada and a few more days in Los Angeles. The most exciting part is that Mike is here with me!
It’s my turn to show off.
We’ll be quite busy the next few days so the scheduled posts will continue. Hope you enjoy.
xo, jill
After hiking to the Ink Pots and grabbing some lunch in town, we decided to do one more easy hike for the day. Jenny had recommended Lake Minnewanka so we went to check it out.
The lake is the longest in Banff National Park and has been dammed twice, first in 1912 and again in 1941. The damming submerged a resort town that had been established since 1888. It always makes me sad when I hear about things like that happening. But I hear it makes Lake Minnewanka a popular and interesting place to scuba dive… if you can stand the cold water.
We, of course, did not dive but simply walked the short trail to Stuart Canyon. It took me a few minutes to spot the female big horn sheep lounging on the rocks.
We left the lake ready to rest up for the next day’s adventures.
xo, jill
Here’s my 10 Questions:
1. Current address:
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
2. Previous address(es):
Washington State, USA
3. I landed here because…
jobs for new teachers were becoming all too scarce in my area. When my district announced a plan to lay off 144 teachers, I decided to stop waiting around for a position that might never come. I began looking for jobs in other parts of the world. A friend found an opportunity in Abu Dhabi and even though I didn’t know much about the place, I decided to take a chance.
4. The best part of living abroad is…
meeting new friends from all over and getting a better perspective on the world and my home country. It also opens up so many new travel opportunities. I never thought a trip to Oman would be as simple as a two hour drive.
5. The most difficult part of living abroad is…
struggling to express yourself in delicate situations. For example, when working out issues with parents or administrators who speak minimal English when you speak zero Arabic.
6. Before living here (abroad), I never realized…
that driving on the shoulder at high speeds with your baby on your lap was perfectly normal.
7. An addition to my day to day vocabulary is…
”inshallah”, meaning “if God wills it”, a term used anytime the future tense is even hinted at.
8. Three words to describe my host country are…
new, faux, generous
9. If I could live anywhere (hometown excluded) I’d choose…
a sunny little valley that I hope to discover this summer in Slovenia. [and I did…just outside Bled]
10. A traveler or expat I admire is…
Freya Stark. In the late 1920s and early 1930s she taught her self Arabic and Farsi and set out to explore parts of Arabia and Iran that were little known to the West.
And so there you have my 10 Questions!
xo, jill
I couldn’t think of a better time to share a few engagement photos that the bride and groom asked me to take back in April. They wanted to showcase the desert so we raced to the dunes outside of Al Ain hoping to catch the sun just before it set. We barely made it.
I took about a million shots, but these were my favorite.
And then a blurry one of Mike and me when we finished. He was an excellent assistant.
xo, jill
Today’s photo from the hip is from Malacca, Malaysia. The town is known for it’s beautiful (and gaudy) rickshaws. Every rickshaw we saw was decked out in silk flowers, bright colors, and sometimes even a stereo.
I snapped this photo from the hip because I couldn’t bear to not document the heavily decorated rides, but didn’t want to start a bidding war with the operators. They were out of my price range!
xo, jill
1. Current address:
Seoul, South Korea
2. Previous address(es):
Toronto, Canada
3. I landed here because…
I was looking for adventure and accepting a teaching position halfway around the world seemed like it would tick that box! So far I have not been disappointed.
4. The best part of living abroad is…
Stumbling upon the unexpected. I love spending the weekends wandering aimlessly and seeing what strange opportunities the city presents me with. Crooked back alleys laden with graffiti, bright paper lanterns to ring in Buddha’s birthday, live performers dancing on the street, observing worship at a Buddhist temple. I am amazed by it all.
5. The most difficult part of living abroad is…
Finding a stick of Dove deodorant! I am kind of particular about that brand and had to search high and low to find a single stick! I finally found one in a foreign goods store in a town that has an American military base, but I had to dish out a whopping $8 for it.
6. Before living here (abroad), I never realized…
How ridiculously expensive fresh produce could be. Watermelons for almost $20. And don’t get me started on the small fortune I paid for a handful of brown apples…
7. An addition to my day to day vocabulary is…
‘Mandu guk juseyo!’ which translates to ‘I want dumpling soup!’ I went through a phase where I was eating that for lunch and dinner; it is that good!
8. Three words to describe my host country are…
Punctual, studious, well-groomed.
9. If I could live anywhere (hometown excluded) I’d choose…
Somewhere with tropical weather, warm-hearted people, delicious street food and natural beauty. There are a few contenders out there!
10. A traveler or expat (famous or not) I admire is…
I’m going to go ahead and choose the trio behind the popular show ‘Departures’. Scott, Luke and Andre became a phenomenon by inspiring people to get off their butts and explore the fascinating world we live in; and they provided some great entertainment and brilliant cinematography while doing so.
Thanks, Audrey! And if anyone wants to throw a stick of Dove deodorant her way, I’m sure she’d be forever grateful!
xo, jill
