home sweet hawalli

It seems surreal that we have been living and teaching in the Middle East for over a month now. We have settled into our apartment in Hawalli. We have gotten used to the almost 24 hour construction that is happening to the building next to us and are almost accustomed to waking up at 5:30 every morning for school, the almost still seems to generous to me. We have really started to explore the area surrounding our apartment. We found a little bakery that sells naan bread right from the oven, it's been the best find so far. Across Beirut St. is a little shopping mall that has all the trinkets and gadgets you'd never need but always want. Yesterday, Cale and I found a Muppets onesie. Needless to say, I bought it. We have been looking after a cat for the holidays. Dori's owners are traveling to Australia for their three week holiday. We had four days off for Christmas and New Years and we get a two week holiday at the end of January. It's unreal to think we only work eight days total in the month of January. We have been on lots of adventures with Amanda and Mason. Many involving trying out the local eateries. Kuwait definitely has some gems. Over Christmas, we traveled to Dubai. It was such a fabulous trip. We got to see the beautiful buildings and architecture, experience the lavish lifestyle and soak in some relaxation. With Kuwait being a dry country, we even indulged in a few alcoholic beverages on the plane ride over. Upon landing we headed straight for the Irish Village. It was like walking into Christmas. It was Christmas eve and the village had decorated beautifully. We sat down front row at a restaurant and listened to some live music while enjoying some delicious pizza and fancy drinks. We slowly migrated over to another pub and ended up checking into the hotel around 3:30am that night. Such a good way to ring in Christmas morning. Christmas day, we headed to the beach. We found a nice little spot on the beach that had beds for laying down. We drank some ciders and even got to indulge in a glass of champagne- thanks Mason! The following day is a day I will never forget. It is the day we got to go to Atlantis. Mason & Amanda were participating in a dolphin adventure while Cale & I were going to wander through the aquarium. After we were done, we all got to enjoy the best water park I have ever experienced. We lazed down the lazy river, until the rapids of course. We took a leap of faith and slid down the tomb drop slide, we tubed through a shark tank, and party tubed our day away. I still think it is one of the best days of my life. We ended the evening with dinner at Trader Vics. This restaurant specialized in fancy drinks and we all found something delicious to eat. The next day, we all ventured to the Burj Khalifa. With it's record height, Cale wanted to take me to the top, but we will have to wait until next time- all the tours were sold out for the day! We did get to see the fabulous fountain show- which was simply amazing. We left the mall, grabbed our luggage from the hotel and spent the rest of the day before our flight sipping drinks at the Irish Village. It was such a great holiday. It seems I have skipped the main reason we came here: the teaching. Each and every day, I am learning so much and falling in love with my class. Grade five has been such a wonderful surprise. Originally, I was quite intimidated, but its turned out to be a great experience so far. The curriculum is very different from Canada and there are more behavioural issues, but it has been a great opportunity to see what your made of as an educator. I love the challenge. Everyday, I am coming up with new behavioural management techniques and ways to motivate my students. Most of my students come from families that are quite wealthy. The students are either overstimulated at home or lacking attention from loved ones. It has definitely been an interesting experience to try to understand where each of my students are coming from. All of the students have nannies and most have tutors outside of school. They are well supported in some ways but still working below grade level. Most are functioning at grade four or below. I am in the middle of doing reading testing and so far I've been impressed with their reading ability but surprised at their low ability to retell what they've read. Comprehension is turning into a major focus in 5C. Every day there are moments that encourage me and remind me why I choose teaching. My girls couldn't be sweeter and are so appreciative to have me. Often I will feel one of their hands slip into mine, just wanting to walk and talk. Cale has had a challenging experience. His class has some behavioural concerns, but Cale has worked hard to establish structure and routine in the class. He is teaching grade three and says most are well below grade level. Special education is not really acknowledged within the main stream school system in Kuwait. I know of one school that is designated the Spec Ed school, but other then that services and diagnosis's are really frowned upon. It is difficult to see students struggle with the course work, when it is obvious they are struggling with something bigger like an undiagnosed learning disability. If the students are not successful in passing their classes, they are simply dismissed from the school. This creates an atmosphere of students that are obsessed with their grades and being successful. The amount of testing my grade fives go through blows my mind. The students write the same test three times per year to assess their academic growth. It will be interesting to see the last results, an good gauge of the students retention I suppose. The school is extremely relaxed in terms of controlling the teaching content, besides the censored material, it is up to the teachers discretion of the manner in which they teach and the order. I have enjoyed the flexibility but also see the additional work it adds to have all the planning on your shoulders. Cale and I are gearing up for our two week holiday in January. We are hoping to explore Thailand. I couldn't be more excited. We are booking our tickets in the next couple days. I hope to go trekking, island hoping and beachlaxing. It should be an adventure. As we plan an experience more, I hope to keep up better with the blog. 

It is amazing to see where life will take you, if you only learn to let it. 

Adventures in the Middle East- Just the beginning.

Well, today I woke up in the Middle East. 

In no way could I have predicted we'd be traveling and teaching in Kuwait, but alas here we are and I couldn't be happier.

I cannot encapsulate all the changes that have taken place since my time in Tofino but needless to say I have experienced surmountable change. 

I graduated from Concurrent Education, started to supply teach, moved to Guelph with my Ma, gained more experience working within social work, as well as, fell in love with the sweetest guy I've ever met. 

The travel and teach in Kuwait seed was planted by Cale's brother, Mason during his visit home in the summer. Mason spoke so highly of the experience and was so instrumental in helping us find work opportunities. His Fiancee, Amanda sealed the deal when she found us classrooms at the school she works at. 

Cale will be teaching a class of all boys in either grade three or grade five. I will be teaching an all girls grade five class. At first, I was a little overwhelmed by the idea of teaching grade fives- eek, they're older then I have ever really taught. Upon looking at the curriculum, I was able to put my mind at ease and the excitement for this opportunity started to build. 

We had approximately two weeks to get ready for our trip. I spent the time working the last shifts at my jobs, seeing good friends and family, as well as, grabbing some last minute things for the trip. The time seemed to blow by quicker then I had imagined. Cale was equally as eager and ready to start this adventure. 

We flew out of Toronto at 10:55pm. I was full of nerves and lots of anticipation for all that was ahead of us. We said goodbye to our families, and before we knew it we were boarding our flight to Istanbul. This flight was about 9 hours and I felt it. I was beyond ready to get off the plane when we reached the tarmac. I was thankful for Cale's shoulder, as I was able to sneak in some shut eye.. I don't think he was as fortunate. We got Istanbul and had a 3.5 hour lay over. We grabbed a drink and a fresh pastry while we waited for boarding. I have to include Cale and I have also started to re-watch all the seasons of Recess; we also fit in some episodes here. 

We got to Kuwait around 1:40am and were lucky enough to have Mason and Amanda waiting to pick us up. They swooped us up and took us to their apartment for the night. I am so grateful for these two, I honestly can't imagine this adventure happening without them! After a quick chat, we were quick to bed. I had trouble sleeping as the 8 hour time change has thrown me off quite a bit. Eventually, we fell asleep and awoke to the hustle and bustle of the city at 7:00 am. 

I forgot how energizing adventures can be. I am so lucky to have so many amazing people to share it with, as well as, a partner in crime to be by my side. 

I am approaching this opportunity with an open mind and motivated spirit. I cannot begin to imagine all that it will entail but I'm sure it will be both challenging, positive and life- changing. 


Sending lots of love from the desert. 

- nor.

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.” - peter pan

the other side.

Have you ever questioned your intentions behind the decisions you make.
Have you ever wondered what influences or experiences helped to shape your ideas on life and the way you want to live it.
Now, have you ever taken responsibility for the power you have in creating the life you've always thought you wanted?

For me and my story, the past six months has been an incredible opportunity to test all of these things I once thought I knew so well. 

My decision to move to Tofino was motivated by many factors both conscious and subconscious I'm sure. One reason being my strong belief that I would live out my life in this surf town as all my problems would be dissolved by the distance I placed between where I was and where they were made. Naive? Maybe but it was a realization I needed to make. Both my problems and the answers I was seeking are no where else but right where I started. 

With moving to a small community at the end of the road- literally, I had to recreate myself totally. I held onto my authenticity, and held a blind belief that if I put forth a good effort, good things would start happening. Keep in mind- my first three weeks in Tofino did not reflect the beautiful paradise I thought would unfold for me. It was full of lots of awkward moments, party of one celebrations, hitting the streets-asking questions, hearing no. Although in retrospect the time frame changes the perspective in which I felt these things. At the time I didn't know how long things would be this way. I struggled with the idea that I was lonely not because of anything other then my own choices which lead me there. To be honest, I don't know when this feeling started to fade, 

but it did. 

As my expectations dissolved, good things seemed to start happening. With time, I found myself incredibly rich. Rich in good experiences and wonderful people. I became aware of the power held in one's intentions and the gift we give ourselves when we recognize our unique motivations. I embraced how things were unfolding in front of me. I found contentment in simplicity. I created an awareness towards all of the wonderful things that filled my life every day. 

I got hungry for opportunity, I had several jobs. I learned that old habits die hard. I worked and lived the summer away. I slowly came to realize that although this expereince was wonderful it was not sustainable. I decided to move back to Ontario.

The reasons I continue to write this blog are simple.
 I want to share my adventure, so you can start yours.

 If your fearful of the unknown and not sure if you can do it, those are valid thoughts, 

but  you can. 

I'm learning adventures can be found in every day. No matter where you are or what your circumstance.

 If you can learn to embrace them, you can truly live them. 

well i'll be.

Two months. 

It is incredible to begin to reflect on the time that has passed since I have been living in Tofino. It is even more incredible to realize the difficulty I have when trying to think back to when the feeling of transiency left and I was able to settle into a life, living in the present as much as possible.

I have really been loving the laid back, passionate flow at the Gardens. It's lovely to really respect who your working for and know them personally. I think that has been a key realization for me.. I need to know who I work for and believe and stand by their goals. I've been keeping up with the tutoring. The student is really making some great progress, which is terrific to be apart of. I have kind of backed into two other gigs which has been nice. I'm serving at a restaurant once a week, The Sea Shanty, or how I like to call it.. the job with the view. It has a 180 of windows and looks right over the ocean. Waitressing really doesn't really make my heart sing, but I'm really not looking for it too it's more just to have some extra funds to play with. 

A cool opportunity that has come my way was connecting with a member of the Bruhwieller family (a major surf family in Tofino). Catherine B, is opening up a paddleboard school right down the lane from where I live. I called her to chat about possible energy exchange opportunities for me to be able to use the board and she jumped on board right away! She is pretty rad and totally open to helping me get my instructor's qualifications, so that possibility is on the horizon! 

Something I've always wanted to learn, and have had many try to teach me, is crochet or knit. Bless those people who have put forth solid efforts in the past, as I know I was not an easy student. I decided upon exploring the local knits by the sea shop in town that I was going to take a class and hopefully through the structure and paying for the instruction I would put a stronger effort forward. I was stoked to see that I had been the only person to sign up for the class, giving me one-to-one attention (I must say much needed) The first project was making a toque/beanie, umm amazing!! I picked a nice grey wool and we got to work.. it took almost half the lesson for me to learn how to hook the yarn, but past that point it was really interesting and the teacher had all the patience in the world. By the end of the lesson, I was 'hooked' to say the least. The workshop was two parts, one lesson that night and another a week later. I was determined in the time between the lessons to finish my hat! Within a day I had finished a hat, too bad it wouldn't fit a new born. This situation turned into a great opportunity for me to learn how easy it is to undo your mistakes. I started from scratch pretty much determined to get it right. This time around I wound up making a pot holder, which is the result of making a hat too big.. I also ran out of yarn .. go figure. I once again undid the hat and started from the beginning. Sure enough third times the charm, I got it just right. Before finishing I added a couple rows of pink/purple yarn that kind of gave the hat a cool finish, wobbly and just right! My teacher was impressed! I have now moved on to making a neck cowl, or infinity scarf! I splurged and picked a really nice hand dyed blue. It's a bit of a longer project so stay tuned to hear how it turns out.. should be interesting! 

My crazy cousin Anne has encouraged me to join her in a 40 day challenge. Basically the premise is to make several promises to yourself to lead a healthier lifestyle and complete them everyday for 40... potentially make it a life long habit. Parts of my challenge have been easier then others. I've decided to honor my food allergies again and stay away from gluten and dairy. I have honestly not felt as good in such a long time. This one might stick. another promise was to attend beach boot camp twice a week at 6:30 am. This one has been by far one of the best. It sucks to wake up so early but by 7:30 we are done, energized and I already have a killer workout under my belt. I'm trying to wake up at 5:30 the other days and go surfing with the team but it hasn't happened yet... The first couple weeks were defiantly tough as I could barely get on my bicycle, I WAS SO SORE. It was pathetic, I had to lower my bike on the perfect angle and slide my leg across... I tried to ignore the stares from on-lookers. I have been pulling up my socks and trying to make it to yoga twice a week, were lucky enough to have it happen right on property. I have been faithfully washing my face twice a day. 

Yes, some of the things on my list are that simple and doable.

I found this great DIY toner that really does the trick: 

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Lemon juice

1 Cup Water

2/3 Cup Witch hazel (can purchase at any drug store)

Plastic bottle or jar

The witch hazel tightens your pores and reduces inflammation

Lemon Juice reduces blemishes and lightens skin

I do it both at night and in the morning and have really noticed my skin brighten! 

I am Ontario bound in a little over 2 weeks and I AM SO EXCITED. I cannot wait to see my family and celebrate my cousin's special day. They are both such amazing people in my life. I have decided to make the travel to the airport a mini-vacation in itself. I'm getting to Vancouver the night before my flight and staying in a hostel downtown! That way I can meet people and have a bit of a social night and have until 2:30 the next day to explore the city until my flight. It also helps to break up the journey. To get out of Tofino, the end of the road literally, I take a bus, ferry, bus, plane. As ridiculous as this may be, I'm hoping to visit the cupcake girls store... yes from the food channel. I think there hilarious and would love to meet them! haha

Something that has surprised me with my adventure in Tofino so far has been the sad amount of surfing I have been able to get out and do. Between work and school and crochet... can you say addicted? I've found it tough to get out there. But it is still a major love of my life and I refuse to let it continue another week. I will not take where I am for- granted. I am hoping after a test on Tuesday I'll be able to hit the water quite a bit and enjoy my surroundings!

It's amazing where life will take you if you only learn to let. Things seem to look after themselves in a way far superior of our own capabilities. 

"live a life of truth

come from a place of integrity

and you will never falter"

one month!

I cannot begin to describe to you all that has happened this past month. 

 but here is my best effort. 

To say the least, it has not been an easy transition. It was something I could never predict nor expected to encounter in moving to Tofino. So much so, I decided to stop blogging. I have a new found awareness towards my intentions in life- overwhelming? you better believe it. 

A short recap of what this past month has encompassed for me:

- fresh start

- awkward moments

- quit a job

- enjoyed the hostel life 

- read a thousand splendid suns

- got a new job

- moved into a cabin by the ocean

- whale watching

- face painted

- made some new friends

- ran a half marathon

- bought my first pair of lululemon pants

- had a wonderful visit with family in Vancouver

-  moved cabins (still close to the ocean) 

- wake & bake muffins in the wee hours of the morning

- sunset surf

- clam digging

- fresh seafood! 

- started school... again!

-  started my tutoring business, now tutoring twice a week! 

-  pancake breakfast 

- lots of ferry & bus rides

- biking

- falling asleep on the beach- achieved official beach bum status- WIN 

Needless to say, every single day I still think about my intentions and surroundings, wondering if I am where I'm meant to be. But at the end of the day, I resolve to live in the present and trust that the future will look after itself. I think my biggest struggle has come from living in the present. Definitely not something that comes so easy for me.

One of the main reasons I moved to Tofino was because I've always thought I am at my best when by the ocean. Something I was not so sure of was what else I needed in my life. I now know without a doubt, I need my family. Unlike living by the ocean, this is something I cannot compromise. Upon moving out here, my brother said to me, " I hope you find what your looking for," and although it has only been one month, the clarity I have obtained from this adventure already has surely changed me forever.

Everyday I wake up and realize once again, I live in a beautiful garden. I have a job I believe in and am proud of, and that I'm well on my way to slowing down enough to enjoy the simplicity that surrounds me.  For this I am so grateful and happy that I came. I can't imagine what awaits for me this summer, surely I hope loads of catch-able waves and good times with friends & what ever else comes my way, will be a lovely addition!

Home is where your heart is, although family is one-of-a-kind.

the end.

roller coaster livin'

As I am writing this, I sit in a hostel by a fire, surrounded by strangers and good energy. To begin to describe what led to this place, I will start by describing my day today. Upon waking up, I decided today was the day I quit the soul-draining job. Before work, I called the hostel in town and made a reservation in preparation for the big move. All day, I worked wondering when would be the time I talk to management and let them know my decision. For the first time today, I worked with someone that I really connected with. The difference between her & the others? She is a lifer, trying to make something permanent work for her here in Tofino. Needless to say, it was the best day yet. The day seemed to pass without much time to think about having the much-needed conversation with management... I have not really quit something before, so it would be fair to say that I was dealing with a great deal of nerves about the whole ordeal. After work, I realized my time was evaporating. I went to the managers apartment above my house, and had the conversation. Phew, it was over. In summary of the conversation, I just spoke about how I felt my heart wasn't in the job and she responded with her ever- positive mhmm, yep! no problem! It was crazy that this news seemed to not phase her. I'm thinking either it happens super often or she simply doesn't care about people who do not wish to be there. She asked when my last day would be and I told her I was done. To continue to train me at this point would be useless for everyone involved and I am sure my direct manager would feel the same way. I'm very ready to close this chapter in my adventure and move on to bigger and better things.

An important life lesson to note: 

Last night on my way out of town, I thought I treat myself to a cheap, but good dinner of fish and chips. I decided to stop at a restaurant just on the outskirts of town. Hoping that it would be a Tofino treasure.. Well, I can safely report that it's not and far from it. I ended up paying $16 for the worst meal I have ever had. To add some clarity to the situation: Today the cab driver, informed me that the place I went is pretty well a drug operation in disguise and that any drug you could possibly want can be found there. LIFE LESSON: if a place looks sketchy, it probably is. No community would disguise a gem as a dive. 

To celebrate tonight, I decided I would go out to sushi, at a restaurant the cab driver suggested. It was delicious, the tuna rolls were made of fresh BC tuna. Definitely worth the money, and a real tofino treasure. After dinner, I wandered over to a local hangout for an open mic night. It was so sweet to hear some live tunes and poetry. 

 I was able to talk to the gardens more today and they offered me an amazing job package. I am most definitly confident in my decision to commit to this opportunity. Things are looking good! 


I can only imagine what lies before me. It completely boggles my mind it has only been 4 days here in Tofino. A week in total. The best way to describe it has to be roller coaster livin' and I'm definitely learning to love it!

- most definitely channeling wonderlust in every possible way.