2009 Travels

The year 2009 was good to me in the travel department. I got to visit lots of places, and I flew the furthest I've been so far. In terms of exploration and the general "fun" category, I fared quite well.


January:
I went to Panorama, BC to learn to ski. I "mastered" that quite well and very much enjoying skiing now.

February:
My second trip to the mountains was at Marmot Basin, AB for reading week. It was a beautiful day and the runs were just the right amount of ice.

July:
Gail, Michal and I took an overnight trip to Calgary to go to the Stampede. It was my first time going there so I had a ton of fun. We coordinated our trip with Serena and Maylene so we could all visit Selene on the same weekend and go to the fair together. Although it rained us out for a good portion, we still had fun, and we made up for it after the fireworks by heading to some downtown bars.

August:
My graduation gift to myself was a trip to Hawaii with Gail, B and their mom. 10 days was definitely NOT long enough, and I will make my way back to the Hawaiian islands in a few years time.

September:
My big move to Ontario. I packed upwards of 8 suitcases and flew over to Toronto with my parents. My aunt graciously hosted us for the duration of my settling in, and took time to go with us down to Niagara Falls and other normal tourist-y things. They have been more than helpful in my adjustment to living on my own, and are always welcoming me up to Toronto for weekends if I want to get away.

October:
I make the trip up to Toronto to hang out with my cousins, go to the Tiesto concert and hit up Nuit Blanche. Although my cousins are all older, they are exactly my age in maturity, and we get along great.

November:
My first conference as a graduate student, I head up to Fredericton with my boss. Being a member of the Canadian BioPotato Network means I get to meet lots of other students and scientists and network with them all. I had lots of fun at the conference, and was very excited that I finally made it to the east coast. Although I haven't been to every Canadian province yet, I can safely say that I've been all over Canada, from east to west.

December:
My first trip back to Edmonton after moving away, I haven't seen everyone in over 3 months by this point. Although my trip was only 11 days long, it was long enough for me in certain aspects. Family is great, but can be overbearing when taken in large amounts. I didn't get to see all the friends I wanted to, and unfortunately never made it to my old workplace to visit old coworkers, but I got enough out of my trip and was feeling the need to head back home. Thank goodness I didn't take any more time off than necessary, or I would have been crying to come back to Guelph!