Imagine

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Short Video of our new place in White Rock

Please no laughing at me! I was chewing on a rose flavored Turkish delight candy, and didn't know this would end up on my blog :)

Photos of Vancouver

The image to the left is the USA vs. Korea sledge hockey game. Such talented athletes with incredibly strong hearts and minds. Below is the Russia Women's hockey team. Below that is Briana wearing her Canada mittens, and my friends Sara and Kristin as we prepare for the bobsled race downtown :) Lastly, The Torch.

Moving to Canada

I promised that I would post one more blog, so here goes :)

A lot has happened since we returned 1 month ago. We flew into Vancouver on the 12th of Feb., which happened to be the opening ceremonies for the Vancouver Olympics. For the next week or so we took it easy recovering from jet lag, and watching our fair share of Olympic events. We we lucky enough to attend one game, and feel the excitement in the air: China vs. Russia Women's hockey. Besides the loud drum and persistent yelling from the Russians sitting right behind us, I managed to walk away with 80% of my hearing intact :)

This week we attended the US vs. Korea sledge hockey game and enjoyed every moment of it. I was so amazed with the tenacity and heart of these athletes. Fortunately, I witnessed the US win this hockey game. Being the only American in downtown Vancouver during the US/Canada Men's gold metal game, I had to suppress all my excitement as the US tied the game with less than a minute left. I must say, though, that it's a good thing Canada won that game, because Canadians would not be happy campers, and rioting could have broken out downtown. These Canadians love their hockey and they take it very seriously!

The energy was equally as electric in Downtown Vancouver along Robson St., and along the water where the Olympic torch was burning. It felt so good to be a tourist in the city I now live in.

During the Olympics, Briana and I started looking for jobs and places to live. We ended up settling on associate positions as ND's in a multidisciplinary clinic in White Rock, Canada. We will be working with another ND, 1 acupuncturist, 2 massage therapists, and 2 chiropractors in a brand new 2000 sq foot building. Our philosophies on medicine mirror the owners and practitioners, so we feel really good about our decision to work with them. The website is www.livingwellness.ca, although it will not be ready for another week or 2.

For those unfamiliar with BC, White Rock is a stones throw away from the States. Okay, I exaggerated a little, White Rock is an Olympic stones throw away :) Actually, it's more like a couple miles from the US border, but at least this proximity grants us easy access to the States where everything is cheaper. And now our Seattle friends are closer! Hello Seattle friends!

The first place we looked at for a rental in White Rock we ended up taking it! It's a top floor unit on a 3 story house that overlooks the ocean with panoramic views of sunrise and sunset. The owner, a Turkish gentleman, has lived there for over 25 years and decided to rent his place for the first time this year, and by chance he liked us. We will move in on May 1st. The apartment is like a vacation rental.

Oh, FYI: White Rock is reported to have more sunny days than Vancouver. I like the sound of that!

I'll post a video of the view. Please turn your volume OFF to spare me any embarrassment :)

All in all everything is going really well here. Most of the paperwork regarding my Canada Visa is taken care of, and we are waiting for our ND licenses to process. Unfortunately, we have to take an Acupuncture exam here to get licensure, as LAc's do not transfer from the States. Am I looking forward to studying TCM again and taking another board exam? Not really, but luckily it's just an exam.

We plan on working at the Living Wellness clinic starting April 19th, and in the meantime gather our belongings to move again and prepare all the necessary paper work to practice more efficiently. We'll also shadow Dr. Rachel Stewart, the other ND at the clinic, in early April to gain a better understanding about how to practice in Canada.

Many thanks to those who have read this blog over the last 4 months. It's been an absolute pleasure reaching out to all my family and friends sharing my life's journey.

Much love and blessings!

Drew

Sunday, February 7, 2010

My Top Ten

Okay so this is not really a Top Ten because it's more like a Top Five, but below I've tried to summarize 5 things we love about SE Asia, and also 5 things we cannot wait to have in the States/Canada.

Let's start with SE Asia and Indonesia (Nepal due to its extreme poverty rests in another category here...but I will make some references to it):
1. Food! Hands down the food in SE Asia is the best for it's value, availability, and taste. In Thailand and Laos, you can walk down practically any street at any time during the day and night and find street vendors selling all sorts of fresh foods for very affordable prices. Not a day rolls by when we do not eat fresh fruit, or drink freshly squeezed OJ, and savor the cool sweet taste of a freshly opened coconut. At times we have to pinch ourselves to make sure the moment is real :)
Generally, if you are going to eat in a restaurant or on the street, it's almost a guarantee that the food was bought and prepared that morning. That is one aspect of food preparation that is unfortunately lacking in most (affordable) American restaurants . When we return we will have to transition to cooking most of our food and storing it in the refrigerator (oh that does not sound appetizing as I write refrigerator). I'll step out on a limb and say that locals infrequently use refrigerators in Thailand or Laos, since they prepare food for every meal.

Food is central to the Thai and Lao culture, and it's extremely uncommon to see anyone eating by themselves. Families and friends are always gathered around the table, and it appears community is strong here. We did end up eating many meals by ourselves, however, on some nights we where joined by foreigners, or even locals, which spiced up the food even more!

2. Transportation. The low cost, easy accessibility, and dinner time stories that come out of public transport is priceless! Some of our most memorable moments came from riding the public buses!

3. Sunny days. Since we left in the middle of November, most days have been sunny and clear with temps ranging from low 70's at night to high 90's in the daytime. The humidly is very high in SE Asia, so sweating though 2 shirts in one day is not uncommon. To all my family and friends living the Pacific Wet Coast, I have to be honest and tell you that it has rained 2 times (for a total of an hour) during our travels here in Thailand and Laos. I am SO thankful for the sun, yet I am looking forward to cool and clean air! Gosh I'm going to miss the sun when we return to Vancouver! I heard it's been a rough winter there. Luckily Spring is right around the corner.

4. Perspective. Traveling in SE Asia (and Nepal/Indonesia) has provided the perspective I was searching for. I now value my life in the States and Canada more than ever, and I look forward to reflecting often on my teachings here. Being born and raised in the US is a luxury that most Americans take for granted, and I think traveling to foreign countries is essential to see the beauty of our lives and the abundance we are bathed in on a daily basis.
Generally I was proud to say I was an American, but in Indonesia in particular, where Americans are not warmly invited, I said I was Canadian. Overall, travel in these countries was very safe, and I never felt threatened in any way (only when my parents warmed me of a terrorist threat against Americans in Bali). In fact, I actually feel more safe traveling here than I do in American cities (probably because I was mugged in Lancaster, PA during College).

5. Laid back nature. Maybe it's the constant heat that slows things down, but the cultures here are more tranquil than in the States/Canada. For instance, Tuk Tuk drivers in Vientiane had hammocks set up in their vehicles for napping. Very chill!

What we cannot wait for when we return to Vancouver:
1. Family and Friends. Simply put. We miss all of you :)

2. Clean Air! Oh my gosh the air quality in SE Asia is terrible compared to the Pacific North West, but nothing compares to the pollutants in the air in Nepal. Nepal had the worst air pollution than all the other countries we traveled to combined, probably because they burn trash on every street corner, and the roads are not paved and dust particulate is everywhere. We both developed coughs the first week we arrived in Nepal, and are still trying to clear the upper respiratory track infections. We both sound like seals barking away!
So, yes, we are very excited to wake up in the morning and see the mountains or smell the flowers blooming, rather than constantly inhaling exhaust fumes and burning trash. We are so blessed to have clean air! Seriously...I never new how much pollution other cities/countries created until I traveled here. I promise I won't go on my soap box again about how much plastic is wasted :)

3. Simple comforts and luxuries of the home. I think we take for granted the little things like heating and air conditioning, or couches to keep our bums from getting sore, or when we turn on the stove it gets hot. For people here who do not have air conditioning they cannot escape the heat...it's year-round! Sleeping at night with a fan in 80 degree high humidity weather does not provide a good night's sleep.
Conversely, in Nepal, the people have access to electricity for 11 hours during the day so their houses are not heated...can you imagine a house without heat when its 15 degrees outside? This is the daily life of a Nepali.
I could probably go on and on about the little comforts we easily take for granted (i.e. coming home to a Western toilet...and not a squat toilet!!!!)

4. Temperate climate. The fact that it rarely gets below 32 degrees F in the winter, and above 85 degrees in the summer (with the exception of the 2009) makes the PWC a delightful place to live. When we were wearing 5 layers of clothing in Nepal to stay warm, or changing 2 times a day in Southern Thailand and Bali because of sweat drenched shirts, we couldn't wait to get into milder weather. Not to mention it's also a bonus to have access to heating and air conditioning! Watching Nepali men and women huddled over burning trash (which mainly contained plastic) to warm their hands every morning was disheartening.

5. Space. When I say space I mean the ability to walk down the street by yourself, or walk on a plane without 50 people pushing and shoving you from behind (which happened in Nepal), or hear the quiet call of a songbird. Space is quite limited in most of the cities in SE Asia and Nepal, and I look forward to having more space when I return.
There is something thrilling about walking through the bustling city streets of Bangkok, where we have surprisingly spent a total of 2 weeks, yet I have no hesitation leaving the smog, light and sound pollution, and dirty streets behind.
Oh how I look forward to typing by myself on my own computer without being surrounded by 3 Skype users speaking 3 different languages!
Or how I cannot wait to walk down a quite street in Vancouver, and sense the silence in the air listening to the squirrels play in the trees, and birds singing overhead.

Can you tell that we're ready to come home?

Ah...but a part of me will miss Bangkok and the craziness of SE Asia. When I first arrived Bangkok was was a disgusting scam infiltrated city that I wanted no part of. I never thought I'd admit that Bangkok has grown on me, and that I'll miss this crazy city.

I'll post one more blog after we arrive in Vancouver the day the Olympics begin (Feb. 12th.)

Lots of love,

Drew