mynameisnotmary

Jordan is definitely my favourite Middle Eastern country so far, and one of my favourite countries that I’ve ever been to. I had no idea that Jordan had so much to offer until I got there! Everything in Jordan is beautiful and there is a good mix of things to do. If you go to the Middle East, do not miss Jordan!!

My move date is getting closer and closer, and I just keep getting more nervous. It’s not that I’m not ready (I’m not really ready, but that’s not what’s freaking me out), and it’s not the idea of moving to the Middle East that has me so nervous, it’s just this uneasy feeling I have that this time around, things won’t just fall into place the way they usually do when I travel and move someplace new. Argh! I am scaring myself and conjuring up all kinds of awful scenarios in my mind that could possibly happen. Keep your fingers crossed for me, eh!

I found Cambodians to be very friendly and genuine. They also have a beautiful country, but a very sad history, which is reflected in the very high number of amputees you’ll see roaming the streets of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.

’nuff said.

I’m thinking about taking a vacation in Egypt over Christmas holidays this year.

I will be moving to Kuwait soon (in about two weeks). I’m a little apprehensive, but also quite excited!

I would love to go back to Thailand again and again and again!

I went to Montreal in December and could not tear myself away from the shopping on St Catherine’s. It’s fantastic! I also really enjoyed walking around the McGill campus. I’d love to be a student there someday!

Edmonton is the most underrated city ever. Edmonton absolutely rocks in the summer!! There’s Klondike Days (doesn’t quite compare to the Calgary Stampede, but oh well), Shakespeare in the Park, Heritage Days, Art Walk, a Taste of Edmonton, Street Performer’s Festival, and the Fringe Festical, (and probably more that I’ve missed) just to name a few. Edmonton also boasts the world’s largest shopping and entertainment complex. At the West Edmonton Mall, you can go shopping, of course, as well as splash around in a waterpark with about 20 waterslides. You can go bungy jumping at a site that consistently makes the list of one of the world’s top ten bungy sites (right inside the mall), you can ride the rides at Galaxyland, the amusement park inside the mall, which features the world’s largest indoor three-loop roller-coaster. There is a giant whale whose mouth you can sit in, an ice palace where you can go skating all year long, a sea-lion show, a pirates ship, submarines, bumper boats, a to-scale replica of the Augustus Prima Porta, mini golf, go-karting, glow-karting, movie theatres, an Imax theatre, a fire-breathing dragon, Bourbon Street, Chinatown (featuring a giant Asian supermarket with super cheap prices), Europa Boulevard, Eveline Charles Spa and Salon, a casino, and a hotel with some wacky theme rooms. I’m sure I missed some stuff, but you get the drift. Even if you don’t normally like shopping malls, this one is too crazy to miss out on.

Other cool stuff in Edmonton include Whyte Ave and the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market (Saturday mornings until 3:00 pm Saturday afternoons). Also, you could walk through Hawrelak Park and Edmonton’s river valley, which is very pretty. There is so much green and so many trees in Edmonton— it just has a nice atmosphere. And Edmontonians tend to be really active. No matter where you go you will see someone jogging or cycling. There’s the provincial musem (which also has a dinosaur exhibit), the provincial legislative buildings, University of Alberta (one of Canada’s largest and finest universities— the campus has some real gems, some really nice spots), Fort Edmonton Park, Chinatown, Muttart Conservatory, Science Centre, Valley Zoo, Hotel MacDonald, Churchill Square (with a really nice refreshing fountain/wading pool for hot days), etc, etc.

Eating in Edmonton is pretty great, too. You could eat at Funky Pickle, a great local pizza chain which has various locations throughout the city, you could eat at the very first Boston Pizza restaurant ever (the very unassuming one on Whyte Ave near Safeway), and for a special treat, you could eat at the German waffle house (Barb & Ernie’s) on 99th street where you will be greeted by a grumpy German man in liederhosen who flirts with the ladies and insults the men. Read their menu for the mouth-watering treats they offer, and flip the menu over for candid timeline of Barb & Ernie’s relationship, including a near-brush with divorce. There is so much good eating in Edmonton, it’s unbelievable. You could pretty much just walk down Whyte Ave and take your pick of any one of the fantastic restaurants (Cafe Mosaics, Yanni’s Julio’s Barrio, Sorrentino’s, that other Italian on near Devlin’s, etc). Edmonton’s also a good place to have a Booster Juice, since they are all over the city because the birthplace of Booster Juice is Sherwood Park, just a hop skip and a jump away from Edmonton.

There are so many fabulous things about Edmonton, I can’t believe people ever have any bad things to say about it!

I took a summer course in Rome on Roman art, architecture, and archaeology. The course lasted only three weeks, but it was the equivalent of a full year course. Basically, it entailed walking around Rome (we used very little public transportation) from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm six days a week for three weeks— I can’t think of a better way to fall in love with a city than to spend three weeks straight discovering it by foot!! It was my first time leaving North America, and it’s still one of my favourite trips ever!