Friends and French Fries

Maybe using "friends" in the title of this post is over-stating it. I'm actually not a cat person at all, although the hives they give me make me think the feeling's mutual. But this was definitely one of the most adorable sights I saw while traveling, right after arriving at my hostel in Istanbul on the morning of January 6th. Asides from my view from the shuttle on the way from the airport, it was basically my first sight in Turkey and it instantly felt like I was being welcomed. Of course, it wasn't long before the two matching sweethearts ran off together.

I don't celebrate Valentine's Day and I didn't start this year. I won't bother explaining why I think it's silly, but I had a great February 14th all the same. I got the poutine I'd been craving for months– thank you New York Fries for making a gluten-free one– and M bought me a surprise copy of The Hunger Games, and picked up some delicious movie snacks like Smartfood popcorn and Stewart's root beer for me, Old Dutch Baked Ketchup chips and Pepsi for him. We watched the movie together on his still-fairly-new-pretty-impressive TV. It was my third time seeing it, and his second since I dragged him to a premiere showing when it first started. So even though there were no cards and candy and balloon animals, it was a lovely relaxing night. I hope wherever you were, and whatever you were doing, it was a wonderful day. And even thought it's nothing special on the calender, I hope tomorrow is wonderful too.

If this doesn't look delicious to you, I don't think I understand you as a person.

Back From The Other Side (Of The World)

I just got back yesterday, after a month of travel, to Montreal and Israel and Istanbul and Oman and Bahrain; so I haven't really had a chance to go through my photos properly or think about blogging or writing in any real clear way. Being away is good for some things: learning, experiencing, inspiring, but horrible for others: mainly actually getting things done. I feel like it'll take me a little while to get back into things. And that's okay. Sometimes I think we forget that we all deserve a break. Even though I know I'll have to work extra hard on school-related stuff now, even though I missed my boyfriend and my bed and my apartment, the experiences and memories I have are irreplaceable.

I stopped writing this post to find one photo to share. Just one. A single photo to sum up the last month. Nearly an hour later, I have nothing. A photo, even if it is worth a thousand words, is still not enough.

Still, I keep coming back to this moment, as I touched the Western Wall in Jerusalem for the first time:

Just one moment, but what a memorable one it was. I am so incredibly lucky.

Planning A Trip To The Other Side Of The World

So back in September I applied, along with my twin sister and younger brother, for a Birthright Trip to Israel. It's a really incredible opportunity for young Jews to visit, and it's the sort of chance I probably never would have had otherwise. All three of us were accepted and are taking that trip together. It just so happens that we're leaving in less than three weeks.

Unfortunately, because of a lot of political stuff and unrest I do not want to talk about, I wasn't really sure if the trip was still going to happen or not, so I held off on a lot of planning. The entire ten days we get to spend in Israel are completely organized for us, but I wanted to stay longer and visit a neighbouring country or too, and take full advantage of my plane ticket to the other side of the world. I didn't actually book the extension though, until earlier this week.

We were supposed to come back January 6th 2013, but while my siblings are, I'm not coming back until the 20th. Instead, I'm taking a detour to Istanbul, Bahrain, and hopefully Dubai and Oman (though those last two haven't had plane tickets booked yet). I bought my Turkish Air tickets today after I got confirmation that my extension on my Israel ticket had been confirmed. So now I'm all set to go. Except for the fact that I haven't planned anything.

Luckily, my best friend Laala happens to live in Bahrain, which is my reason for visiting, and I can rely on her for lots of organization and ideas. She also spent five days in Istanbul earlier this year, so she's already recommended a hostel and I plan to get as much information out of her as I can. Still, this is the first time I've ever taken such a massive trip, and the fact that I'll be traveling for nearly a month is both nerve-wracking and exciting. So while there probably won't be any blog updates while I'm away, I can promise lots and lots of photos when I get back.

Oh, and just to quell any jealousy you might feel, my current journey home (from the 19th to the 20th of January) looks like this:

Bahrain -> Istanbul -> Tel Aviv -> Toronto -> Halifax

And as excited as I am, I'm tired just looking at that two day journey. Traveling to the other side of the world is incredible, but I wish there were a way to orb myself home. It's the wrong kind of science for me, but somebody should definitely get on it.