So long, and thanks for all the visas!

I will be back in my dear hometown in exactly 23 hours. Since I've last written on here I have:

- Left Scotland and headed back down to England
- Explored northern Wales for a few hours
- Met some crazy people on long bus rides
- Arrived in London yet once again
- Met up with a cousin of mine whom I haven't seen in 8 years
- Ate the delicious food he cooked up in no time and listened to all the crazy things that have happened to him the past year and a half, including the story about how he ended up in London
- Acted artsy at the Tate, which came quite naturally
- Met up with a friend from Australia and reminisced

Having covered more of planet Earth during the past 9 weeks, I now find myself feeling more at ease while also feeling restless, feeling cynical yet hopeful, and feeling satiated and thirsty all at the same freakin time. Awkward, no? Not really sure how to explain it better here. So ask me questions if you want to know more about my experiences. I'll just leave it like that. Cause it makes me sound all cryptic and deep. And deep is good.

Until I travel again...or if something exciting happens in Vancouver,

Zen

"Yearning to feel the kiss of sweet Scottish rain"

I'm not yearning to feel the kiss of the sweet Scottish rain. That's just a pretty sounding line from Scotland the Brave . I arrived in Scotland three days ago. Edinburgh is freakin/bloody gorgeous. I'm staying with friends Paul and Olwyn. Their house is right down the street from the Edinburgh castle. Fireworks come out of the castle every night during this festival month. The town is buzzing. There are people from all corners of this earth here right now. This fest is the biggest arts festival in the world. Which equals heaven for me. Let me paint a picture for you so you better understand.

Hundreds of venues. A cappella group from Czech performing in the street, a few yards from a French clown in a French flag leotard. Ballet performances which are not as free. Shakespeare on shuffle. Molière and Ionesco re-imagined in big venues, little venues, black box theatres, fill-in-the-blank-theatres. Art galleries brimmed to the ceilings with...well art. A simultaneous book festival with book readings from authors all over the world...like the author of Fight Club who's in town right now. World renowned stand up comedians cracking jokes till 2 am. Markets selling fair trade products like jam. Mmmmm jam. And mmmmm Ionesco.

I'm living in this little wonderland. Dreading to go back home and plop back into "real life." School, work, responsibilities have currently been put on the back burner. Like the back burner way down.

Anyway, I should jet. I have to go do Scottish things like wake up and eat porridge by the castle. Sorry this post appears a bit all over the place. It's 7 am so, I'm blaming it on this ungodly hour.

Back in the U of K

I'm back in the United Kingdom! The awkward placing of the @ sign on the British keyboards is already driving me crazy. However, it's also nice to be back in a place where women have more rights and can dress however they want! Just to make up for the last month and a half, I have planned to wear scandalous clothing for the next few days. Not sure now this plan will pan out cause it's probably going to be cold and rainy...knowing this place. I'm heading to Scotland tomorrow to check out the Edinburgh Festival. I am SO flippin excited. You don't even know. My time on the computer is running out! Gotta jet! Toddle doo!

Internet! I've found you again! Post these pictures NOW!

These pictures are old. They were taken way back in June/early July. This first one was taken in the streets of London, in case you didn't figure that out already.

This is my brother drinking in a pub in England. Isn't he only 17 you say? Yup. The bartender wasn't looking.

They have really nice beaches in England. I totally didn't know. I went down south to Poole to visit a friend of mine. It's absolutely gorgeous there.

It's the Middle East! I call this photo "Sunset in Kuwait" Mostly because that's literally what it is.

I call this one "Women wearing burkha on the beach in 50 degrees heat"