Helloooo

Well Scotland, it's been swell.

I'm now in the homestretch - only 11 weeks left here.  I can't explain the mixed emotions of sadness and excitement that I feel, mostly because I don't know which one is hitting me the hardest.

I never looked at this experience with an end because it always felt, and will always feel, like my heart and soul were born here.  The immeasurable love and comfort this city and it's people have given me will remain a permanent stamp on who I am as a person now.  I love it - I'm addicted to the feeling of being home.  I also know going back it won't be the same.  No matter how sad and lonely I felt living in Vancouver (I should stress this was a personal struggle and the beautiful people I was surrounded with helped keep my head above water), I know it won't be what it was once I step on that soil, once again I'm enclosed by the big lights in a big city, but I think I've got a stronger skeleton to hold me together.

2 years! Whew does time fly!! I left at 20 years old - barely out of diapers (haha).  I'm older now but I don't feel as haggard as I did.  The excitement aforementioned is to share who I am with the people I love who I haven't seen in donkies.  It's been ages now that I reflect on it but as you can probably imagine it doesn't feel like that.  It's crazy how I get flashes sometimes of your faces and it makes me smile to know that I will see you soon.

I haven't really spoken much of my plans of coming home but they are loosely based on this:
- afford a ticket home
- get home safe and sound
- eat a buttload of sushi
- celebrate Christmas
- celebrate New Years (2014!)
- settle
- find a job
- sort out obvious moving-away-and-not-looking-back issues
- save money again for future endeavors

There happens to be another influence in my life now.  I mean the timing of it is comical!  I met this amazingly beautifully honest person named Jener who is a born and bred Scotsman.  He's also my best friend.  Now I've been here for a whole year and 7 months before we were introduced so it's a little disheartening to only have 11 weeks left here.  I really hope that I can introduce you all to him someday.  You will have to look up because he is 6 foot 7 inches tall.  I know that long-distance is a death sentence in most cases but, I'm not ready to give up just yet, so I won't.

I have to say that the talk of goodbye parties has brought tears to my eyes but I will most definitely make the most of them nonetheless and go out with a bang!

Hopefully I'll be back for good someday.  Where there's a will, there is a way.  But for now I'm preparing to come back to Vancouver and start the next chapter in my life.

A x