[2013] Zermatt, Switzerland

Our first ski weekend in November 2013 was to Zermatt and it was the perfect start to the season. (Thanks Jeff and Ginelle for the tip)

The only problem that I struggled with was that it took so long to get onto the slopes. You park in a parking lot, then take a train up to Zermatt than take a bus to the ski lift and then a really long gondola....

It felt like hours from just the car to the top of the runs. 

That aside, it was really enjoyable. We went a little crazy trying to take photos of the Matterhorn, which turned out only OK in comparison to the real view when you're there. We even serendipitously ran into some familiar faces and enjoyed some great Rosti before heading back to Basel together. 

[2013] Amsterdam, Netherlands

I was so excited to go to Amsterdam because it has been such a long time since I'd visited a new European city. On top of that, it was for a PD trip so it was fully paid for. BONUS.

I really loved Amsterdam as soon as I got onto the train into the city. I couldn't quite put my finger on why I loved it so much, but after a day it dawned on me; it is the most diverse European city I have ever visited and it reminded me of home (Toronto). It was so nice to see all different types of people in the same space again. This is really what makes Toronto one of the best cities to live in. You can eat all the best cuisines in the whole wide world in just one city. I miss living in an international city, but I'm comforted in knowing that I could take a quick (and cheap) Easyjet flight to Amsterdam when I need a little flavour of home.

Below (on my walk to the conference from the hotel, bike racks!, city center, Niklaus and his black-face servants?? <-- funny side note regarding this. They tried to get rid of the black-face costume because people said it was offensive. Their defense was, no it is not offensive because real black people are not that black, we are not trying to be like them. A canal)

[2011] Budaest, Hungary

We literally drove through this city and barely stopped. We hit the hot baths in the city centre of Budapest and sat next to the old locals playing chess in the hot pools. It was pretty hot and cool at the same time.

We visited the Communism Monument Museum outside of the city and it was impressive.

We also stopped at this skull church...did not understand where all the skulls came from nor how we even found out about it. It was interesting for about 5 minutes. Hopefully I'll make it back to Budapest one day to really see the city.

(film)

[2012] Dahab, Egypt

Hayes and I spent a few days at this hidden oasis in Dahab. We stayed at a lovely hotel run by a German lady named Emily. She was such a genuine host, who made our stay so comfortable. I'm so glad I read through the reviews before I overlooked her modest rooms. Her Egyptian business partner was a great chef and we enjoyed a few meals prepared by him. I can't wait to visit again! (We're just waiting for the craziness in Egypt to end.)

Just out in front of the hotel you could snorkel and see the most amazing reef filled with coral and life. It was called the eel garden. And, in the few days I was there I was able to get my diving certification too. Yay!

[2007-2009] TCIS, S. Korea

I recently just found out the TCIS is no longer the same place it used to be. This actually brought me to tears. This was the most wonderful job I've ever had, and to me it will be such a special time in my life. I made so many wonderful memories, and made great friends.

I really miss working somewhere that I believe in so full heartedly and feeling like I was part of something bigger. Whether or not it has changed, I'm so lucky and blessed to have worked there while I did. Thanks TCIS and all the wonderful people that made it what it was back then. I don't think I'll ever work with such a committed group of teachers ever again. I didn't realize how rare it was back then. I know a lot of you are moving away from TCIS now, so good luck to you all! My thoughts are with you as you embark on your new journeys.
xoxo

(Below: flowers in front of Click Apt, dance crew, fireworks from iFest, and graduation)

[2013] Blue Mountain, Canada

My aunt (jagun emoya) has been organizing trips with the ladies of my family for years now. She is such a great trip planner, party host and I think she's a good doctor too. This past October we went to Scandinave Spa in Blue Mountain and stayed the night in a cottage style apartment. It was so relaxing and really nice to hang out with my mom, aunts and my halmuni. We even took a nice hike and got to enjoy the leaves turning.
I had to have some beaver tails and poutine! Soo delicious. My aunt went for the classic poutine and I had mine with some bacon. This part of the trip was divinely Canadian.
Apart from spa-ing, hiking and eating I was preparing for my speech for my friend's wedding. I decided to write a song on my ukulele and after receiving some brutally honest feedback I spent most of my time practicing my ukulele. The response to hearing it were things like: "Jennifer, you need to practice a lot more" and "maybe you should change some of the chords so that they're simpler" and "you sound like Phoebe from Friends" ==== I was shaking in my boots. I am still very thankful for their honesty though because it turned out much better than I thought thanks to all the fear they instilled in me.

Thank you emoya for spoiling all of us! Even if you do make more money than all of us...it's still really generous of you to spend it on others rather than yourself. I really can't wait until the next mini-adventure!

<3

[2012] The Dead Sea, Jordan

We made a stop at the Dead Sea on our way from Petra to Israel for about 2 hours. It was so worth it. It is the most bizarre thing in the world. It is so oversaturated with salt that it is so viscous and it smells almost like fuel. We were warned by our friend Sarah Lilo that's it's better if you take goggles and so we did. It was really great to have them, because we could be more comfortable in the water. There's really no worry that your head will go under the water, but if you accidentally touch your eyes your poor eyes will suffer some burnage. I paid a few dollars to do a mud body masque which was pretty cool too. This is one of the coolest natural phenomena I have ever seen.