Crystal Graham
What? At the age of 26 I will be surrendering to the unknown as I travel around the world for one year and leave behind my family/friends, job, house, and comfort zone. This blog will be the means for family/friends to follow me on my journey as I learn and grow from my experiences.kiwisandcurries
When? January 2012-December 2012
Where? Four continents and 12 + countries (New Zealand, India, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, England, Scotland, Ireland, Germany, Kenya, Tanzania, Australia).
Why? In October 2009 my dad, Norman, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and he passed away in February 2010 at the age of 64. As I grieved the loss of my father, I found a new appreciation for the statements, "life is too short", and "live each day to the fullest", so I began to consider, "What do I hope to accomplish in my lifetime?" I came up with a "bucket list" which included many places I want to see and things I would like to do, ie: live with a family abroad, learn to speak Spanish, learn to surf, etc. This list is what helped me design my itinerary for my year long adventure. I hope that, on this trip, I will learn a great deal about the world and my place in it, gain a new appreciation for all the blessings in my life, and gain confidence in my ability to be an independent woman. Thanks for following me on this journey and I hope that you enjoy!
Travel Blog Posts
Yo Estudio Espanol!
Published: May 1st 2012Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Capital Region » Antigua
April 30th 2012
I arrived in Antigua on March 31/11 and was dropped off at the home of my host family. I was given a quick tour of the house (very nice) and an introduction to my new family. The women of the house are Connie and her two daughters, Cookie and Teresa. The men of the house are Teresa’s husband, Jorge, and two of their sons, Alex (21) and Jose (16). Two other students are also staying at the house; Mimi is from Slovenia and Nadine is from Holland (Sigrid, from Germany, came halfway through following Nadine's departure). Antigua is such a beautiful city. Obviously I noticed right away how clean and fresh it was. The city consists of brightly painted colonial style buildings complete with terracotta roofs and cobblestone streets. The city is surrounded by three tree ... read more
Semana Santa (Holy Week)
Published: April 18th 2012Central America Caribbean » Guatemala » Capital Region » Antigua
April 18th 2012
I arrived at my home stay in Antigua, Gautemala late on Saturday evening after 30 + hours of travel time and reliving a total of 12 hours on March 31/12 so that I could return to the same time zone as my family/friends back in Canada. Needless to say, I was exhausted and went straight to bed. I arranged to come to Antigua to take Spanish classes and to live with a host family but I never paid particular attention to what time of year I would be in Antigua and could never have imagined how perfect my timing would be. I had booked my trip to Guatemala on the most popular and celebrated week of the year, arriving just on time for what is called Semana Santa (Holy week). The city was overflowing with thousands ... read more
April 9th 2012
I returned to Faridabad for a few days before continuing on to the next destination of my journey- Guatemala. I felt an overwhelming sense of relief once I arrived back at my “home away from home”. How comforting it is to walk around a familiar community, stay in a familiar house, sleep in a familiar bed, and have the company of familiar people. It really is the best feeling (and many of us take it for granted)! Natalie, Heather, John, and I have lived together in close quarters for nearly eight weeks and have grown to be like a family. Of course we have not seen eye to eye on all matters and we have likely gotten on each other’s nerves once in a while but those moments have been far outweighed by much fun and ... read more
March 30th 2012
Heather, Natalie and I decided it was time to explore some more of India and we figured why not head to Jaipur for the Elephant Festival and Holi Festival. In order to accommodate the festivals, I left the volunteer project nearly a week early and have arranged to return at the end of the month before leaving the country. Jaipur (March 6-11) The girls and I spent a total of five days in Jaipur. On day two, we went to the Elephant Festival. The festival consisted of a parade of exquisitely painted elephants adorned with brightly colored scarves/fabrics hanging from their husks and pierced ears, large bangles around their ankles, beautiful headdresses and intricate quilts draped over their backs. There were six elaborately decorated elephants competing for best dressed while others were available for elephant rides. ... read more
March 4th 2012
Get comfortable, this is a long one! The four of us strangers from the other side of the globe were brought together only two and a half weeks ago and with our varied educational backgrounds, personal values, and life experiences we have made up a very unique, yet effective team. John is the motivator! He makes things happen and at the end of a long, fulfilling day he is always ready for "one more interview". I am the critical one or as Natalie calls me "the analytical thinker". I look at each situation from every angle and evaluate the positive/negative impact of every decision made. I can admit, that at times, my over-analysis is a bit overwhelming and counter productive. Natalie keeps us all on the positive track, reminding us of our purpose here in India ... read more
March 4th 2012
The small stuff that entertains us.... On the way to the slum one day Natalie decided that she should initiate a poll to determine which is the worst smell in India and the choices would include: a) body odor, b) livestock (cows, pigs, goats, chickens, rabbits, dogs, monkeys), c) cow patties drying in the sun (actually not that bad), d) human feces from the communal toilet (large holes dug in the ground), e) burning garbage/plastic, f) side walk urinal stations with urine streaming down the street, g) my roommates after weeks of eating beans. It's a pretty tough call.... but I think it might be a tie between d), e), and f). India is a country full of many contradictions and each day we add another to our list. Examples include but are not limited to ... read more
February 20th 2012
The month of February brings it's own set of distractions and emotional challenges for me. Even though I find myself on the other side of the world, entrenched in a different culture/language/environment, my thoughts are often drifting back to my family back home. My protective nature leads me to worry about my Mom and siblings as I wonder how they are coping this month? The month of February brings with it the date of my Dad's passing and some of my most cherished and heart wrenching memories of the last few weeks of my Dad's life. The 26th of February marks the two year anniversary and I find comfort in knowing that my mom will be surrounded by our never failing support system. But still i wish i could be there. I still replay the same ... read more
February 18th 2012
Heather, Natalie, and I arrived at our new homestay in Faridabad late last Sunday night (February 12/12) after a long day spent in Agra visiting the Taj Mahal. Our new host family consists of Shri (dad), Mamta (mom) and their two daughters Naisa (age 4) and Naima (3). Another important member of our new family is a volunteer named John. John has been staying in Faridabad with Mamta and Shri for the past ten weeks. The three of us girls had no idea what a whirl wind we had just been dropped into. First stop on Monday morning was to the slum school which would be our home base in the weeks to come. What an awesome and completely overwhelming experience. As we walked along the dirt roads lined with garbage, stray dogs, and livestock we ... read more
February 11th 2012
India has gone relatively smoothly so far. My airport pick up went well and then I waited for another volunteer's flight to arrive before we were driven to our home stay. Because it was very late (1:00 a.m) we went straight to bed. It wasn't until morning that we would have a chance to explore our new environment so of course, my anticipation didn't allow for a very restful sleep. Not only that, it was difficult to sleep because I was freezing cold. How come nobody told me that winter in India was going to be cold? I guess skipping one Canadian winter has made me weak as I can't put on enough layers of clothes to keep me warm. The evenings cool to around 6 degrees Celsius (no heater in the home stay) and warm ... read more
February 5th 2012
Michelle and I flew from Christchurch to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia together on an eleven hour flight. Upon arrival, Michelle and I had to go our separate ways as I would be spending a couple of days in Malaysia and Michelle was catching a connecting flight to Thailand. I wish Michelle luck and safety on her travels and thank her for being a supportive ear and positive energy this past month as we travelled through New Zealand together. After landing in KL I teamed up with a girl I had met on the plane to navigate the bus system together. No problem! After a 1 hr bus ride and a ten minute taxi ride I had arrived at the hostel (Matahari Lodge) that I had previously booked on Hostel Bookers. First thing is first, explore surroundings! ... read more
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