Blogs from Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, North America - page 2

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo April 21st 2009

My month long Peru trip has now come to an end. I arrived in Toronto at around 8am on Tuesday morning to a grey sky and cold weather. My return has been bittersweet as it was sad to leave such a beautiful and diverse country, but at the same time good to be home. I am definitely looking forward to not living out of a suitcase! Over my time in Peru, I was able to experience such amazing diversity in culture and landscape. I was able to visit the mountains, the ocean, the desert and the jungle all in one country. I met some amazing local people and guides as well as some interesting fellow travellers. I climbed mountains and swam down rivers. I have had such an amazing opportunity to learn about such a unique ... read more

The back pack is ready for its comeback tour!

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo March 25th 2009

Laura Ens

YEAH! The day has finally arrived that I am flying out to Peru! I will be backpacking for approximately one month all around the country with Kristina Harder. Everything has been packed and I am raring to go. For those of you that know me well, it is amazing how I was able to pack everything into one travel pack and purse. I am NOT a light packer. We are flying into Lima, Peru and will arrive around midnight today. Here is an approximate itinerary or at least some places we plan to visit: Lima Cusco Hiking Inca Trail to Macchu Pichu Lake Titicaca Arequipa and Colca Canyon Nazca Lines Amazon Basin (Iquitos on the Amazon River) After returning from Ghana, less than a month a go, reality really hasn't set in as I have been ... read more

Home Sweet Home

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo March 12th 2009

Up the Gondola

Laura Ens

Well, it definitely has been awhile since I last wrote in this blog... and much has happened since then! I returned to Canada on Feb 17 and spent approximately a week in Calgary debriefing and doing school visits. The cold weather was definitely a shock to the system and it didn't help that I caught a cold on the plane ride home! Before heading back to Ontario, I met up with my parents and sister in Banff for a couple days of skiing. (Andrea is working and boarding for the next couple months in Banff). I had an amazing time in the mountains - I hadn't be back out there since my hiking trip a couple years ago. Now that I am back in Ontario I have been catching up with friends and family and getting ... read more

Count down one month

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo November 27th 2008

rache77

On Dec 27 my family and I are heading out on our first ever cruise to the Caribbean! We are hitting up San Juan, Puerto Rico; Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas; Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. John's, Antigua; Castries, St. Lucia; Bridgetown, Barbados but we only have one day at each place so I was wondering if anybody has any good ideas for each island that we are going to? Any tips/suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks :)... read more

#1 The Itinerary.

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo September 6th 2008

Canadrian

The Planning Process First stop: Paris, France Departure Date: September 22nd, 7:30 p.m. Toronto Pearson Int'l. Arrival Date: September 23rd, 11:20 a.m. Charles De Gaule Int'l. Couchsurf in Paris for 2 nights. See the sights I missed in 2002. Perhaps: The Latin Quarter, The Sacré Coeur, Versailles (time permitting). Second Stop: Clermont-Ferrand Arrival Date: September 25th (from Paris) Arrival Time: Who could know? I will be hitchhiking or ride sharing... Couchsurfing for perhaps 2 nights. Link: Clermont-Ferrand Final Destination: Mas de la Fargassa, Montalba, 66110 Amélie les Bains, FRANCE. Arrival Date: September 27th Link: Mas de la Fargassa Duration: Perhaps 2 months. Who could know? What after? Loosely planned Adventure with Jill Kolb, fr... read more

#3 Links you may wish to consult.

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo September 6th 2008

Canadrian

Below, a list of links to help you plan a trip to France, should you wish to do so! They are in French and English so I hope you are bilingual! 1) A guide to hitchhiking 2) A rideshare program in France 3) My Couchsurfing page ... read more

#2 The Preamble

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo September 6th 2008

Me at Christmas 2007

Canadrian

Why am I doing this? Well, I just graduated from University. I was working a job unrelated to my education, with little hope of career advancement. I am 24 years old, and I figure, while I am young and able I should go out and see the world? Sounds good right? Well, it does to me. But how is this applicable to my formal education? Well, since the age of 5, I have been enrolled in French Immersion. I completed my requirements for bilingualism in High School, and continued to pursue French courses at Laurier, completing a minor in 2008. To be truly bilingual, one must be immersed. What better way than to live and work in France? I can't think of a better way. So that's another "why". The last point brings me to this ... read more

Ready to Go!

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo September 1st 2008

Laura Ens

Well, the day has finally arrived - to leave family and friends for six months in Africa. This past week - actually this past summer - has been incredibly busy in preparation. With weddings, camping trips, and other obligations, I have found myself scrambling to make sure I have the necessary travel documents, visas, vaccinations, etc. all required for my trip despite having two months off! Over the past four days I have fully moved out of an apartment and hopefully packed properly for my travels. Today, I leave for Calgary where I will spend a week in training for the ChildSpeak program. It will be great to actually get to start the internship and spend time with the two other interns on this project. I first met the other two interns at a CIL (Center ... read more

Almost Time To Go

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo June 25th 2008

cfinnz

Well, here we go again. Another trip, another blog. This time I am heading off to South Africa. I land in Cape Town next Tuesday and am joining a tour up through Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls. Should be an interesting experience. I am hoping to update this blog as much as possible, but am not sure how reliable internet access will be throughout the tour. Be sure to check in for updates though :) ... read more

last proper shower in FOREVER :(

North America » Canada » Ontario » Waterloo April 28th 2008

A Cow and K Vog

So we're leaving today for Peru which is at the same time awesome, exciting, and terrifying. Because right now my spanish is limited to "gracias" (thank you) "buenos noches" (good night) and "cervesa" (beer), i will try my hardest to spend the flight studying my spanish phrasebook. if all else fails, i found a rubicks cube (whaaa!!!) and will just twist it every once in a while so everyone else thinks i'm super-smart. We decideed to pay for the pickup from the airport in Lima (see above; current spanish vocab), which will eventualy (after a devistatingly long bus ride) take us to are destination, Huancayo. I suppose I will update this thing then. See you all later!!! Kristina & Andrea... read more

Brief history of Canada

A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the sou...more history

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