"She designed a life she loved. Celebrate her joy."

LJoy

"She designed a life she loved. Celebrate her joy."

Joy: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.

I find joy, among many other things, in travel.

So, I create opportunities to go.
Life is short and the world is HUGE.
Cheers.

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Graduation brought freedom. To go. I love kids. I love travel. I'm not ready to settle down and not sure I want to teach yet...thus, nannying in Istanbul came about! I will be playing big sister to a three year old boy and five year old girl. They're real sweet. See for yourself.

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***Asia: I showed up at my sister's hotel room in Seoul, Korea at 12:30am on Christmas Day; surprise! She was teaching in Korea for 1 year and had no clue I was coming. I absorbed a lot in the 11 days.
***Oceania: I completed my 2 year AA studying abroad in Australia and New Zealand Jan-March 2008. I stayed at Newman College - University of Melbourne in Melbourne, AUS and spent an additional week up north in Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. I stayed at Unitec University in Auckland, NZ followed by one week traveling a tiny bit of the South Island. I made it over to Fiji for a long weekend - Bula!
***Europe: Germany during the land of Christmas Markets! I visited my sister and brother-in-law while they student taught in Germany for 6 months. Stepped foot in Austria and Switzerland, but only for a day (which means a return is mandatory).
***Africa: Uganda - my first trip overseas! Wanting to go since before I was a decade old, I touched foot there when I was 16 in July 2005. My sisters and I spent one month traveling to different villages, orphanages, and islands off Lake Victoria offering medical relief alongside doctors and dentist.
***North America: Young Life's Malibu Club took me to beautiful BC, Canada first as a camper then as a volunteer whenever I can. Mexico: My first trip out of country took place after 9th grade. I spent two weeks in Tijuana, just across the border, building houses and playing with children.

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My brother Chris (Uganda, Jerusalem, and Europe): http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/devriecd/
My sister Bethany (South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey): http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/bethany-grace/

Need to be more INTENTIONAL!

Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul » Cengkerkoy June 23rd 2011

@ TAPS, a pub near Bebek

LJoy

It's been a while...oops! I won't try to sufficiently summarize the last two months, for my own sake, and the sake of anyone who might possibly read this other than me in ten years. That would be a crazy long posts in which I lose all of your attention, if I have any to begin. But I will attempt to quickly hit on a few major topics, in hopes of remembering my first months in Istanbul. And then from now on, I'll try to be more intentional about blogging. I saw and did as much as I could while the kids were in school the last few weeks. Although I don't have pictures to prove it all because my camera broke leaving me without it for 34 long days. It's now fixed and working, but I ... read more

Historic Ottoman homes of Arnavutköy facing the Bosphorus

A, B, C easy as Bir, iki, üç...as simple as do, re, mi?

Middle East » Turkey » Marmara » Istanbul May 6th 2011

Ege, 3.5

LJoy

As I flew over the gigantuous city that is Istanbul, noticing the many minarerts coming off the mosques, it struck me that I did not know ONE Turkish word. Not one. Feeling like an incredibly naive traveler and ignorant American tourist, I leaned over to the Swiss lady next to me who had lived in Istanbul previously and embarrassingly asked her "uhhm, how do you say hello in Turkish?" Merhaba, she responded, spelling it for me but informing me you do not pronounce the h. "Merhaba!" Alright, so I know how to say hello! Yes, I was thinking that in such a massive city, many people would know English. But, more so than that, I had simply ran out of time for (or I guess not made priority) educating myself about Turkey before departing the states. ... read more

I'm done with my 2 year degree, Yay!

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland February 29th 2008

Waterfall behind my Apt.

LJoy

I got my history and culture papers turned in earlier this week and did my biology presentation this morning...meaning that I am now done with all the school part of this trip, and now done with all of my AA, yay! No more Harvard on the Hill for Lacey! :) I'm pretty excited to be done with my AA but then I keep reminding myself that really that just means I'm half way done and that I still have 2 more years...most likely at Western in the fall or winter, we'll see what happens! Anyways, the week was fun! We found a waterfall/swimming hole back behind my apartment and had fun jumping off that and swimming on the three hot days this week; it was nice seeing the sun again! Thursday we took a ferry from ... read more

Week 8: "Hitch Hikers...Pick Um' Up!!"

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Rotorua February 26th 2008

Rangitoto Island Crater

LJoy

Week 2 in New Zealand: Monday, 18 Feb - Sun, 24 Feb Coming back from a few days in Fiji last Monday was rough.... :) but I made it and eventually got caught up on my papers and the work I had missed (that was supposed to be turned in the Friday before I ever went to Fiji. Oh well, I'm in another country and living it up :)! Tuesday we went on a Biology field trip, we took a ferry 20 min. out of the city of Auckland to Rangitoto Island, a 600 year old volcanic island. Our group hiked up the rocky, steep path that was an estimated hour length to get up...but that my friends and I got up in 40 min, (apparently they thought it was like a race or something...). I ... read more

Week 7: "Bula!!" ...its still crazy to me that I was in Fiji!!

Oceania » Fiji » Nadi February 24th 2008

Hammocking It Up!

LJoy

BULA!! "Bula is heard everywhere in Fiji (literally EVERYWHERE, all the time)! It is universally used to say hello, or welcome, and is even exclaimed if you sneeze! It means 'life' and is a way of wishing good health and fortune to the recipient." Wow, what a BEAUtiful place!! I landed in Fiji last Thursday night, the 14th and came back Monday morning, the 18th. We stayed in a backpacker hostel & hotel called Smuggler's Cove in Nadi, a big touristy city of Fiji. It was dark when we got there and all I noticed was that the stars were amazing and the ocean water was soo warm! Our hotel was pretty nice compared to the hostels we've been staying in; it had a restaurant that opened up to the deck, pool (if you wanted to ... read more

Week 7: Living & Learning in Auckland, New Zealand!

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland February 14th 2008

Maori Warrior Face

LJoy

(I thought I had published this last week before leaving to Fiji but then just now realized I had only SAVED it...not PUBLISHED it, wow...well, now its a few days old but here it is) I've been here in Auckland for 5 full days now! The accommodations and schooling here is much different then where we were in Australia. Here we live in 5 bedroom apartments that are a 30 minute bus ride outside of the city. We were spoiled living downtown in Melbourne because it was so convenient just walking outside our dorms and jumping on the trams to go anywhere. There it was just a quick walk to plenty of cafes, restaurants, etc. where as here we just have the Unitec Campus and houses around. Here the bus system is not near as reliable ... read more

Week 6 - Australia Travel Break: Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Great Barrier Reef February 13th 2008

Brighton Beach

LJoy

My last weekend in Melbourne (before flying to Cairns) was heaps fun!!! The Friday after classes got out Sam and I went to Melbourne's Brighton Beach which is famous for their bright, colorful "beach boxes" that people own with views of downtown Melbourne. If and when they go for sale you can purchase this little square box for about $250,000! That night we met up with some of my friends I met through Young Life and went to the sold out Australia vs. India cricket game! It was a big deal with fireworks and all and apparently was a fast game because Australia beat them so quick (still a long enough game for me...It might take me a few more games to completely understand everything that was going on). After that we all went and hung ... read more

Week 6 - My first Hostel experience, in Cairns!

Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Cairns February 3rd 2008

LJoy

I made it to Cairns...it's my first time staying in a hostel and apparently this one we're at is really nice! There's six of as to a room with a shared bathroom...everyone I'm staying with is from my group so its nice knowing them and not having to worry about my stuff like getting stolen! Last night I enjoyed catching up on sleep, not setting an alarm for the first time in a loonnng time, ahhh!!! Cairns does not really have beaches (you have to drive about an hour outside Cairns to beaches) but they have a big lagoon/pool with sand that we went and laid out at today! Tomorrow morning we get up at 7 to catch a bus to Cape Tribulation, where we are staying in a little hut/shack/hostel on the beach in the ... read more

New Address for Auckland, New Zealand

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Auckland January 31st 2008

LJoy

If anyone has the urge to send me a letter or anything after today, here is the address you would need to send it to now that I have left Melbourne Uni and am on my way to Auckland: Lacey deVries Green River Study Abroad Program Unitec New Zealand Private Bag 92025 Carrington Road, Mt. Albert Auckland New Zealand... read more

Week 5 - Sad to leave Melbourne!

Oceania » Australia » Victoria » Melbourne » Swanston Street January 31st 2008

sad to leave my dorm room...

LJoy

After being told two days ago that Melbourne, Australia had just been voted the 2nd most livable city in the world, and has been in the top five the last few years (#1 in 2004), it hit me how much I love living here in Melbourne! I was a little sad packing up my dorm room today and decided to go out one last time to enjoy a walk by myself from my dorm room to Melbourne's famous Lygon St, just 2 streets down from my college. Lygon St. is said to be "one of the great food precincts of Melbourne. It owes much of its growth and popularity as a eating out destination to the students from Melbourne University, who frequented the street long before it became fashionable with business people. Lygon Street has the ... read more

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