I remind myself of that pretty much every day. I'm really here. I finally did it. And it's going just fine!Before we get started here, I'd like to encourage you to check out a couple blogs that friends of mine are writing:Kelsey at Get Fit. Be Married. is writing the cutest blog of all time about her recent engagement and wedding planning/fitness goals. She even gave me an awesome shoutout in her very first post. I miss seeing her at work every day and this has been a ...
Life
Disconnected.
I've been trying to write this for a few days now, but time gets away from you easily here. That, and I still haven't managed to get my hands on a 3G internet stick yet. Always "mañana" at the store. Hopefully this week.So I've arrived and had a ridiculous start to my time in West End, I managed to somehow get absolutely blackout drunk the first night (see photo below regarding my arrival on the board at a local bar). Oops. I don't know how I went to the dive shop the next day for my first ...
Home is where your dive gear is.
Oh hey. Guess where I am? ...
Dear Vancouver.
Dear Vancouver,It's not you, it's me. There's so many things about you I love, and so many that I hate. But you have been my home for the last four years, so I at least owe you a proper good-bye.I'll miss your high-paying corporate jobs, the ability to pick any country I damn well please and be able to go to a restaurant serving its food, your beautiful mountains, oceans and beaches, your festivals in parks and your mild winters (I will forgive you for that bullshit you pulled in ...
The calm before the storm.
Things are easygoing right now, so I'm doing my best to enjoy it. It's hard to believe that in a week from today I'll be waking up for the first time in Roatan. I'll be hot and sweaty and disoriented, and then once the fog clears I'll realize that I just woke up in my new place...and I'm going diving... and I'm not going anywhere for a long time.These are my last few days in Vancouver.... my last sushi, last sunset at Kits Beach, last dinner with a friend, last appointments and ...
Hello world. I’m Rika!
This post has been hinted at several times in the past, and the day has arrived for me to announce myself to the vast reaches of cyberspace (or to my mom and my little group of readers who still come here to read all my ramblings - thank you!)Hi! I'm Rika. and this is what I look like in my cubicle.I haven't been able to let you all know who I was. Sorry! I had to hide my face in photos and use my initials instead of my name because there were still so many people ...
Everything falling together instead of falling apart.
I knew this would happen.I knew right from the beginning that so many things would be stressful, that I would feel like I couldn't do it, like nothing was going my way. But I knew in the end that it would all work out. And while I'm scared of jinxing myself, I feel okay saying now that it's all worked out.I hit my budget. I'm on track to have $2000-$3000 above my budget, which is absolutely fucking incredible given the fact that I decided just over 5 months ago that I'd follow this crazy ...
Where have I been?
When it comes to a blog, the old adage "no news is good news" does not apply.It's been quiet here because life has been out of control. I have just ten days left before I set out on my adventure!Here's the Cliff's Notes of what's been going on:- The saga of packing: I had to pack up my entire apartment by myself in about four hours as I didn't have enough time off my jobs to do it properly. Needless to say I threw out about half my shit, you're welcome Salvation Army. It was a ...
The last things.
Tying up loose ends around here....three weeks to departure!Good news - on Tuesday (payday from one of my jobs) I will have all the money I need for my trip ready to go in my savings account! YES!!! That's going to be a good day. And luckily I still have a couple paycheques coming so I can have a bit "extra"...I still have a few things to buy and as I've mentioned before, this budget is the bare minimum and I'm sure other things will pop up while I'm there. So saving a bit more will make ...
One month left.
Well, here we are. In exactly a month from this very minute I'm writing this, I'll be touching down in Roatan and leaving Vancouver behind for...who knows how long. Shits getting REAL around here right now!I am knocking stuff off my to-do list and I feel better about that, but the enormity of thinking about leaving my life here and moving to a tiny island with a few bags of stuff is starting to sink in. People keep asking me if I'm nervous or scared. Not really, because I am the kind of ...