It's been a hot minute since I've done a roundup post (the last one was my mega-end-of-2016-roundup), so this time is a 2-for-1 deal! Here's the lowdown on my January and February 2017: What I've been doing since the last roundup Well, besides getting the overhaul of this site going and slogging through all that is a website/branding relaunch... I did all of this:five days in Seoul, South Korea for New Years another weekend trip to Osaka (I went last December too!) went on a day ...
Roundup
Month 53 Roundup – December 2016
Wow, what a year!2016 has been all over the map (literally and figuratively) for me.Here's a quick recap:January - lived in Roatan, went to Canada halfway through for family reasons February - in Canada, interviewed for the JET Programme March - in Canada, and then back to Roatan April - found out I got a spot on the JET Programme, left Roatan for good May through July - in Canada, with a few trips to around Canada and one to Portland in there August - moved to Japan! September through ...
Month 52 Roundup – November 2016
I've been in Japan for four months now, and I'm definitely starting to hit my groove. Things are sailing along in my classes and the teachers and students seem to like me, so that's good! I'm now a pro at the grocery store, the self-serve gas station and ordering at restaurants. I am still a small disaster at the post office, full-serve gas stations, and I haven't even bothered to try going to a doctor or dentist. (Baby steps!)I feel like I've had a luxurious time here, but I think a lot of ...
Months 50 + 51 Roundup
WTF, right? I'm in this crazy new country and not posting anything!? So many of you have been eager to hear all about my new life in Japan and new job teaching English. Sorry dudes.Honestly - I kind of feel like I don't have anything exciting enough to say. So I haven't really said anything.Japan is a cool country, but I don't live in a place like you're probably picturing. I live in a city of 60,000 people, which is straight up middle-of-nowhere by Japanese standards. There's a train to a ...
Month 49 Roundup
Well hi! This post is coming to you live from steamy, humid, scorching Japan. Seriously, this country should be illegal in the summer. And I'm trying to be real respectful of local customs, but it's getting a bit much to not be allowed to wear tank tops or anything above the bottom of my knees when AC seems to be 'optional' (ie. NONE) in so many places, including schools. I have retreated to the air-conditioned cave that is my house, and while I wish I didn't have to come out until October.... ...
Month 48 Roundup: FOUR YEARS!
If you would have told me four years ago as I got on a plane to Roatan that this roundup would be coming to you from Japan, I probably would have laughed in your face, got a little wistful, and gone back to filling out my dive log.I never thought I would be on Roatan for four years, and I certainly never thought I'd be in Japan now. But I'm so, so happy for both of those things. I'm here in Naruto and slowly trying to settle into my apartment, my job, and my new time zone. I'm a little sick ...
Mega-Roundup: Months 42-47
Remember when I used to do a roundup every month? Yeah, that was cute.So 2016 has kind of been all over the place for me. Wait, kind of been? No, fuck that. It's been crazy as shit. From January until July I have taken: four flights to and from Roatan, ten flights to and from Vancouver, the train to and from Portland, and five road trips to Saskatoon. This might sound fun to my travel buddies, but I have accepted the fact that I am not the best traveler - I am much happier as an expat. I like ...
The End of an Era
At this time I'm usually trying to whip up a belated roundup post, but there wasn't anything to round up. I haven't written any posts. I wasn't even on Roatan. And a lot of big things are happening. So this post is an ode to the end of an era instead.Let's get to the point: I'm leaving Roatan. For good.It's not an easy thing for me to write. Putting something out there like that on my site seems so final, and set in stone. My readers who have followed me on this crazy adventure know that ...
Roatan Roundup: Months 40 + 41
It's no surprise to me by now that whenever things seem to be humming along here, something will inevitably show up to shake things up!What's new?The last couple months have seen a lot of changes here on Roatan, especially in regards to the diving industry. Crackdowns on dive instructors working illegally (this is a can of worms I'm not interested in arguing about today - but to all the hecklers: I have my residency so save your diatribes for someone else), massive fee increases and new ...
Roatan Roundup: Month 39
What to say about 39 months on a tiny island in the Caribbean? A few things...What's new?This roundup almost didn't happen...because I almost left.I made some admittedly bad financial decisions during the last high season that left me with exactly zero dollars to pay my rent last month. Straight up panic city. I only had a couple weeks to either get a large chunk of cash, or buy a plane ticket home and give up on the Roatan dream (hey, it's been three great years!). I don't want this to ...