Last few months

So much happened lately! Canada began to feel like home and suddenly its time to go. 

I know I haven't been active recently, and yet there was so much to write about... I will try to catch up as the exchange year is coming towards end and all I have left is 23 days! Its so scary! Yet here are some of my favourite pictures from April all the way to today <3 

My slovak amigos 

One and only Murphy

And when you are too lazy for life

More coming soon <3

Whistler again

Long time ago, back in 2015 in December, my international family and I took all our winter clothes and went on a ski trip. Whistler opened us with opened arms full of snow! Almost a 4 hour ferry ride and then a 3 hour bus ride was definitely painful but so worth it! Getting a chance to snowboard in Whistler is something unforgettable. Whistler is one of the biggest ski centres in the whole world with almost 200 slopes. We were skying for 2 days and I never skied the same slope more then twice! The longest slope with the length of 11km is a almost an hour ride down. 

It was snowing the whole time we were there so we also had a lot of fun in the village. Whistler village looked so magical I immediately fell in love with it. Snowflakes almost the size of your fist falling all day long. We had a lot of free time so we explored the village and surroundings. But I can honestly say that the most fun we had was on a Saturday night at around 9pm when we found slides made from snow and we were starting snowball fights with random people. We came back to our hotel around 10pm totally tired and soaking wet. 

It was an amazing trip and seeing Whistler during winter but also summer shown me how such a beautiful place can change with a few meters of snow! 

 Where shall we go next? 

all the pictures from the trip

Mama time

Hey guys, firstly I want to apologise for not posting anything for a long time and I will definitely catch up but January was a stressful month with all the exams coming. 

On the 5th of January my mom came! After 5 months without my family I couldn't be happier to see her! And I had to show her the beauties of Salt Spring :) 

She found places I didn't know about like the Grace point or a beautiful beach. Having her here for almost 3 weeks was so exciting. Mainly I didn't have to look for my budget so much but also I felt at home home for a while. People were telling me it is not good at all that she came cause I will miss her even more and they were right on one hand. On the other hand they couldn't be more wrong! Having my mom here gave me more confidence and the strength I need to hold on for a little longer! 

We visited the butterfly gardens and finding out that I am frightened of butterflies I would still recommend visiting it cause it is small and you have a great chance that a butterfly will land on you :D They explained various situations that happen to butterflies. Did you know they only live for about a week and then they die? You had a chance not only to see many different kinds of butterflies but also parrots and other birds! It is definitely worth a stop!

Whenever someone tells you it is not good for your parents to come visit because you will be sad or you will not have such an experience, don't listen to them! Listen to your heart! I am going to see my family again during spring break and I think its for the best! See you in 40 days mom :)  

Vancouver Trip

The weather wasn't very wishful and it was dark and rainy the whole time, but that wouldn't stop the positive southern American to sing and laugh 99% of the time. Their contagious mood is just perfect! They are so outgoing and you definitely enjoy time with them! We got a small tour of the Vancouver city and stopped by in the Stanley Park to take some pictures! The sun shining through the clouds above the city made the panorama pictures. 

After the tour we left our stuff in the hotel and got around 6 hours of free time! We wouldn't be consider women if we didn't do some shopping during sale time! The city was full of Christmas spirit. Lights everywhere. Simple beauty. 

After exploring the city, shopping, eating and enjoying Christmas atmosphere we went to a hockey game. Almost 115 days without hockey was for me pretty hard, so I was excited as never! We got to see the Vancouver Giants play against the Kootenay Ice. Giants won 4:0 and even a Slovak player in Giants colours scored! That made my game even more rememberable. I just love hockey :) 

Saturday meant late wake up and getting coffee in Starbucks. We found out that thanks to the windy weather we had to leave the beautiful city sooner because our ferry got cancelled so we had to catch a different one. Before tho we went to metro town one of the biggest shoppings in Vancouver and I never felt so confused and lost in my whole life! We got our lunch there and went to the ferry terminal. Our ferry to Victoria was late 20 minutes and even tough it was a 8 floor ferry it wasn't quite stable. Since the ferry was running late we almost missed out ferry from Victoria to Salt Spring. We were the first ones to get out of the ferry before anyone else, and had 2 minutes to change ferries. 40 kids and 4 chaperones ran from one ferry to the other. People from BC Ferries definitely had a good laugh! Finally on the right ferry to Salt Spring we danced, singed and laughed. 

This trip went perfectly and it will definitely be one of the best memories! I am thankful for my international family! Big things are coming... Next weekend again! 

Wilkie Way

Walks alone, running, walks with Hali or just walks with friends. Best mind cleaner ever!

3 days ago I went for a run, because, nothing works better for me when my mind is full of ugly toughs that are not welcome at all. I ran up the mountain I live on and got to Wilkie Way. And right on the corner there was a beautiful view I'll never forget. Seeing the whole city under me was something just wow! I went there again day after and the view was even more amazing. You could see till the horizon so we got a nice view on Mt. Baker in USA and also on mountains in Whistler! Worth the walk up the hill! 

More pictures here 

They were taken by my host sister Mariko! She takes beautiful pictures so if you wanna see some more from here work click here - Mariko Uchiyama

† 13.11.2015 †

A lot happened this day and all I get to say is thank you for everything you have done and hope you found peace! 

Also it made me kinda worried about all my pals at home so take care and stay safe! I think about all of you every day! ❤︎

Thanksgiving

Even though Thanksgiving happened almost a month ago it was an unforgettable experience! My host family decided to take us to Tofino. Tofino is a popular tourist destination located on the west coast of Vancouver Island. It is well known for its long beaches where surfers find their heaven. I have done this trip before, while my parents were here, but under different circumstances - it was sunny and warm, the end of August but now we were equipped mainly with rain gear only.  Departing from the Vesuvius Bay on Salt Spring, a ferry ride took about 25 minutes and we got of on Vancouver Island in Crofton and from there in a happy car - singing and dancing we drove to Nanaimo where we had our first stop. Costco, a huge shop with everything was a bit scary for the first time. We got 6 pumpkin pies and a bit of grocers so we wouldn't starve on the west coast.  

From Nanaimo to Tofino the road was really curvy and long so are stomachs had a hard work to do, but we had a small stop near Port Renfrew in a park where you can find one of the tallest trees growing on Earth - the Douglas fir - which is the tallest in his kind. We stretched our legs on a beautiful walk between the trees and were ready for the road still ahead of us.

When we reached our destination - Ucluelet - we found our selves surrounded by beautiful nature and wild ocean crushing on the rocks. Accommodated in a beautiful flat with a mesmerising view on the ocean we went for a walk to the nearest beach. Expecting sand and palms wasn't the best thing. Rocks and rocks and big massive trees best explain how a typical west coast beach looks. 

Even when the whole trip was accompanied by rain it didn't stop us from doing some walks. On Saturday we walked about 3km and got to see beautiful lookouts and a small light house that made loud sounds to guide the boats going around. 

On Sunday we had a thanksgiving supper with the family of my host dad Clay. There were around 40 people with a lot of food and I felt comfortable spending time with them. Thanksgiving supper consisted of meat a lot of differently made potatoes and a lot of veggies - it was yummy! Also I tried my first pumpkin pie to which I was forced to taste by my host sisters Shayce and Kiara (blue jacket and red pants on the picture above) and I am not sure if I liked it or not, but I definitely had a great time.Monday was sadly time to head back home but before we left, Shayce, Kiara, Rory and I, decided to have a swim in the ocean, because it wasn't that cold as you would expect it to be in October! We ran in, jumped into the water and ran out with company of scream and laughter.

I am really thankful for my amazing host family and for the trip they took us to! And I am happy to be a small part of their family.

Victoria

Some people were in big getting ready for halloween but me and my 2 friends, Mariko from Japan and Jule from Germany, decided to go explore something new! We ended up on halloween day wandering around Victoria, capital city of British Columbia, located at the end of beautiful Vancouver Island. In advance I apologise for the length, we really had a great time!

Catching a 9AM bus in the morning from the town to be ready for a 9:50 ferry to Swartz Bay and then impatiently sit for 40 minutes in the bus just to finally get of around 11:30 in the beautiful downtown of Victoria! Totally something different that we expected! Mostly Jule was surprised cause she was expecting something lot smaller. Walking right ahead into The Bay Centre and feeling lucky in the first shop where we got a change to spin for some discounts! Mariko got 20% off so each one of us bought something small! And we couldn't forget running into Starbucks and getting a treat in form of Cinnamon Chai latte, great sweet taste by the way! You should definitely try sometimes.

After some time looking around shops we decided to walk a bit around the down town and we ended in the Market Square, that is for 100% way more interesting when there are shops opened but at least we had some funny moments and took some funny pictures! The next stop was China Town. Not as gigantic and enormous as in London but also worth a visit. Small shops with Chinese things you will probably never use again but buy them just because, traditional Chinese cuisine and little hidden alleyways. 

Walking 40 minutes up the road to another shopping centre was quite a work out but we rested there, not understanding all the costumes people were wearing! From a princess, to sailors ending somewhere in animal land! I found out that people here take halloween really seriously since also older people had costumes! At the end of the day we treated ourselves again with an amazing frozen yogurt and caught ferry back to one and only Salt Spring Island where were in huge going on Halloween parties.

 More photos :)

The Butchart Gardens

Meeting my Slovakian friend was great! And her host family was fun! But to the point. The Butchart Gardens located between Sidney and Victoria on the beautiful Vancouver Island would be definitely prettier during spring time but also in fall it had it plusses. It was great hanging around all the flowers and trees! Definitely worth a visit.

 The garden is made of many different gardens. For example Italian or Japanese. Japanese was in my opinion the nicest one, decorated with many typical Japanese architectures.

Other gardens were mostly closed or didn't have many colours. On the other hand there were many beautiful leaves all around making the gardens even more colourful! The Butchart Gardens should definitely be on your to do list when around BC! Even though they are not great in size they are unique in its atmosphere!

more from the day :)

More photos

PS: Thanks girls for not killing me right ahead! 

Vancouver

Capital of British Columbia, 8th largest city in Canada or just Raincouver. All of this leads us to the city of Vancouver located on the west coast of Canada also known as one of the warmest places all around the country. Its beauty and diversity of population makes it a great place whenever you come from Europe, Asia, Africa or South America. 

Between all the skyscrapers you can find beautiful Stanley Park with a Aquarium and 3 most popular beaches in Vancouver. Stanley Park is great for a ride on a bike or just a romantic walk to see beautiful panoramic views of Vancouver. In the middle of the park you can  take a pretty cool picture with old totems from the aboriginals. And when walking to the downtown different shops with worldwide known exclusive brands, or typical Canadian brand Roots or even shops you normally visit at home can be easily find here! The view from Vancouver lookout is also worth it.

And don't forget to visit Lonsdale Quay Market where you can get a mesmerising view of the Down Town! 

Whistler!

Heaven of bikers and snowboarders?

Definitely! What a beautiful place! After a long day of traveling from Europe to Canada, then spending few quality hours on the immigration I could finally tell myself I made it. Whistler was magical in one way. You know all the cool snowboarders you see on the slopes? Yep you could see them everywhere!! When I was there, there was Red Bull 2015 Bike Cross, and what that means in reality? Downhill bikers from around the World came to show off their tricks! The atmosphere was unforgettable. And when we finally decided to take a cableway to the top of the mountain the scenario was simply the one you will remember forever. So many animals wondering around, spieces I never seen before and views that will stay in my dreams!

Whistler rocks!

(to see more pictures see gallery or hit this magical blue button ->http:// http://homesick.mozello.com/gallery/)

Travels

This part? 

I'll try to show you the beauties that I also get to see the first time in my life! Share the beautiful nature, great people, and yummy food!

You ready? Lets start ❤️