I guess a lot has happened since i last checked in and its only been just over a week. Christmas and New Year have both passed me by yet again, not without some drama along the way though.
First off, a belated "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all".
Christmas for me was a little different to most years back home in Australia. Firstly, i volunteered at a homeless drop in centre in downtown Vancouver. I was Santa's little helper for the day, helping hand out Christmas gifts to those less fortunate. It was an eye opening experience which confirmed for me just how lucky i really am. To find out more about the centre, follow this link. http://lookoutsociety.ca/LivingRoom.html
The evening was then spent with my good friend Devon's family where we chowed down on some traditional feasts (traditional in the Northern hemispheres sense- there was no seafood and salads haha like in aus hahaha). A few laughs, drinks and great atmosphere capped off a memorable Christmas day.
Boxing day was another adventure as Adriana's (Devons girlfriend) dad took us too Whistler and beyond for the day. If i was excited to see snow on Vancouver Island, i was out of control excited to see it all up at Whistler. Despite being freezing cold, it was just so beautiful. I felt as if I'd stepped into a movie scene.
 |
| A pit stop on the way to Whistler |
After an initial start to the day still drunk from the good bye festivities, i made it to my flight to New York. A long day of travelling with a hangover is never fun, however knowing i wasn't delayed by the crazy blizzard that had just hit New York, made it all that little bit easier. A late night check in to my ridiculously expensive hostel near Times Square left little time to actually explore anywhere before i passed out.
The rest was needed though as the following day was spent travelling and exploring Washington D.C where i got my geek on. I am proud to admit, "I am in LOVE with Washington D.C". Everything about it just screamed 'Tamara'. The chill out cool vibes of the university scene, the history, the temperature, the friendliness of people, the architecture......... I could go on and on. I unfortunately only had a couple of hours in the city itself after the loooonnnnngggggg bus ride but it was enough to decide that i MUST go back. I could get lost in all the different museums, art centres, theatres, odd little lanes, oh and my favourite (don't laugh) Embassy Row! I did however fear that i was going to be deported as we cruised past the White House, i burst inappropriately into fits of laughter (as i do) as the National Anthem instantly played loudly overheard on the speakers of the bus. I'm not trying to be disrespectful but it was just a massive stereotype come to life. Please don't hate me my American friends :D Don't worry everyone back home, I said 'Hi' to Obama for you too.
 |
| The White house |
I managed to get through the quickest Washington D.C tour in history. I made short stops at the Lincoln memorial, the National Monument and Capitol Hill briefly in just over a couple of hours, along with a bus tour of the city and short visit to a Smithsonian art complex. A long day ended with bite to eat in China town and a 5 hour return bus trip to New York.
 |
| Lincoln himself- kind of ;) |
 |
| National Monument- no building in D.C can be taller than this. It was also once the tallest free standing structure in the world until the Eiffel Tower was built |
 |
| The Capitol Building |
Lucky for me, i had already been fortunate enough to have been to New York before which took a lot of pressure off all the 'sightseeing' activities. The main things i really wanted to do were;
- ice skate in central park
- visit the United Nations building
- go see a show on Broadway
- be IN Time Sqaure for the ball drop
- strut down Wall street and
- take a helicopter ride around Manhattan
 |
| Ice skating in Central Park with my FIVE layers of clothing on! |
 |
| Central park |
As fun as meandering around was, it was time to get ready for the big one... Times Square, New Years Eve... OH YEAH!
 |
| Getting ready for the ball drop |
I did manage to make it out to Broadway show later that evening. A couple people from the hostel and I went and saw 'Memphis' which won best the Tony Award for best production in 2010. After watching it i can see why. It was brilliant. I think the thing that stood out to me the most was the set changes were so seamless. Such a great night and I'm so glad i did actually get to check something off my 'to do' list on my last night in NY. An early morning flight followed to Orlando to catch up with my dear friend Amanda.
 |
| Memphis Broadway show |
This week in Orlando should make for some more interesting stories. So far on the agenda is;
- naughty bingo
- me being a spectator at a marathon
- Disneyworld and
- hopefully wrestling and alligator ;)
Days are already turning into blurs after a while though and I'm already forgetting what day of the week it is and what the date is. Things get even more complicated when i try to remember to call or sort anything out back home. Is it 14 hours ahead? 17hours? Does that take into account daylight savings here? What about daylight savings back in Australia? Is that then 15 hours difference? Hence to say my family have been receiving a few early morning wake up calls..... SORRY!
Know that i miss you all and i hope to hear from you every now and then.
Peace out from sunny Florida (ah yes, familiar sun).
Catch ya
Tam
No comments:
Post a Comment