Do you ever try to reconnect with someone in your past?

I had coffee with a friend tonight and we ended up talking about sketchy train stations in Europe.  It reminded me of a story in Italy ages ago.  I was 21 then and my partner was 19 and he was obsessed with designer stuff so naturally, he wanted to see the outlets.  We took a train to this little town outside of Florence and we thought for sure, there'd be tons of people getting off the train with us and we'd have no problem finding this outlet.

We got to our stop and only three people got off the train.  It was us two and this blonde girl.  We walked out to the street and it was a ghost town.  There was no one around, no traffic, no life.  I ran up to the blonde girl and asked if she spoke english. She did indeed.  She also spoke italian, german, and her native russian.  She too was looking for the outlet so we decided to go ask for directions.  We finally walked up to this building with a red cross on the outside.  We walked in to some senior centre and literally every head turned to look at us: a very blonde russian in a tight revealing top, a young white guy with frosted tips, and an asian guy with dyed brown hair.  It literally became completely silent as they just stared at us.  Good thing Katja spoke a bit of italian because she managed to find us a taxi and got us to the outlet.  We spent the day shopping and eating and it really was such a wonderful memory.

It's been over eight years and I can't believe I remember that day like it was yesterday.  When people make an impression, I guess it stays with you for a long time.  If you happen to know a russian girl named Ekaterina (Katja) Ossipova, let me know.  I tried emailing her today but her email address is no longer valid.

Pineapples and ice cream anyone?

I travel to Hong Kong as often as I can.  Reason is simply because I feel a very personal connection to the city. I was born there after all.  Funny thing though is that I spent all of my school life lying about my birthplace because I didn't like being made fun of for not being born in Canada.  Kids are cruel as we often hear.

I planned a trip to Taiwan and Hong Kong this past August.  Being an experienced traveler, I really should have paid more attention to my passport expiry date because I knew that many countries around the world require at least 6 months validity. Long story short, I had 3 months left on my passport and was forced to cancel the Taiwan leg.  At the time, I was extremely upset because my heart was set on visiting Taipei. However, as I always believe, things happen for a reason.  And as I have discovered, Taiwan didn't work out because I was meant to be in Hong Kong my entire trip where I ended up meeting someone who's changed my life.

Never did I think I'd travel 12 hours by plane to my homeland only to meet a "local" who is actually a Kiwi.  I also never thought I'd ever enjoy eating pineapples and vanilla ice cream together which was his dessert of choice.  What was beautiful about that weekend was that it was so unexpected.  I know people say that often but this really was so unexpected that it slapped me so hard that it's mangled my face.  It was so unexpected that there is a dramatic part two which I may or may not talk about later.

What is most important that I learned though is that it's never easy.  If things are too easy, it isn't right.  It has really forced me to examine things and fight if it is something worth fighting for.

So what if you don't speak the same language?

I find that I often get along very well with Latin cultures.  I've always been lucky enough to meet ones that are warm, friendly, compassionate, loving, and generous.  Very recently, I was able to connect with someone who now holds a very special place in my heart.  After a year of online correspondence, we were finally able to meet when he decided to come to Vancouver for a couple months to study english.  The first night we planned to meet for dinner, he was late.  The only reason he was late though was because he forgot the gift he had brought for me from Brazil so he had to bus back to where he was staying to get the gift.  He got me a bar of natural soap from Brazil which smelled like cinnamon and it makes my bathroom smell awesome.

My favourite memory of this person is the way we were able to communicate with each other despite a bit of a language barrier.  I guess that's what's so amazing about finding a connection with the people that you are supposed to meet in your life.   You don't always need words to communicate.

Have you ever met your "twin"?

As you may have heard by now, Apple's Steve Jobs passed away today.  Indeed, it's a sad day but it does remind me of a story that happened almost a year ago now.

My friend and I, both in our late 20s, decided to spend thirteen hours at Disneyland.  We were lining up for Space Mountain when my friend noticed a guy that looked exactly like Steve Jobs.  I am totally not a tech geek but I at least knew what Steve Jobs looked like.  But then this guy was with a family including a very frumpy blonde woman and a couple of kids. My friend wasn't sure what his wife should look like either and we were at the front of the line by now to get on the ride so we couldn't google her.  Somehow I didn't think it was him and he certainly wouldn't have gone to Disneyland on a weekend. I do admit though that the resemblance was uncanny.

Anyhow, the whole ride my friend kept whining like a little girl saying how much he wanted a picture with Steve Jobs.  So we got off the ride and I was standing there looking at those pictures that they take of your hideous face while on the ride when "Steve" stood right next to me.  By now, I've had enough of my friend's whining so I went up to the guy and said, "Hi there, sir if you don't mind, my friend would really like a quick picture with you. He's a big fan of yours."  This guy stared at me as if he was saying, who are you and what the hell are you talking about.  He kept staring at me and I could feel my face turn red.  I thanked him and apologized for bothering him and left.  Clearly it wasn't him.  Again, why the hell would he be at Disneyland on a Saturday? On the other hand, he did have on New Balance shoes.  Man was it an awkward situation.

Why is Europe so romantic?

Sometimes people have such an impact on you that you can recall every detail from that encounter as if it had happened yesterday.  My experience happened in Barcelona last summer and it was truly the most romantic time of my life.  It all started with a red bicycle that came towards me.  Riding it was a tall, dark, handsome guy with one of the most beautiful smiles that I have ever seen.  This person really is the most beautiful person that I have ever met.  Though he was obviously attractive to me on the outside, there aren't enough words I can use to describe the warmth and love that came from his inside.

We spent time together as if we had known each other for a long time.  We laughed like old friends would when they reminisce about the past.  Then we also parted ways, only the way it played out was like a movie script that I never could've written myself.

He had offered me his place to stay on my last night in Barcelona.  I certainly didn't hesitate to accept the invitation even though I had already paid for a night in a hostel.  He was at work the day I arrived so he left me his key with the bartender that worked in the bar below.  I walked up the dark stair case to his suite and found a note on his door that basically said hello you found it.  It was such a cozy apartment.  It was simple and I remember it was white just the way he liked it.  It had character. It was warm.  The only thing that wasn't warm was the water.  It still makes me laugh today when I think about how he likes to shower with cold water all year round.

I couldn't sleep as people were out on the streets till at least 3 or 4am.  While people laughed and talked outside, I slept alone in the bed with my thoughts.  I didn't understand why I felt so comfortable in a foreign place, let alone a foreign place without the resident who actually had to work until the bars closed.  The noise was finally dying down and it probably wasn't until I heard the doorknob turn that I was finally able to fall asleep.

I woke up to the sunlight that shone through these large curtain-less windows.  I woke up thinking that this was exactly how I wanted to wake up every single day only I knew that I was waking up to catch a flight home.  He walked me to the train station that would take me to the airport.  I stood on the train while he was on the platform and he kissed me as the train was to depart.  I walked to a seat and I cried.
It was difficult to hold it together.  Even when two german women asked me at the next stop if the train was headed for the airport, I still couldn't hold back the tears. Why should I have held back anyway? I acted upon what I felt.  And what I felt was so much sadness.

How much of the world have you seen?

I thought of this post today when I was walking Jenga in the rain this morning wearing my blue jacket from the time I volunteered during the Winter Olympics.  I was a driver for the Olympic family which included basically anyone who was involved with the next summer and winter Olympics.  It was an incredible experience that allowed me to meet people from all over the world.

I don't care if you were for or against the Games because what I loved most about the experience was that for two weeks, we celebrated more than just talented athletes, we celebrated humanity.  It was emotional for me because it was a break from the everyday.  I had the opportunity to connect with people from a different background, language, culture, history, personality, mentality, yet they were all there for the same reason.

Being a humanitarian at heart, I always feel that if people had the opportunity to connect and understand other people that are so different from themselves, then the world would be a better place.  Why don't people want to experience another culture?  Why do people judge the way someone lives when they were brought up in a completely different society? Why must some people think they are superior to others?

It sounds like it's too simple of a solution to make this world a better place for everyone to live in.  But maybe it really IS that simple.  People often over-complicate things when all they really need to do is take a step back and think.

How do you find peace?

I don't know why but I thought of her today so I am writing about it. I mentioned before that sometimes people enter and leave our lives all too quickly but no matter how long or short that period of time is, there is always some significance.

I also met her in Montreal when I was 22. She from Toronto and me from Vancouver. We had met through a mutual friend in the language program and again, the connection was instant and the friendship didn't take long to develop. At the time, I was in a serious relationship with another significant person who had planned to join me in Montreal at the end of my trip. His itinerary included a stop in Toronto just prior. I was young and in love while my new friend was home sick (yes only a 4hr drive away) despite having moved pretty much her entire bedroom into our tiny dorm rooms. Impulsively we both bought some pricey train tickets and headed to Toronto for a weekend. Her parents picked us up at the station and took me to dinner. Then gave me a place to stay overnight. They treated me like I was a long time friend when actually, I had literally met their daughter maybe two days ago.

To this day, I always think about her generosity, their generosity, and how hard it must be to now live without a daughter who had left too soon. I remember hearing the news like it was yesterday. I found out the night I had returned from a trip to Hong Kong. Now two years later, I still think about her and I cry.