Under the Hawaiian Sun

Hawaii has been a popular sun destination for ages. Now that I have been there, I understand why. It is hot, sunny, beautiful, there is plenty to do, and it suits a variety of lifestyles. However, it is also very expensive. Fortunately for me, my friend decided to move there to attend med school (tough life, eh?) and invited me to visit her. So, for most of the trip, I had a place to stay and we did not have to rent a car, which made the trip significantly cheaper than it could have been.

First I'll rave about the SUN. There is a lot of it, and it is HOT. If you want a natural tan, you can certainly get one here. Don't forget the sunscreen though! Unfortunately for me, before one snorkeling adventure, I put sunscreen everywhere besides on my behind, assuming I'd remember to finish the job when I stood up. I assumed wrong. After a couple hours of swimming with my back side facing the sun, I was not very happy to discover the tomato red burn covering my bottom.


On the upside, the sunsets are absolutely beautiful! If you are facing west, you are almost guaranteed a sky full of color, whether you are lounging on the beach, filling your face at a luau, above the clouds on top of Haleakala Volcano (Maui) or simply enjoying a drink on a patio. I am sure sunrises are just as nice, but I never got up early enough to find out for sure.



If you are looking for underwater life, you can find it in Hawaii. Fortunately, this can be one of the cheaper activities. On Oahu Island, check out the coral reefs in Hanauma Bay. This is a national park, so there is a small entrance fee, but it is well worth it. In Maui, we swam out to Turtle Town. We did spot a couple of sea turtles (sorry, forgot my camera), but if you go at the right time of the day, you can see many more. It is a relatively long swim, but well worth it. Alternately, you can go on a tour, which is expensive, but eliminates the need to swim all the way there.

If you are willing to spend a wad of cash, there are plenty of great tours. In Maui there is Molokini, a crescent-shaped volcanic crater that is home to a beautiful reef and a resting place for seabirds. You are not allowed to step onto the land because it is a conservation area, but on a tour you can check out the amazing reef. I recommend taking the earliest tour you can find. We went on the second or third tour of the day, which was still before 8am. Although we saw many fish, we heard that the ones earlier in the day have even more. Another great tour is a shark dive. The guides drive a boat out to a cage in the middle of the water. You climb into the cage and watch sharks swim around you. Keep your arms and legs inside the bars!

For good eats and great entertainment, go to a Luau! You can experience some of the Hawaiian culture, including traditional food, music, hula dancing, tahitian dancing, fire dancing... it is an evening full of entertainment. Also, there is plenty of... eye candy... for both sexes ;)

There are some nice short hikes on both Oahu and Maui. Try the Lanikai Pillbox hike. It takes you up high to a great view of the beaches below. Along the way, you will encounter "pillboxes", which are bunkers used during World War II. You can climb into the graffiti-filled cement structures, but watch out for broken liquor bottles. A great hike in Maui is the Iao needle. A guide from our hostel took us off the marked trail and to some great views.

And last, but certainly not least, if you are into the arts, Maui is the place for you. Paintings, sculptures, blown glass.... you can find it all, and much much more. And what's more, everyone in Maui dresses down. So, even if you are not rich, gallery owners can't tell the difference and so will take the time to show their pieces to you. Yes, they will try to sell them to you, but the free information can be quite interesting.

Well, there you have it: a condensed account of my trip to Hawaii in June 2009. I only saw two of the many islands. I'd love to see the rest. Even just between Oahu and Maui, there is something for everyone... so if you can afford it, go to Hawaii!

Costa Rica!

When I graduated from my bachelor's degree, my incredibly generous Godmother took me on a wonderful vacation to the beautiful land of Costa Rica. We spent most of our time on a resort in the dry province of Guanacaste. Guided day trips were a good way of experiencing life outside of the resort. Renting a car and driving south to Manuel Antonio let us leisurely explore the coast without the schedules of the organized tours. Here are the highlights of our adventure.

The Animals

Costa Rica is FULL of all sorts of amazing wildlife. I didn't get pictures of all of the animals we saw, but here are a few decent shots:

Perhaps the most memorable animal was the white-headed capuchin monkey. Dozens of them visited our resort daily. When visitors gave them bananas, the monkeys would roll them on a branch before opening and eating them.

We also saw the capuchin's on our Palo Verde River Ride. They jumped onto the boat to beg for food while the concerned alpha male watched on. We saw an alligator (or crocodile.... I forget which), some bats, many varieties of water birds, and even a shrimp. An interesting fact about shrimp is that their bowels are very close to their brains. In the words of our guide, "Costa Rican women say that Costa Rican men are like shrimp, they've got sh*t in the brain!"

Other sightings include toucans, raccoons, lizards, sloths and howler monkeys. Also note-worthy, but in a disgusting way, were all of the giant insects in the town of Manuel Antonio. At night they come creeping out of the rainforest.... one landed on my hand while we were enjoying drinks on our balcony, which caused us to promptly move indoors.

Beauty and Relaxation

Although Costa Rica is a relatively small country, you don't have to travel far to find a difference in climate and flora. Our resort was in the dry region, but it was still lush and beautiful.  Every day, farmers set fire to their nearby sugarcane fields before they were harvested. This is done to kill deadly snakes so that the workers aren't killed by surprise attacks. The smoke leaves a bit of a haze in the area, which added to the atmosphere and spectacular sunsets, which are equally beautiful farther south in Manuel Antonio.

Travel inland or south and you'll find yourself in the rain forest, where the vegetation becomes even more lush and the climate is considerably wetter. Inland you find Monteverde, where you can explore the rain forest by walking on suspension bridges way up above the treetops. I recommend staying on trails and not touching the plants. Our tour guide informed us of some of the poisonous and otherwise dangerous plants that can give you a rash, or much worse.

We took a roadtrip down the west coast to Manuel Antonio National Park. The beaches were beautiful and hot. The water was much better suited for swimming than at the resort, other than potential rip-tides. The rain forest added a fantastic backdrop to the soft sand and rolling waves. There are relatively well maintained walking trails in the forest that lead to breathtaking views.

We didn't visit the east side of the country, but I have heard that it is worthy of a visit. 

Adventure
If you seek adventure, you can definitely find it in Costa Rica! We opted for a one-day organized adventure tour, but there is far more to do than what we were exposed to in a matter of hours.

Our tour began with a horseback ride. This took us on a trail through the trees. The path lead to hiking trail. We hopped from rock to rock to cross a river and arrived at our destination: a nice waterfall! For those not afraid of heights, it was time to JUMP!

The water was surprisingly cold, considering the hot weather. While it was a shock to my system, leaving me gasping for air, it was certainly exhilarating. I'd do it again in a heartbeat... actually, I jumped a few times. To warm up, our next stop was the mud bath. 

This was a different kind of adventure. We started with a sweat-inducing session in the sauna. The next step was to paint volcanic mud all over our bodies. I got to the mud station later than everyone else, so they gave me a helping hand. Once that dried, we showered off and sat in a hot tub for a while. Next stop: the zip-line.

After a short safety demo, we climbed to our first platform and began zooming through the tree-tops. Some of the lines were extremely high in the air, but provided some nice views of the forest and rivers below. We rappelled down to a platform above the water, then climbed back up the other side of the canyon wall. 

The adventure combo was definitely worth the money we paid. It was jam-packed with a variety of interesting activities. Going back to the resort for a delicious dinner and a drink by the water was a nice end to a perfect day.

Day Trip to Nicaragua
When you cross the northern border into Nicaragua, the differences with Costa Rica are easy to see. It is definitely a much poorer country, but it definitely has its charms. One piece of evidence showing the poverty of the nation is the frequency of seeing flee-bitten dogs. On the more charming side are the hand-made trinkets lining the streets of the first town we drove through, the wonderful scenery and our delicious lunch. Being there was a real eye-opener.

It was amazing to watch the talent of a boy making pottery with a foot-powered wheel. In a matter of minutes, he turned a lump of clay into a beautifully shaped piece of art. Now, I've tried pottery before, and I can say from first hand experience that there is a steep learning curve, and my wheel had a motor!

While I had seen the Arenal Volcano in Costa Rica, it was from a distance. This is because the concentration of toxic gases becomes very dense and fatal as you ascend. In Nicaragua, we were able to not only ascend the volcano, but also to stand right up on the edge of the crater! Very Cool! The name of this volcano escapes me, unfortunately, as does the names of the towns we visited.

The marketplace was an experience like no other. Our tourist van pulled up, and was immediately surrounded by school-aged kids, all begging for food. Once we made it through to the market, we were greeted by the older boys, anxious to be our paid guides. Since we weren't planning on buying much, we declined their help. There were hand made goods, clothing, food, cigars, and much much more. 

Upon returning to the van, we pulled out some apples. Prior to our departure a lady at the resort informed us that they would be a hit with the begging children. Boy was she right. We tried to give the treats to the smallest kids, but it was hard when there were arms flooding through the doors. Once we gave out all of the apples, the guide shooed the kids away from the door. Knowing the source of the apples, one child came to the window beside me and made an eating motion towards his mouth with his empty hand. I realized the true poverty of this place.

On the way back across the border we stopped at the duty-free zone, where you could get all sorts of great stuff. All I bought was a few bottles of Flor de Caña slow-aged Nicaraguan rum. At $7 a bottle, you can't go wrong.




All in all, my Costa Rican vacation was fantastic. I had a chance to learn about new cultures, saw beautiful landscapes, experienced mind-blowing adventures, got a tonne of Vitamin D, and so much more. On our last night, we were treated by a rather rare experience: Howler monkeys at the resort. They stayed in the tree-tops, but called down to us. We called back to them. If ever there was a perfect ending to our time in the Costa Rican sun, that was it!

Application Time Line

Creating effective applications for schools and scholarships is no trivial task. The criteria for an "ideal application" varies. It is critical to know your audience, what they are looking for, and the deadlines by which you must submit your application. Here is a my application time line:

Making the decision to apply: June - July 2009
Deciding whether or not to apply for school abroad was probably the hardest part of this whole process, emotionally speaking. A past professor, family and friends were a great support. Once I finally made the decision, I felt so great about it.

Research schools and funding: July - August 2009
With my new life plans in mind, I made a detailed list of the applications I needed to fill out, the dates they'd become available, due dates, required documents and qualities that they were looking for. When I had questions, I contacted program administrators.

I also registered for the GRE (Graduate Record Examination). It was required by one of the schools I was planning to apply to. I got my GRE study book and began preparing. After discovering that I did not meet the minimum course requirements for that school, I canceled the test.

Scholarship application: August - October 2009
Scholarship applications became available in August. Gathering official documents and filling out the application form is easy. The more challenging task is writing personal statements and acquiring high quality reference letters.

Well thought-out personal statements are crucial. If a personal statement is poorly written it is likely to be quickly forgotten. I re-wrote my personal statement several times, sometimes with help from friends, family and past professors.

When it comes to reference letters, you don't have control of the content. All you can do is find relevant referees that are willing to write you a positive letter and give them plenty of notice. A word to the wise: Don't assume that your referees will remember the application deadlines. Polite reminders may be necessary. I even had to chase down one of my referees in person. In the end it was worth it.

Prepare school applications: September 2009 - November 2009
This process was pretty much the same as the scholarship applications. I gathered documents, adapted my personal statement to the schools I was applying to and got more reference letters.

Wait... wait... wait....: November 2009 - March 2009
Whew! Finally.... done applying! All I had to do was wait.... and wait.... and wait some more. Just like making the decision to apply, waiting was emotionally trying.

In December, some progress. One of my scholarships made it past the first round of decisions. Yay! More waiting.... In January I received news that I had been accepted to one of the schools. Hurray!

More waiting... February came with some disappointment: 2 rejections. What a blow to the ego! Fortunately, March was much kinder to me: I was accepted into another school and awarded two scholarships, one of which was a full scholarship to one of the schools. This made my decision easy... This fall I will study for one year in the Netherlands, then one year in Sweden.



Get ready to go!!: March 2009 - now
The last few months have involved receiving and sending documents, arranging a one-way flight, arranging accommodations, researching the Netherlands and Sweden, amongst other things. It has been a year since this application process started. The hard work and waiting were worth it. I can't wait to board my flight in August!

Santé to Switzerland!

Back when I was working on my Bachelor's degree, I hadn't done much traveling. While reading online articles about my area of study, I stumbled upon one from a laboratory in Lausanne, Switzerland. My interest was piqued. It just so happened that the lab was offering funding to foreign students for short-term work. After much persistence, I landed a job from May through August. It has been around four years since then, but thus far, it is the trip that has made the biggest impact on my life. As a toast to Switzerland and all its greatness, here are some the things that stood out to me. For everything else, you can check out some of the great guidebooks and tourist websites out there.

Lausanne really is a picturesque place. My favorite part of the area was Ouchy on the lakefront. Looking across Lac Léman (also known as Lake Geneva), the view of the French Alps is absolutely amazing, especially when accompanied by a beautiful sunset. If you ever have the good fortune of visiting Lausanne, I highly recommend taking a ferry to some of the nearby towns (both Swiss and French). 

If you head uphill into the downtown area, you find charming old buildings and cobblestone streets. On Saturday mornings, you can head to the market, where street vendors sell fresh produce and other goodies. Even on rainy days, people are out and about enjoying the atmosphere. 

Coming from Canada, I was quite excited when I first realized that most Swiss lakes have graceful white swans. Anyone coming from a place where swans are common may not find this so enchanting. For me, it was another element that added to the "fairytale" image of the country.

Another thing that I hadn't (and still have not) seen in Canada is grass roofs. This is something I wish I'd see more often at home.

I LOVED seeing farm animals in the middle of the city. I saw a variety of animals, including sheep, goats, donkeys and horses. One of the things I looked forward to on the way to work was passing by some of these critters. Its really a win-win situation: the animals get to eat nice fresh greens, and humans don't have to mow the lawn or buy fertilizer. When I grow up, I want a goat ;).

As I write, I am realizing that I could go on and on about the things I love about Switzerland.... and to be honest, I didn't come close to visiting the entire country. Unfortunately, I completely missed the Italian region and only saw limited parts of the German region. But, I can't end this post without raving about the Alps! So. very. beautiful. If you like to hike, you'll love them. My only regret is not being there in snowboard season. 


On that note, I'll leave you with this thought: VISIT SWITZERLAND! There is something for everyone. I most definitely have not given a thorough list of all of the things to see and do in this diverse and beautiful country. There are many great guide books out there. I used Fodor's. Whether you are looking for sport, adventure, beauty, architecture, fantastic food, art, culture or just a great atmosphere, you can find it in Switzerland! Cheers!

Spilling the Beans

Today was a first for me. I handed in my resignation letter for the first "real" job I've ever had. Don't get me wrong. I like my job. I work with many great people, have learned a lot, have had opportunities for advancement and I am good at what I do. However, in the three years that I have been working, I realized that life has become quite predictable: get up, go to work, go home, make dinner, relax for an hour or two, go to bed, then do it all again. Since I have nothing to tie me down to my home town, I decided that its time to do something awesome!

With a need for change, I entertained a few ideas. At first, going back to school was not part of the plan. When I finished my Bachelor's degree, I definitely needed to get away from the student life. There was a time that I thought about getting a job abroad. After a previous experience of living in Switzerland for four months during a spring/summer break from school, I knew that I wanted to travel more. However, when the world wide economic crisis hit, I decided that I'd rather not run the risk of being laid-off on the other side of the world.

The next best option at the time was to focus on buying some property. I still had travel in the back of my mind, but planning trips with my 15 days of vacation per year would just have to do. Searching for property kept me entertained at first. When it came down to it, though, I really was quite bored.

I toyed with the idea of pursuing a Masters part time while continuing to work. Then I thought, "What the crap is the point of this?" When I first started working, I could not wait to get away from school and finally have some spare time. If I combined school and work, I'd have no spare time and likely would not travel. That was it... after much deliberation I came to the conclusion that I am really a keener at heart, and I have a bad case of the travel bug.

So here I am. Over the last year I've applied for schools and funding. The hard work paid off. Starting in August, I will be a Masters student for a year in the Netherlands and then a year in Sweden. In this blog I will share anything and everything related to being a student abroad. In the coming weeks before I leave, I will post about the application process and previous travels.

I really have no idea where I will end up, both geographically and professionally. All I know is that I'm ready for my new adventure.