Wales - the unknown region of the U.K.

I had no idea Wales was so beautiful! I arrived by bus into Cardiff late afternoon and got a quick glimpse of the country. There is a castle in the city (as many European cities do), so we popped in for a quick looksee. Still had an almost 2 hour drive north to my friend's house, so we got on the road soon after arriving into Cardiff. By the time we got to the vicinity of their place, the sun had set and everything was dark. So I was pleasantly surprised when I woke the next morning and looked out their front door. Green rolling hills lined with hedges/fences, dotted with trees and sheep, covered with a misty fog. Beautiful! 

Spent a few days soaking up the beauty of the countryside, exploring old cathedrals, ancient ruins and talking to intriguing people. Quaint little towns and exquisite scenery with such history! 

I'm thankful for such remarkable hosts, who were always willing to drive me around, answer my endless questions and entertain me for several days. Lovely family so faithful to share the Gospel in a sadly religious, yet dark land. 

have I just entered Narnia!?

Back to the Roman days of Africa

One of the really cool places I visited on my recent trip was the small country of Tunisia. For those of you not so good with geography, that is in North Africa, situated between Algeria and Libya. It is actually the northern most part of Africa, as it juts up into the Mediterranean Sea. It really is a fascinating place, with such a rich history. Ever heard of the ancient city of Carthage? Yep, that's right near the modern city of Tunis. 

One evening we went to Sidi Bou Said, a small seaside village. The streets curve all up and down the hill, so walking was fun, especially since the road is paved with flat stones. I slipped a couple times in my flipflops. :) This little town looks like that famous white and blue town in Greece that many are familiar with. There was talk of which one came first.... but I never did find out which one was the original. 

While there, we ran across another group of Americans. It is always weird to overhear your native tongue while out and about in a foreign country. Then one of them greeted us and asked where we were from. My friends are from Ohio and the other group responded that one of their Representatives was there. I really thought they were joking, but later we looked her up and sure enough she was a state representative! Never know who you'll run into while traveling!

Sidi Bou Said

overlooking the sea

I really love large, colorful doors!

One day we took a day trip about three hours south to El Jem. This is the site of a Roman amphitheater, similar in structure to the famous Colosseum in Rome. Built in the 3rd century, it is the largest amphitheater in Africa and is in remarkable condition. I've not yet been to Rome and seen the colosseum there, but I'm sure there would be a ton of strangers there to share in your experience. Here off the beaten path, we almost had the place to ourselves! My favorite way to experience history. There might have been a dozen other people besides us wandering around the building. 

Ancient buildings of that magnitude are hugely impressive; it's always a wonder to me how they built such amazing structures so long ago. And it is still in remarkable condition. One side had large, marble seats and stairs and across the way, there were three floors with separate suites.  

It was slightly sobering to think that many who believed in Christ were martyred there hundreds of years ago. If I had been alive in Tunisia during the 3rd or 4th century, it might have been me in the center of that arena dying at the hands of gladiators or the mouths of ferocious beasts simply because I believe in Jesus as my Saviour. 

eating lunch across from the amphitheater

first floor corridor

We continued our tour of El Jem by walking through part of the town to another old building. The mosaic tile work is intricate and complex. In many buildings, it was their form of carpet, better than sweeping a dirt floor all the time. At times they used tiny pieces and they are so well-laid, that they have withstood hundreds of years and millions of feet. 

old house with courtyard

Back to Mongolia. Again.

The middle of April I found myself in Outer Mongolia, one of my favorite countries. I continually have people asking me what my favorite place is that I have visited. Honestly, I kinda dread that question, because there isn't a simple, easy answer. But Mongolia is one of my favorites, probably because it was the first country I lived in outside of North America. This was my 5th visit in the past 10 years. It was good to see old friends, who are now grown, married and have their own families, as well as make some new friends. The night I drove into Khatgal, there was a crazy blizzard;  I had to climb over major drifts on the porch to get into the house. But most of the weather was nice. It was spring, so warmish sunny days, but really windy. 

one of my favorite views ever

did I mention that it was windy?

Sorry for the lack of blog posts. I've been on the go for the past few months, the longest I've been in one place was 18 days in Mongolia. Otherwise I've been changing locations every 2-8 days. Its been an adventure and soon I hope to have some blog posts up about this trip. :) 

Farewell 2015

Well, 2015 is gone. 

In some ways it was a mellow year; school kept me pretty occupied and my international travel was held to a minimum. But it was a good year nonetheless. The most prominent part of the year was school. I took a full spring semester, one class during the summer and another full fall semester. And tested out of 3 classes during that time also. Some days, it sure felt like all I did was homework. But my Undergrad is completed and yes, I am relieved. 

Other highlights from the year include:

My first niece being born! She's almost a year old already. And even though she lives several thousands miles away, I've been blessed to see her 3x this year. 

Traveling in the Lower 48- I went 3x this year for a total of roughly 6 weeks and was in 11 different states. 

Mongolian family in Colorado

USS Alabama in Mobile

Navy Pier in Chicago

Memorial Day in Wisconsin

backwoods Indiana

southern Cali

The wonderful experience with work in the field of ESL. Had some amazing coworkers this summer and great students. It was a rewarding time teaching English and exploring various places in Fairbanks with my students. 

learning English

exploring Fairbanks (with strangers photobombing)

Then there was that trip to Arctic Canada that was epic, crazy, fun and slightly dangerous all rolled into one.

autumn in the Arctic includes snow

Canadian friends

Welcome 2016! Looking forward to some grand adventures! :D

Friends! and Florida

Last month I spent a week in Florida. I went down for a good friend's (my Canadian family) wedding, but got to spend most nights at my awesome friend, Whitnie's house. We had a marvelous time together: drinking coffee, late night talking and praying, eating awesome food, laughing and taking pictures. She's been a marvelous friend over the past six years I've known her. I was sad when she moved out of Alaska last summer, but it's one friendship that has stayed strong across the miles. 

Whitnie was able to get a day off work while I was there, so we set out for a day adventure in Mobile, AL. First on our list of places to see was the U.S.S. Alabama, a battleship used in the Pacific during World War II. We skipped the guided/numbered tours and just set out to explore the ship ourselves. We wandered around finding all kinds of nooks and rooms with cool stuff in it. It was pretty amazing. It was hot that day and I was getting dehydrated, so we didn't stick around to explore the submarine, but next time we will! 

love the USA!

thanks to the random guy who took our picture

Outside the entrance was this giant, mock shell that I just had to hug. I did get something all over my arm and shirt because of it. :( but it still needed that hug. Haha. There was also a big bell in the front of the building. Not sure if you were supposed to or not, but they did leave the metal ringer thing inside it..... so yes I rang the bell. :) 

And Whitnie rang the bell too! Love her expression below. :D It was a pretty epic day. After the Alabama, we wandered around downtown Mobile, where we met a couple from Austria. We chatted with them for a few minutes, during which I invited them to Alaska and they invited me to Austria. :) Then we went to a small cafe for shwarma and kebabs! It was Whitnie's first Mediterranean food. It was pretty tasty! Tho' I have to say the falafel I can get here in Alaska is way better! 

Slowing Down....

"Ready for life to get back to normal." My friend recently said this to me about moving to China. We laughed about the irony of that statement. China isn't exactly "normal" for an American. But I understand what she meant. This summer for me had a pretty crazy schedule and I've been looking forward to getting back into a somewhat normal routine. Was hoping with the start of school, my schedule would even out. So far that hasn't happened, but there's potential there. 

Why is it that time/life never seems to slow down? I'm not the type to not be busy, so guess it won't ever slow down for me.

Here's a few more random pictures from Selawik. 

i love reflections

Marie and Clara -  Rock Crossing buddies

sunset on the river