Long Flights. They are a necessity for arriving in exotic destinations where adventures await, but it's often knowing you'll arrive eventually that get's us through the trip. I am currently sitting in the Toronto Airport waiting for my 15+ hour flight to Hong Kong. This is my second last flight in my journey to Chiang Mai, Thailand. I've eaten a Gorp Energy Bar, a few dried cranberries, am charging my [...]
“Dreams come true!” Ask anyone I am surrounded by on a daily basis; I say the above statement quite frequently in regards to the silliest, simplest things. Example: At work a co-worker will leave chicken for me to use on pizzas. She’ll say something like “Aelea, I left you chicken for pizzas!” and I’ll respond with “Dreams come true!” Another Example: At work a co-worker will have taken out the [...]
One of the best parts of Hero Holiday trips with Live Different is the ‘building project’. This project will vary depending what trip you happen to be attending. In Mexico and Dominican Republic you will build a house for a family, in Haiti you help build a school. The building project in tThailand is a little different. Our volunteers only travel once a year to the children's home which also receives [...]
Hearing stories have this amazing way of transporting us from eager listeners to supporting characters in the words being brought to life before us. I am currently addicted to the show “Once Upon A Time”. A friend of mine and I are both into the show and can’t get enough of it. It’s to the point where when I sleep at night, I dream about the characters—their lives, stories, where [...]
Myanmar. What an interesting place to travel to. When you cross the border they take away your passport and give you a temporary piece of identification that becomes your lifeline. It contains a picture of yourself taken that day by the border security, your passport number, name (excluding your last name), birthdate and a number. That number is your connection to your passport the government is now holding. Upon leaving [...]
Did you know I’m not really a ‘kid’ person? I don’t consider myself someone who really enjoys being around children. Being the one who has to entertain a child for really any period of time, and the idea of having one of my own, just seems so ridiculous I often laugh at the idea of it. Why am I not a kid person? No reason in particular—I’ve never had a [...]
In very roughly translated paraphrasing from ‘The Art Whisperer’, “Everything you do needs to come from the heart.” The past few days we were involved in a Creative Arts Camp with the children at the home. It was an interesting mix of fun and games, intense meditation leading into spurts of heartfelt art forms and even creating musical instruments! Live Different sponsored the camp and, as part of our contribution, [...]
“The adventures of a humanitarian striving to keep Love at the root of it all.” While the original tag line of my blog still rings true I find it has evolved from a place for friends and family to read about my humanitarian adventures into a place where I write about my passions, dreams, experiences, bring light to important issues and share what inspires me in hopes it will inspire [...]
Security. As per usual, the above word can draw many pictures in the minds of those it is spoken to. We think of everything from the security guard we see every day in the mall we frequent, to our friends and family who spend their lives working towards the pot of gold they call security for their loved ones because of the all too common belief, no matter what might [...]
When was the last time something was in the first place you looked? Often it's in the last place we expect... and it's probably time for a change. My wonderful husband and I are spending two months in the Dominican Republic with the humanitarian and youth empowerment non-profit Live Different (www.LiveDifferent.com) as leaders on Hero Holiday trips. These trips are often the first time youth will engage with the global [...]