Friday Night Postcard - Fraaaance!

From my funny French cleaner Florian, who came to Scotland to learn English which seems like an added challenge to learning a language. In case anyone missed the sun, its right here on this piece of card!

Friday Night Postcard - Singapore

I love me some Postcards. This one's from my friend Noor from Singapore! Though I'm certain Singapore doesn't look EXACTLY like that, although it would be awesome if it did, I like the colours.

Packing for a 3 Night Day Trip

In a week my wee brother comes to visit me from Canada! He's never seen a castle and this is his first over seas trip, and his first trip alone! Also he's never seen a castle!

Now I can be an over packer at best. Pained legs and hips while wandering through Glasgow and Berlin were lessons disguised as self punishment. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to minimalism my bag and make sure I don't over do it for once.

Humped over

I used to look at lists and I do love them but I realized I wasn't making lists of my own. Making them helps me see what I've chosen and cut down on it. Additionally I'm headed to Glasgow, then Stirling...

So here is a quick and easy list for a 3 day trip. If you're a dude you can scratch the bra... or keep it, its good to have the holders while hiking!

In the end I want to save room and my back

Bag of choice
Rucksack - 62ltr Arcteryx named Bruce
Smaller day bag - it shrinks to the size of my fist! For day trips!
Wallet

In The Rucksack
1 Jean - the early outdoor walking pant, and so stylish!
3 shirts
1 tank top
1 Bra
4 pairs of Socks - 2 Hiking, 2 normal
Belt - Ma jeans sag
1 Thermal top
1 Pyjama pant
Vest - The most versatile thing.
Sweater
Jacket - Water resistant 
Buff
Scarf
Gloves - Never forget gloves. Cold hands while taking pictures is no fun!
6 underpants - Its 3 nights, but you can never over pack on the knickers.
Walking Shoes - I have a pair of grey and purple merrells
Ipod
Phone
Camera + Charger - A must not forget!!!

Toiletry Bag
Tooth brush
Tooth paste
Shampoo
Conditioner
Razor
Mouth guard
Face cream
Deodorant
Lip Chap
Ibuprofen
Hair Brush
Towel - Not all hostels provide them and I have one of those quick dry ones. 

You want your list to be light, flexible and really, for short trips, you don't need to go shopping for the latest travel-tech if you don't have to. It'll give you more money for your trip in the end. And this above might seem like a lot but really, half it I'll be wearing and the rest will stay in the bag.

The only thing it is ever okay to over pack on is underpants. - Kelsey's words of wisdom

Fresh underpants for a fresh day!

Stuck with the Flag You're Born With

We are free. Free to surf the web. Free to access medical help. Free to access financial and judicial help. Free to marry whom we choose, free to travel and free to find employment in our own way. We are free to wear what we want and free to say what we want.

Yet we are not. For those luck ones who find comfort in staying in the same boarders forever*, they feel the freedom of their choices. Some of us are not so lucky. We live in a world where it is so easy to jump across boarders, and a little under two years ago, I made the decision to jump.

I moved to Scotland, up in the Highlands. Its green, mountainous and beautiful. Initially it was just for travel but I came across a friendly group of people and found myself a second home. I made friends and a few months back one became more than friends. Right now I'm on a Youth mobility visa. This is a visa for commonwealth countries and those who get it are allowed to work. I've had work for well over a year now, managing a hostel. Its been really good.

Isle of Skye, a 1.5 hour drive from where I currently live. Scotland is so beautiful!!!

But its coming to close and I fearfully looked towards the end. After I leave, I can't come back. I don't have ancestors here. University is an enormous debt and finding a job to sponsor me is hard, it means I have to move away from the location that makes me happy. It means I'm confined to my country. Except by one other means, which will be my means of entry. The Partnership Visa.

The paperwork.

But its brought forth some interesting insights to freedom. Neither of us have a criminal record and we both enjoy working. All we want is the ability to be together. Yet we cannot bring each other into either country with out a certain amount of income. I very much understand the philosophy behind it. The restrictions try to reduce the number of people who would abuse the system. Yet there is a sacrifice in this. Those who would come and work hard, loss the opportunity. Those who are lucky enough to be born are allowed to stay and abuse the system at their leisure, idly ignoring the jobs that others would happily take.

Further more it takes things that are supposed to happen at their own time and strips them down to a bureaucratic process. While I don't want a child now, if I did, it would increase the amount of money needed to come in. Again, I understand the process, but we can't call our countries free, if there is no mobility. Other aspects I have to look at in a bureaucratic perspective, instead of the way most people see it, through a lens of white happiness and true devotion.

Many people who have parents or grandparents from Europe or other countries find it frustrating to see how they moved with ease between boarders and oceans, able to live successful constructive lives. No one dies on the journey over, perhaps grandparents, and perhaps it was sacrificing their home for a safer more prosperous life. But that's what I'm doing. I'm seeking a more prosperous life. Shouldn't we, in this day and age not have to sacrifice our home land, or struggle against a land that now looks out with fearful eyes.

My Grandmother (Oma) who came to Canada in the 50s to start fresh.

I feel like countries are like someone who's just come out of a hard relationship. They look out at the other countries as though they're going to break each others hearts when perhaps a little more openness and love between friends is something to work towards. I don't want to be bound by your boarders. I want to come and contribute, to make home in two places.

In the end of the day, I want to be with the man I love and we want to be able to do things on our own time. We'll go through this visa, and we shouldn't face much hassle along the way, but we both feel this process takes away from people where it shouldn't. Life is full of sacrifice, but it feels like we sacrificed the wrong things in life for a freedom that isn't truly free.

Doodles

I've got a few posts in the pipes right now, which should be up sometime this week. 

In the mean time, here are some doodles I've been working on. 

Bo, my cat that went missing in the fall. He was so dumb, but so sweet to me. 

I have some more bear art work on the way. 

Haunched Bear.

I Can't Always Girl Very Well.

I hate the word Cardigan.

There's an event coming up in a month and I've broken from my sweater and hoodie domain on the internet and found myself lost in a sea of prim button down single coloured ... Cardies.... That word I hate above all others.

One after another I stared feeling bored with each one that passed me by.Its made me frustrated. Each one I look at is more boring than the rest. Its a listless, thin sweater with buttons. Yet it is practical. I've mooched one from a friend when I forgot my sweater.

Then I start looking at how to do an up-do that looks nice. I do very little with my hair other than up or down, with a few variations in-between. I don't know the hair products that I'd need to pull it off.

After all this I feel less feminine, like I'm missing something I was supposed to be taught. How to dress. How to primp.

I feel, sometimes like the feminine is defined by fashion. And I do enjoy fashion and I often use it to help build my personal identity, but sometimes I struggle with pieces of clothing that come natural to many people, or that they just accept. I feel inadequate that I don't have this silly piece of clothe. I feel un feminine, like I'm missing out and yet the idea f purchasing one makes me feel silly. I'll look frumpy and posh. I'm not frumpy or posh. Even when I did dress that way for an old office job, it was never with out my own slice of quirk.

My role modles as a kid were often weirdos and strong types. In my youth it was Jim Carry, authors. Now its more fantastical and powerful women.

I don't want to buy this thing just because I'm told its an essential part of a women's wardrobe. I want to buy something because I like it, because its useful and suits me.

Luckily, I am an adult and happy with my body, happy with myself, and while things like these might baffle me for a moment, I just need to remember that I'm an informed individual who can make her own choices when it comes to the exterior. I don't need to jump head long into the arms of Cardies and hair styling products. I am free! I am happy! I am me.

I'm just going to put on my historically inaccurate Viking hat and relax. I got this.

The Realisation

Had an interesting revelation the other day brought upon when I was showing my boyfriend a t-shirt with an artsy elephant on it.He pointed out to me "Your at the age where you can dress like a hipster and get away with it."

I suppose for a second I lingered on the "get away with it" before registering the hipster portion of the sentence. The horror of the slight smile upon my lips was profound. 

The mental process of being told you can still get away with dressing like a hipster. The end emotion is horror. HORROR.

Take Your Shot!

As I've said before, I like archery. I find it cathartic. 

I'm about to buy some new cheepy fiber glass arrows, one went under the snow. Firing it into the snow feels like a rookie mistake, and I knew as soon as I watched it skid under that it was gone. But that's how we learn, by our errors. I took Will with me and we did our best to shoot, just for the sake of shooting. After the cheepy fiber glass, I'd like to get some wooden ones. 

The loss of the arrow.

I think when I go shooting next, I'm going to lay out a target. The goal is to hit near it. I didn't say they were lofty goals. I can kind of cluster them now, but I'd like to be able to make the clusters tighter, and figure out how to keep them similar. 

It was nice to go with Will too, he seems to like it and with a heavier bow, he could do some serious damage, or put some real force. I think a heavier bow would help me gain some strength. This one is about has a 20 lbs draw. Something stronger would help me build up my own strength. I need to research more though. Because I'm away to travel after all this, I would like something a little more practical. 

I've also figured out to hold the arrows in my hand, rather than stabbing them into the ground.

I want to be a better archer. Between this and my hundred other ideas, maybe I'll get there! :)

 

Illustrations from Life in a Hostel

I always fill the kettles and make sure they're ready to go for the next person. One day someone will do the same for  me...