Location, Location, Location

I grew up in a small, isolated community (think - pop: 1000) surrounded by other small, isolated communities. Some might even use the word 'remote' and I might even agree. But I loved it there. It was my home and I thought that it was pretty alright.

At some point, possibly after my stint in Seoul ( a city of approximately 13 mil), I morphed into this person who thrives off of the energy of a city. I adore the hustle, the bustle, and I yearn to be exposed to the various 'vibes' that each city in the world has to offer.

Yes, at some point - I became a city girl.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the quiet moments, the quaintness, the serenity, and the familiarity of rural areas. But while I had always thought I wanted to live rural and visit urban, the reverse actually turned out to be closer to the truth.

Diversity is key for me. One of the main things I love about Seoul (which also happens to be my favourite city that I've ever been in) is that there is always something new to explore; something you haven't seen or even heard of before. If you're bored it probably says more about you than it does about the city.

Through my travels, another thing I've found is that friendliness, contrary to popular belief, is not confined to one area of the world. I remember when Craig and I felt a bit lost in a major train station in Fukuoka, Japan. A young girl who spoke very broken English took notice of this and came up and offered to help us without us even having to ask. She veered from her own path to march us all around the massive train station and help us find ours.
I recall the generosity of the mothers of the children we taught in Korea, and I think of a man named Sue who made our days there so much easier by going so completely above and beyond the scope of his job just to make us feel comfortable.

Now I find myself in yet another new place in the world, and already I've been touched by incredible kindness and hospitality. I mean, I'm not delusional either and I'm sure I will come across my share of unfriendly people (they are everywhere too), but the good ones make up for it.

So far, I feel good about this change. I love that I'm close to a city where I can see and meet people of different cultures, religions, and races. I love having the opportunity to do more travelling, and to do it cheaply (comparatively). Oh, and on a somewhat frivolous note - I love having access to a variety of restaurants, stores (particularly clothing and shoe stores), and just services in general.

I'm not in any way, shape or form attempting to take away from the experience of rural living which is unique and special in its own right. In fact, I do miss hearing the loons out on the water. And there is no place like home. But I'm glad for another opportunity to experience something new. Packing and unpacking isn't much fun, but testing out new waters always is.

Being a gypsy ain't so bad.