2009 Review (thanks Facebook!)

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I just found the coolest application of Facebook, it shows all the status updates I've made for all of 2009! It is pretty fun reading back at them all! Kind of like a little diary really.

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The year that started with an Goan dance party in India, then working back in Ireland, language learning in Spain, European summer travels, exploring spectacular Central America and ending the year dancing under the blue moon at Falls with friends in Tassie.

Oooooh, 2009, You have been amazing!!!

January
is enjoying Palolem beach and associated new year fun!
is farewelling Anna from India...and about to go solo to Bombay!!
is loving cosmopolitan Mumbai...but alas has still not made her Bollywood debut!
is enjoying homecooked meals, hot water non-bucket showers and sleep-ins in Shropshire, after an amazing month in India!
is heading to Bristol for a Teirney girls reunion!
had a fun day at Stonehenge (even though Steph thinks it's way overrated!)
is reminiscing on her amazing time in India...
is heading back to Galway tomorrow!
is hoping her sickness goes away before starting back at work tomorrow!
has a house! ...goodbye Claddagh :(
has self diagnosed, and is pretty sure it's sinusitus
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February
is wishing all the snow would come just a bit further west!
is heading off couchsurfing in the Ring of Kerry!
is bringing back the travel blog! www.bteirney.blogspot.com
is pulling out her dancing shoes and heading to London for Goodnight Sweetheart!
is still zinging from an amazingly awesome GNSH swing camp, and from dancing with Max Pitruzzella!!
is zinging from an awesome GNSH swing camp, and dancing with Max Pitruzzella!!
is back on her bike!
is missing her Uncle Tobys Muesli Flakes.
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March
feels very industrious after converting her jeans into a skirt, using only nail scissors and needle and thread.
is chef extraordinaire…wow, my housemates are so lucky!
had a very Irish weekend. She drank tea and it rained.
starting the Paddy's day celebrations a few days early!
says Happy St Patrick's day from Galway!
Loves the happiness the sun brings!! ...best Paddy's day. Ever.
is excited about exploring the Irish countryside with Steph this weekend!
found red food dye in the cupboard, so created LOTS of pinkish looking biscuits with cream cheese icing. Yep, goood!
is tour guide extraordinaire again this weekend!
loves spring time and cherry blossoms and t-shirt weather!
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April
had a weekend full of outside coffees, German themed dress-ups , eating too many sweets and friends :)
it's Easter, give FreeRice!! www.freerice.com
it's Easter, help to end world hunger, give FreeRice!! www.freerice.com
is heading to Scotland for some haggis this Easter.
I heart the Scottish Highlands.
got sunburnt yesterday! Yep, in Ireland, and by the sun!!!
ummm, chewy or crunchy ANZAC's? it's a toughie.
wishes she was with Steph when she saw Prince William at Tesco!
is looking through rose coloured sunglasses
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May
Is all booked for her Spanish course in Granada! Hazzahh!!
has the gift of the gab, officially.
is not a fan of the Gulf Stream...yep, the rumors are true, Ireland is the wettest country in the world.
fabulous Friday, oh how i love thee! Especially when followed by the swing workshop weekend...yiipppeee!
Ahhh, Veliko Tarnovo! I miss you ledge-nds!!
is making the most of her last 2 weeks in Ireland!
is very glad the rain has stopped and she can enjoy the outside greenness and flowers that it has created.
is super excited for the Indian themed dinner party tonight! Curry and Bollywood, an amazing combination!
pack pack pack it up.
last day of work in Ireland today, flying to Spain on Sunday, start language school on Monday! A little sad. A little nervous. A lot excited.
feels like she has just changed planets. An awesome weekend to farewell Galway, and have now arrived safely in Granada!
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June
class, eat,study, confussion, tanning, sun, study, eat. Muy Bien!
is all about Granada. Not so all about irregular verb conjugations.
tip. when in Southern Spain always wear sunscreen.
heading to see the toros and matadors in the ring tonight!
goes to the beach when it´s 40 degrees.This status contains special characters. It won't display properly in the collage.
nearly melt into a puddle tracking up to the Alhambra today - but so worth it - AMAZING!
is slightly confused when she keeps hearing Waltzing Matilda on the radio. In Spain?!?
enjoyed her yummy Spanish experience of chocolate con churros. But is now finding it hard to move.
thanks for all the awesome dance floor memories MJ.
Saturday in Cordoba sunshine. ahhhh. I heart Andalucia.
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July
passed her first Spanish exam...woot!
was oh so American last night in Sevilla!
is reapplying the aftersun gel...yep, i love summer beach weekends!! (and only 5 days until I get to hit the beach again with STEPH! woot!!)
hello loooong weekend Malaga beach fun!
mi última semana en la escuela español...This status contains special characters. It won't display properly in the collage.
hasta luego Granada! Hola Madrid!
thinks every city needs a Parque del Retire, my most favorite place in Madrid!
is super excited about heading to the Basque Country and seeing her favourite basque girls today!!!
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August
is sad this is her last day in the Basque country...but looking forward to some Teirney time with Tui in Galicia!
hello Portugal. I can tell already we are going to be good friends.
was reading Night Train to Lisbon on the day bus to Lisbon
made it to Casablanca! (only minus half a big toe-nail that got ripped off whilst getting pushed for the train!)
Fes medina. Crazy, Amazing!!
is spending her last day in Morocco drinking too many fresh juices from stand 53 in Marrakech's Djemaa el Fna! Goodness!!
Who knew swimming in a river of 100,000 kg of tomatoes could be so much fun?
too much of an awesome week with friends in Valencia and Barcelona! ...now for the essential travelling recovery; sleeping in a hammock and clothes washing.
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September
Is back in 2003 and has a strong case of film photo anxiety! I can't wait for my disposable camera photos to be ready!
is relaxing with friends in Galway for my last four days in Europe!
is goodbye Europa...jetting to San Diego in the morning! :)
is in San Diego, California!
Mexico City, I'll be seeing you in the morning!!
is celebrating Mexico Independence day in Mexico City. Viva Mexico!!
saw Mayan village people sacrificing chickens in a church today...craaazy!
Is practicing her salsa moves before heading to Cuba tomorrow! look out Havana nights!!
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October
The best thing about not having internet access for a week is that when you do check you feel extremly loved :) Thanks for the lovely birthday wishes everyone!! xxx
Is back in Mexico from Cuba... and with my new found love for capitalism I'm heading to Wal-Mart!
is soaking up all things Caribbean in Belize!
Guatemala, you are definitely living up to your high praises! Tikal Mayan ruins in the middle of the jungle...A-mazing!
wore reef shoes when climbing an active Guatelaman volcano. probably not the best idea.
learning to dive in Utila, Honduras!
thank you baby oil for keeping me sandfly free! and hooray, I'm now an Open Water Diver!
has discovered that I´m not the most skilled Volcano boarder in Nicaragua!
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November
$2 a night accommodation, yes please!
knows the way to San Jose...Costa Rica!!
is heading to a cloud forest to go two-toe sloth hunting.
is enjoying lovely and sunny Panama! ...only two weeks until the biiig journey home. Huzzah.
is getting her engineer on and checking out the Panama Canal...ohhh yeah!
next Saturday....TASMANIA!!
pumkin pie doesn't really taste as good as it sounds. but that may have been because it was the supermarket brand type. (PS... TOMORROW!)
is jetting to 42 degrees south. Huzzah.
3 unexpected stopovers, 10 hours of delays and a yellow fever quarantine later, I'm home with my family, yey!!!
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December
Hobart Sunshine and drinks at Salamanca...yeessssss!
has faced facts. the tan is definitely fading. boo.
is a page 55 glamour girl, woop.
is rediscovering the art of layering.
'tis the season for mince pies and lazing in the sunshine. huzzzaaahhh with jingles!!
just opened up the last advent window!

I have loved you 2009. You are possible my most favourite year yet!

My 15 seconds...

My little blog and I had our 15 seconds of fame last week.

We made it to page 55 of The Sunday Tasmanian. Woot woot!

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I forgot to mention...

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I'm Home!

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It's actually been a little over a week now. weeiiiirrrdd! I've been hanging with my family, caught up with friends (although full time work is annoyingly inconvenient!), watching the cricket, signed up for Newstart (fancy word for the dole!) and apart from vaguely beginning the job hunting and CV fixing up process, I've been doing a lot of not much!

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I've decided that I'm going to go and make chutney.

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Pumpkin... a new taste sensation??

The day before the evening I flew out of The States for home, I got to experience all the love and pumpkinness of Thanksgiving!

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It started with a morning of pumpkin spiced latte on the 3rd street promenade in Santa Monica, at yep, the US loungeroom-away-from-home, Starbucks. I think the pumpkinness would have actually been quite alright in this if it wasn't for the overwhelming amount of cinnamon they included in my take-away cup. But then again I think cinnamon is just as American as peanut butter, so I drank it anyway. ;)

And then I experienced some of the Thanksgiving love by partaking in the hostel $4 Thanksgiving feast. It was gooood. I was especially thankful to the seconds of homemade cranberry sauce and cornbread 'biscuits'. :)

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Then the much anticipated Pumpkin Pie! ...and it came with a huge dollop of pre-packaged imitation whipped cream out of a bucket! ummmmm. Now I'm hoping it was just because it was a supermarket bought pie, but I actually didn't rate it that highly. But being a dessert, and mixed with imitation whipped cream and ice-cream, I still enjoyed it all!

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** Ahhhh my hair, I miss you! I wish I didn't have you chopped on Tuesday! I finding that new hair takes time to love. (even if it's not heaps different!)

20 months later...

29th March 2008

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26th November 2009

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changes much??

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Day one and day last of my travels (which is a lot of days later!) I took a little stroll down Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles.

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The pier looks like it hasn't changed much, but the pics show that in 20 months I've managed a pretty fierce tan, longer hair, maybe lost a few kg's, and the traveler clothes may have changed a tad ;)

But I'm still Bridget!

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Plus you'll all be happy to know that I did graduate from the 'novice' look of clipping my camera case to my shorts buckle. **phew, they all sighed**

Farewell Central America

I made it through Central America!

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From Mexico City to Panama City and eight fascinating and beautiful countries along the way. Huzzah.

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So as for me now, I´m off to the airport jetting back to Los Angeles (where it all began 20 months ago!). For shopping and US Thanksgiving (and I´m surely going to hunt me out some pumpkin pie!)

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And then I´ll be 42 degrees south on Saturday. Can anybody say just-a-tad-bit-excited!!!

helpful hints for travelling in coastal areas.

So, as I only have until next Thursday before my flight home from LA (I arrive back in Hobart Nov 28th!) I'm currently relaxing by the Panamanian seaside (Bocas del Toro). It is a well known fact that you haven't really been travelling unless you come home with a super awesome tan and too many hippy things tied to your writes and ankles. So I'm spending my days busily trying to conform.

A few tips for backpacking by the beach:

• Headscarfs are essential. They help to give you that hippy/ traveller/ I'm so confident look, whilst also hiding your greasy/ salt watery hair. Score!
  

• Bracelets. Muy importante! especially when travelling in developing countries. don't be an amature and travel with empty wrists. It looks like you've come right off the plane, which is not cool. What you're trying to go for is the 'I've been travelling all my life look'.
  

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  The tan. Soooo necessary! You really don't look like you've been travelling unless you come home with a good tan. And I mean a few shades darker than you would possibly ever go at home. So you'll have to share your time wisely between actually seeing stuff in the local area and laying on the beach. I found that you have to be creative on the beach if the clouds come over or the wind is blowing too much to enjoy lying down and reading.

• or alternatively you can just hang out with really white people. It makes you look way darker, so therefore way more traveller like. I personally tend to go with both these tanning options. ;)
  

Yes, there are many unwritten travelling rules. These are just some beachside starting essentials. Any other hot tips?

Two-toed Sloth Hunting in Costa Rica

Costa Rica, is a mystical land in Central America. It feels very different to the other central American countries in that mass-tourism has most definitely arrived, things were noticeably more expensive and the US influence was sometimes just a little too much. BUT, it is also home to some beautiful rain and cloud forests and volcanoes, and rare animals - including, yep SLOTHS!

So even though I felt a little out of place without my zip-off chino's, college sweatshirt and hiking boot combo (sometimes even coupled with the dreaded bum bag) I ventured into the Cloud Forests of Monteverde to search out the illusive Sloth! (even though, let's be honest, I had no idea what a sloth was or did before I went hunting them out in Costa Rica!)

Steph and I with our excited Sloth hunting faces on

Steph (my English friend who came out to meet me for 2 weeks, yey!) and I forked out the extra dosh and had our own private guide to increase our chances of spotting one. Plus he was a little like the Steve Irwin of the Costa Rican cloud forest world...so even if we didn't see anything, he was totally worth it!

But guess what?? We did see a sloth!

We were told that it is quite rare to spot them during the day because they like their sleep. So even though it was hard to see without the binoculars, we spotted one! (and yes, our fearless guide assured us that this is indeed a sloth and not a stuffed animal that someone placed in a tree as a joke!) He is facing away from the camera..shy little thing.

On the trek we also saw 3 rare Quetzal birds and humming birds!

I am so David Attenborough.

(although I don't think he gets to travel to the forests in an old school bus!)

Caribbean Diving Love!

The last week of October I was diving in Utila, Honduras! I really wanted to upload the 10 min awesome video of fun highlights from my course...but blogger really doesn´t like uploading big things :( So photos will have to do! Unfortunately I don´t have an underwater camera so they are all from above the water.

The week of diving got me really hooked! And learning in the Caribbean sea just happened to add to the pot of awesomeness! The trials of the week were having a permanent mask mark on my head and a Rudoff red nose from too much sun!

I completed the PADI Open Water Diver qualification, and went from the idea of diving making me nervous, to absolutely loving it and not wanting to leave!!

...and I had a great course group and instructors to enjoy the experience with.

Plus, Utila was also the place for discovering the Super Baleada goodness. Sarah and I lived on these for the week! Here is a particularly scary photo of me enjoying my last Honduran Baleada on the ferry back to the mainland.

Days that change days

´It was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But, it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it and think how different its course would have been. Pause, you who read this, and think for a long moment of the long chain of iron and gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on that memorable day.'

Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Thanks for that coffee in Oomph this time two years ago Hayley. For me, this was one of those 'life-would-have-been-different-if-it-wasn't-for-that-day' sort of days.

this was not actually the Oomph coffee day, but the Florence, Itlay coffee drinking day. close enough!

It's always the end in sight that makes you think back to the beginning. And from the beginning to the end, I've been humongosly blessed :)

3 weeks and counting!