three months... and counting.

three months is a long time. it is an entire semester at uni, the entire summer in canada, and almost 100 days. some days, it feels like i have been gone forever. life has continued on at home, and i haven't been apart of it. my cousin had a baby, my family is at the cottage, and the garden has bloomed. other days, it feels like i left only yesterday. i have lived easily with only a few changes of clothes, only two phone calls home (sorry!) and and adventurous spirit.

it is funny, though, because there are a lot of ways that you can tell, some just by looking at me, that i have been away from home for a quite awhile.

1. i am perma dirty. seriously. i have dirt on my feet that will no longer come off in the shower! i will have to soak for days when i get home.

2. my toiletries are now an international collection: shampoo from germany, hand cream from spain, soap from croatia.

3. i have started to throw out my own clothes because NO human being on this earth should have to wear them again, or look at me wearing them.

4. standards have dropped. luxuries for me now include: showers with warm water (not necessarily hot), hostels that provide bedding (and if they provide a towel too... then it is heaven!), a semi-clean bathroom, fans (not even air conditioning!), a mirror.

5. i have accumulated a random bag of coins that i cannot exchange from the various countries in eastern europe that are not on the euro. it is weighing me down significantly, and i will probably never ever be able to use them again!

6. i am completely accustomed to men in speedos. i know longer look twice. bring on the speedos! boardshorts don't show enough skin. ha.

7. i have completely run out of money.

8. i have taken over 2000 pictures, and almost filled TWO HUGE memory cards. i know, i know, it will take me a year to sort through them all.

9. my flip flops are worn through, almost to the ground!

10. i have changed races. my tan is so dark that my makeup no longer matches my skin colour.

11. i have learned to like... actually learned to LOVE... european coffee.

12. my lonely planet has been well used and well-loved. in fact, it is torn to shreds. every country that i have visited, or will not be visiting has been torn out. what i have left is a sad excuse for a book!

three months. 18 countries. and counting.