Lets try this again...

So I guess I never got very far with the blog eh?

I suppose a few things got in the way, mainly life.  But here it goes! I’m going to try and bring this blog back to life. It feels right.

Although I’m almost six months into the adventure and the season is nearly over…the journey feels like it’s only just beginning.

So let’s catch up!

My current location is Whistler, Canada and will be for some of the foreseeable future. I have scarily started referring to this place as home.  From the lifestyle of a ski bum to the ‘Whsitler Fam’ it feels so natural to call this place home. Of course I miss my real ‘fam’ and friends, and Newcastle will always be home, but Whistler has well and truly found a spot in my heart.

I have worked almost six months for Whistler Blackcomb ski resort and learnt how to ski in my spare time…well, perhaps a more apt phrase is that I attempted to ski. With the help of my trusty, Aussie instructor friend* I was soon shredding. Albeit in a not so graceful manner. My main problem according to him, ‘Paula, you just need to grow a set of balls.’  I guess someone with my dexterity and coordination problems was just not designed to slide.  Maybe, as my other Aussie instructor friend (#RH**) has mentioned, boarders are cooler. Perhaps I have missed my calling.

That’s one thing I should mention about Whistler, it’s full of Australians, who are ever so fondly referred to as JAFA’s, Just Another Fucking Australian. They are definitely a different breed altogether, then again so are the Canadians!

I hate to admit that the rest of my spare time has been spent fulfilling the grand old Irish stereotype of being a ridiculous drunk.  I feel like I’m 17 again, although the hangovers are significantly worse. Is it possible to be ‘too old for this’ at 23? I think it is, or at least my liver does. I have promised my mother I will calm down, so I am banking on the summer to reveal a more sober, healthy me. Hmmmm….time will tell.

Apart from being the aforementioned disgrace, one of the biggest parts of my life in the last six months has been my Whistler fam.  Possibly the most lovable  crude, ridiculous bunch of people I have ever met, who have put up with more than their fair share of alcohol induced messiness, killer hangovers and life drama. They have been the source of so many laughs, stories and life lessons and who are all, whether I like it or not, friends for life.

They will always be my friends; they know too much.

There are post-it notes on our wall with all the fun quotes from the last few months, and no matter how foul a mood I’m in, I can sit on the sofa, read the wall and instantly have a smile on my face. That’s how I feel about this bunch of people; I can’t help but have a cheesy grin plastered on my face when I think of any of them.

Even Matt.**

The main thing that changed since being here is that it’s no longer a six month trip. I have gone from travelling to Whistler for one winter season, to this trip having no completion date. I have also come to the conclusion that this may not be a ‘trip’ as much as this is ‘life’.  This is the dream that I dreamt of living and I finally feel like I’m ready and willing to throw myself completely into living it.  To soaking up everything that life has to offer me, saying yes to all the opportunities that are thrown my way and exploring every inch of everything. Funds permitting of course!

So, now that the world is my oyster its time to be selfish and ‘do me’.  So that’s the plan, and you’re more than welcome to join me on my adventures of self-discovery. That sounds a bit cliche and tacky, but I’m going to use it anyway because it is so entirely true.  This blog is going to chronicle where I go, who I meet and probably most importantly, what I learn.  I imagine it will also be some kind of outlet for frustrations, over-spilling emotions and all sorts of thoughts and musings.  If that’s your kinda thing, stay tuned!

Until next time….


*The oh so lovely Tristan Cleary. Aussie. 30 years old. ex-lawyer turned ski instructor.
**Raging Heterosexual i.e Bradley Cooke. Typical Bogan Aussie. 29 years old, Ex-accountant turned snowboard instructor.
***Matthew Maich. Canadian Room-mate. 23 years old, Boyfriend to Lauren (a.k.a Loris) Maturity level of a 4year old but lovable all the same.