Feeling The Love - Sintiendo El Amor

   My name means love in Russian. I always really loved that. I guess I'm always looking for it in the people I meet, the places I see and everywhere I move. Getting my self here has been a journey. One that was planned through spreadsheets and many maps. I wanted to travel Central and South America for many years and I watched my life transform into just that. At home in Vancouver I had a great job at Flight Centre that took me for a spin all over the world. The time away was from the highest standard but it always seemed so brief. The comfort and opportunity of things kept me in the shop for two and a half years as I moved deeper into the corporate world. I was keen on saving up for something that takes me further. In the last year I saved around $10,000 and that is when I decided to change everything and become a full time traveler.
   It was hard leaving my comfortable life in my brand new decked out condo in Vancouver. It was even harder to leave my family and so many people I loved around me . But it was outside the safety zone that I knew I would find it. I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for because right now I'm just concentrating on the moment.
   I bought 12 flights for just under $1,750. It was really cheap because I am an amazing travel agent and the job always had great travel perks. The Teaching English Certification in Costa Rica cost me $2000 and it included my own comfortable apartment along with class costs. Sailing from Panama to Columbia through the San Blas Islands was another $550 well spent. For an additional $1800 I booked an epic trip to the Galapagos with Intrepid, which I am certainly looking forward to! The remaining half of my budget goes towards my daily backpacker expenses.
   I know I'm on the right track because I wear a smile and I feel connected to nature and the people around me. I feel the love through the sun on my tanned skin and the softness of the sand between my toes. I see the progression in my Spanish as I try desperately to communicate. Relationships form naturally and from a deep open place in my heart. I let all the love in as its the only way I know how.
I follow along on my self paved path.

New Light