"never leave home without Betty & Pansy"!

Here is me.

In the middle of doing other computering... suddenly I was diverted by thoughts I had the other day. I have the feeling that I'm slowly preparing to come home. Home being Toronto, of course.

Let me explain.

Previously on nicole&ryan... N. was unsure about returning to Canada due to her lack of funds to pay for the Jiva teacher training and her lack of job possibilities. R. simply missed Sheena. Yesterday, I was pondering the things that I miss and/or enjoy about Toronto. I realized that even if I was living hand-to-mouth - shitty job at Starbucks or something - the list of things that I miss makes it well worth being in Toronto. Does that make sense?

Things I love about Toronto:

• Being closer to family and friends.
• My dog.
  
• Being around to support my dearest friend Alison.
• A* represent!
• Kensington Market.
• The Om kids.
• Teaching yoga to the Kensington crew (we'd have to obviously relocate).
• Having a regular yoga practice that I LOVE and teachers that I appreciate.
• Delicious vegetarian food... mmmmm...
• Regular shows to attend, drinks to be had.
  
• The English language.
• The opportunity to take classes, learn something new...
• An abundant amount of yoga workshops.
• Familiarity.
• Monday night SG karaoke?

Of course, living in Taipei has been a wonderful experience. There are many things that I would miss. Teaching full-time (after the initial adjustment period) has been great. The students are amazing... and I continue to learn and grow as a teacher. I've had the time and space to start a (semi) regular meditation practice. I've started the YREC course on Yoga History. I've made friends (you know who you are!). Learned how to proficiently eat noodles with chopsticks. I can understand a tiny amount of Mandarin. I know the Chinese symbol for Vegetarian food. I know that they're not saying "Good morning" whenever you enter 7-eleven, but rather, are saying "Wan ying guangling". Life here is good.

So yeah... that was it. Upon further reflection, I know that I was also hesitating to return for other reasons... The fear of not having a place anymore (silly insecurities). As well as, the concept of being fixed there forever. As if I have to do all of the travelling I've ever wanted to before I come home, because once I'm there, I'll never be able to leave. But, of course, that is silly. Note to self: keep life light and simple - then you can pick up and go whenever it suits your fancy. True story.

Anyways lovelies... I'm off to do some yoga and look up jobs on the Lululemon website. Oh, and if you've stopped reading my blog... um... don't do that?? Right. That. xx. -n.