There are just a few more days until I go home for 2 weeks!  Even though I have a home of my own now, it’s hard to not think of my childhood hometown as “home” as well. A few times a year, I get to leave New York and go back to my small town roots. I am from a rural town in Canada (hint: Wayne Gretzky and I have this in common). Come to think of it, this town has grown over the years and probably is not even considered a town anymore but rather a city. Nevertheless, I am excited to leave the concrete jungle and enjoy some open space, or at least a place with a backyard. It’s been awhile since my last trip, so I am starting to get restless. Almost every day I look at the calendar and count down in my head.

Usually our trips are the kind that’s high adrenaline, and packed with activities where we usually end up even more tired after it’s over. It’s a good kind of tired that creates great photos and a lifetime of memories. This trip home will be the relaxing kind, which is good because I need to rest up before we travel to San Francisco and Peru later this month.  Here are a few things that I look forward to on this trip:

My mom’s cooking.  I look forward to reverting back to my high school days and take in all the mommy cooking that I can consume.  It’s not only the eating part that I miss, but also the food preparation part where I spend hours in the kitchen with my mother, listening to her stories.  If I am lucky, I will be able to pick up a few useful recipes to bring home to Fausto.

Improving my photography.  Recently, I’ve been thinking about ways that I can improve my photography.  Aside from practicing and taking more pictures, I am contemplating if I should take another photography class. Luckily, on this trip I will meet up with an old high school friend who just happens to be an awesome photographer, check out her work here. It’ll be fun to catch up and hopefully I’ll be able to learn a few things from her that I can use in my upcoming trips.

Spending time with family.  The hardest part of growing up and moving away is that you only get to see your family a few times a year.  For me, this is especially hard because I am close to my family.  I can’t wait to hang out and be goofy with my sisters, this will involve a dance marathon or two, late night chat-fest, and then an even later night fridge raid. Most excitingly and also THE reason for this trip is my baby sister’s graduation! Way to go K!

Sister power activate

Visiting Toronto.  This time around, I will also spend a few days in Toronto. I look forward to  exploring different facets of the city with my camera and sampling some good foods.  I look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at my sister and her fiance’s housewarming party.

Check back here for more updates on my trip home next week.