Surprize!

So as many of you know, after finishing my backpacking trip around Western Europe and having a quick stop in Dublin, I did not move on to Scotland (not for long at least, just enough time to type up this post while I wait for my next flight), but home to Vancouver for the month of October. A few months back I came across a flight that I just couldn't turn down, and figured that I would be in need of a bit of a break after the hectic summer I had planned. In the process of trying to organize a meet-up with a few people at home I had to reveal my homecoming, but I have kept the whole trip a secret from my Mom (she thinks I gone for another year and have moved to the UK to look for a job and flat...). If all goes according to plan, I will arrive at YVR around 4pm and will be picked up by my Dad. He has convinced my Mom that they are going to meet family friends in the city for dinner, so she will drive in after work. Hopefully I don't give her too much of a shock, once she recognizes that it is actually me – I'll let you know how it all works out.

A bit more good news. Apparently my brother is back from spending the summer in Asia and is looking for a bit of work at home before also moving to the UK in the New Year, so the whole family will be around for Turkey Day. I have to say that I am looking forward to Thanksgiving with great anticipation. Turkey dinner was the last meal I had in Canada before I left for Ireland, as it has been exactly one year that I have been gone. Also, after spending a year of holidays with minimal celebration, and largely alone, it will be great to be around friends and family!

My 4 days in Dublin flew by, but I didn't get all that much acomplished. I have left my banking, taxes and refund/relief claims until the last minute, as I didn't want to deal with them while I was traveling. I will have to sit down and sort all that stuff out when I am at home, then send the files and forms back to Dublin. When I will find the time to do this, I am not really sure. I am spending the first week in Vancouver floating around trying to meet up with people where I can. As the weekend rolls around I will go back to Squamish for the holiday and to see friends there, before heading out on a road trip down the Oregon Coast as far as San Francisco with Jodie Errington. I have left most of the planning of this trip up to her, but once I get into the city I am sure we'll sit down with the plan and figure out what we are actually going to do. By the time I get back from the road trip I will only have about 10 days left to see anyone I haven't seen yet, repack all my gear, (go to Victoria, maybe?), and take a few days to just sit around.

I fly back to Glasgow, Scotland on October 28^th at which point I need to make a few more semi-major decisions. As I traveled around I tried to find out as much about the different areas of the UK as possible and have concluded faily surely that I will look for a job and flat in Scotland; most likely Edinbourgh as this seemed to be an absolute favorite of everyone that has been there. Not exactly sure what I will look to do, but I have to say that I really wouldn't mind continuing to work for Diageo in a Scotch distillery if the opportunity presented itself, haha.

All that is still a month off, so I won't worry about it just yet.

My tentative plan is to work for a few months and save like a mad-man so that I can take off and travel in the Spring. Going around this past summer there had been a decent amount of hassle associated with trying to find places to stay and I would rather avoid those issues, as well as the insane crowds, if at all possible.

Next stops on the agenda:

• Few days trip to Morocco

• Day-trips all over the UK

• Weekend trip to the Isle of Man

• Spring trip through Scandinavia and Eastern Europe (March-May/June?)

That's the news that is the news.

If you want to track me down, send me an e-mail (trevor.schofield@gmail.com) and I will get right back to you. I'd love to meet up with everyone, but I have a feeling I will be pressed for time with all the jumping around I am going to be doing.

Cheers,
Trevor