easing into it

I'm in Victoria, British Columbia right now. The flight from Toronto to Vancouver was uneventful. The airlines are still serious about not bringing liquids or gels in your carry-on baggage. I thought that, perhaps, once I got cleared through security there would be the opportunity to purchase bottled water or juice to take on the plane. I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of paying airport prices and I had also brought an empty water bottle, figuring I'd fill it at a water fountain before boarding - no such luck. All the little gift shops and news stands had their coolers taped shut and had signs saying that the sale of bottled liquids was prohibited. You could buy stuff at the restaurants and bars, but nothing for the plane. And you couldn't buy bottled water on the plane either. They were good about distributing drinks on the plane, so it wasn't too bad. But I admit, I did sneak some Chapstick in my pocket.

Victoria is as beautiful as ever. I've been lucky enough to have visited here a number of times. Right now, I am staying with my friend Andrea's parents. Andrea is a very good friend of mine from university and she moved to Costa Rica about 8 years ago (she's been living in Panama since July). Andrea is an absolutely amazing person. Visiting her and seeing how rewarding she and other expatriot Canadians have found living and working in another country was part of the inspiration to undertake this adventure. Andi is fluent in Spanish and has more than once started a life in a new city or country. I'm not ready yet for something quite as adventurous. For all its geographical distance from Canada, New Zealand is actually quite a lot closer to Canada than Latin America is.