Back to the Great White North for a very nice summer vacation

 

 Homesick and ready for a nice break, I headed back to my parents home in Barrie, Ontario at the beginning of July for what was the longest single amount of time I had been back since I left home for university when I was 19 years old! 

My 6 weeks at home were filled with several smaller trips to favorite destinations such as South Hampton, Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Hamilton and North Bay, where I was able to visit both with long time friends and family alike! 

A rewarding and rejuvinating time spent eating local produce, admiring the Canadian landscape and countless afternoons lounging in the backyard and on the beach reading to my hearts content. 

Here is an album which includes moments from some of my favorite events of this past summer.  To use a very well know and somewhat cheesy quote:  'There's no place like home.' 

After 3 years of living abroad, this statement rings true for me on a very personal level and has enabled me to admire and enjoy that which I may have once taken for granted.  Things like flat wide open spaces, big blue skies and lakes and food like wild strawberries and butter-tarts. 

I can't see a future for myself in any other country than Canada in the long run.  Where I will eventually end up, I can't say with any degree of certainty.  But for the time being, I certainly enjoyed the opportunities and experiences that came my way back home this summer.

 Hanging out at the beach with mom

 The wide open blue skies and hay field of the Ontario landscape

 

 A short but special visit with the lovely Miss Del Vecchio at her adorable place in Toronto

 

 My adorable grandparents ~Ron & Jean Fortune~ who after 50 years are still madly in love <3 p="p">

 

 A scerene moment on the lake at the cottage in North Bay

 

 The magnificence and beauty of Montreal can be captured in it's many churches

 

 A rocking weekend was had at the OSHEAGA Music Festival on Jean Drapeau Island in Montreal

 

 I brought back some Eastern trends including protecting myself from the sun with an umbrella, lol!

 

 My cousin Lyndsays' wedding finally brought all of the Beneteau cousins back together in style!

 

 Despite not having a large social network in Barrie, I was still able to enjoy it for it's quiet beauty

 

 One of the most influential people in my life is my grandma Mary.  I love her to bits!! <3 p="p">

 

 My dad and I rocking out the giant summer hats!  Geek chique!

 

There are a lot of things I miss about Canada, but I think that this picture encapsulates a lot of them; the quiet, the open empty spaces, the access to nature and sports and a more relaxed pace of life.

 

 

 

 

At the end of the summer I came back to korea after re-signing a new 2 year contract with Soongsil University.  I am pleased to say that my life in Korea has normalized and stabalized to a point where I am very happy with my professional and my personal life here.  I look forward to all of the new adventures that I will undoubtedly expereince over the next couple of years with my friends and from where i am sitting, it all looks fairly optimistic at this point.  To use another overly popular quote: 'Home is where the heart is,' and at this point, I have enough of my heart in Korea to make it worth while and enjoyable to live here right now.  can't wait to see how it continues to unfold!