I have lots that I want to tell you about my winter break; from hanging out of a safari truck and stretching my neck up with the giraffes to the bit of paradise on the white sands of Zanzibar beaches, but all of that in due time. What I want to share with you now is something more fleeting than the memories I made in Africa with my sister, Renee. You see, the moments from that trip will be forever ingrained in me - it was truly an experience of a lifetime, where as what I have been feeling in the week of my return will be shortly lived and soon forgotten. As a fellow Myanmar blogger and friend of mine said once, "the tricky part [about blogging] is not the actual writing but being able to write about what surprises you before it becomes routine," and this feeling did just that - surprise me. 

Since arriving in Myanmar back in July I have not left, unlike many of my co-workers who have traveled out of country during some of our holidays, Kim and I had spent our time traveling locally instead. So I was unsure exactly how I would feel after being away for the three week winter break. Although five months is a very short amount of time, it allowed me to become accustom to the way of life in Yangon. I developed routines, was familiar with my neighborhood, and understood general customs. As much as I have enjoyed my time so far in Yangon it has also come with a great deal of frustrations, homesickness, and difficulties. So how would I feel upon returning? Unbelievably glad to be back. 


Stepping out of the Yangon airport and telling the cab "Pearl-eh Condo" felt so relieving. Joy flooded over me as I enjoyed the "Welcome" sign made of planted flowers along the edge of Inle Lake. I knew this place. Even the consistent honking and crazy city traffic didn't annoy me. A smile held on my face as I relaxed in the worn leather backseat of the cab and held a short conversation with the driver with his broken English and my even worse Myanmar and I was so grateful to be back in this strange land. 


I figured this uber happy feeling was short lived but as the weekend turned into the first week of school, it continued. I am just so appreciative to be here in this crazy, confusing, curious world. A world where plastic wrap doesn't stick to anything and each repairman requires four others join him and watch the process; a world where the post office is open but only allows packages to be mailed between specific times of the day and a world where there are no bus schedules or maps anywhere to be found. I am grateful because this is also the world where any interaction is accompanied with a smile; a world where you get candies at the grocery store in place of pennies because the small currency is so scarce; a world where a three course lunch will cost you less than two dollars and is always accompanied by rice or noodles. 


I tried researching but was unable to find a word to describe the feeling that I have had lately. I wanted a single phrase to describe the complete contentness that has filled me since my return, the settled feeling of knowing you are exactly where you are supposed to be. Unsurprisingly there is no one word to say how happy I am to be back in Myanmar, back in Yangon, back in my apartment. Although I don't have an attachment to a specific place here, I certainly have an attachment to what this place has meant to me. Adventures. New Friends. Challenging and fulfilling career. Fresh experiences. Worldly mindset. Artistic inspiration. Opening of opportunities. And so much more.


I'm sure this feeling will become less obvious soon as I return to the routines and schedules of day to day life. What I am also sure of is that this feeling will not leave, instead it will settle in me, resting deep in my soul. Because what this place has given me is not something that can go away, instead it becomes part of me, of who I am.

There is only one word that can truly summarize this year: adventure. There has been more change in the last 365 days than any other point in my life and with change comes spectacular opportunities. The year was filled with family, culture, food, photography, travel, celebrations, and huge life changes. It has been a beautiful journey and I have loved sharing it with you. Here are 14 AMAZING things that made 2014 an epic year.

Not too far from my new home is a park where you can visit a variety of different animals. Halwga National Park is most well known for it monkey filled area where you can drive through and meet creatures along the way. We spent an afternoon feeding monkeys out the car window and getting to know the elephants that we were lucky enough to get a chance to ride on. 

I participated in two photography events this year. The first was FotoMarathon Yangon where we were challenged to go out in groups and take photos around town based on specific themes that were sent to us every two hours. You can read all about it here. Shortly after that I helped lead a group of students in creating a Help-Portrait event. This is a worldwide initiative that I also participated in when I was in Maine. The event involves taking photos for families who would not normally be able to afford professional photography, we invited the local staff and trishaw drivers from the school, dressed them up, did their makeup and hair, took their portraits, and printed out photographs for them to go home with that day. It was a beautiful experience that was not about taking photographs but about giving them. (Post coming soon)

As many of the best things do, my trip up to Tanuggi for the famous Fire Balloon Festival came very spontaneously as a weekend getaway with my friend Ashley. Thousands of people flock to the otherwise quiet town of Tanuggi each year to witness and participate in the traditional act of launching fire balloons. It was an experience like no other. Read about the whole festival here (videos included).

The hardest day of homesickness I have had was the day of Amanda and Josh's wedding. Luckily we have amazing technology now that allowed me to watch the entire event. I stayed up all night since there is a 12 hour time difference and was able to skype/facetime in for everything from getting ready, formal pictures, ceremony, reception, cake, toasts, dance party and everything in between. Although I wish I could have been by my little sister's side and joined in with my family I was certainly celebrating from afar. Photo credit to Pipyr Photo.

Myanmar was certainly not love at first taste, it has taken quite a while to find the true gems of the cuisine but now that we have there is no going back! Tofu Noway, Kay-O, Tomato Salad, Steamed Dumplings, Fried Tofu, Mohinga, and so much more. This year has truly been an adventure for my tastebuds alone now if only I could adjust to the spices.

No trip to Africa is complete without a Safari and I completely understand why. There is no experience like that of watching a baby zebra nuzzle it's mother or a herd of elephants protecting their young. Sure I've seen most of these animals in zoos before but being able to watch them in their environment, in their world can't compare. My favorite were the giraffes with their long legs and their even longer necks, seeing them galloping around on their stilt-like legs was quite the site.

Although we were crunched for time after our wedding with only two months before the big move we wanted to take a breather and enjoy married life. With our big adventure right around the corner we decided the perfect honeymoon would be relaxing on the beach with drinks in our hands so we headed to the best place for it, an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico. We spent five beautiful days with our feet in the sand, swimming in the spectacular pools, drinking all sorts of tasty beverages, indulging in choice restaurants, and enjoying our new time together as a married couple. Although it was hard to pull off (scheduling and other wise) this was the absolute best wedding choice we made and I will always look back on this time fondly. See the rest of the photos here.

Unforgettable experiences are around every corner of my new life in Myanmar, but certainly one of the most spectacular has been the trip we took in October to Inle Lake. We were very fortunate to visit at the time of the Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda Festival which is a celebration that involves ferrying around five giant golden buddha statues to each town in the lake. The lake is so big that it takes almost a month to complete the whole route. Not only did we get to watch the parade but we also got to experience the rest of the stunning Inle Lake including traditional leg-rowing fishermen, long-neck women weaving, traditional silversmiths, hand paper weavers, the floating gardens, and my favorite, the crumbling pagodas of Indein. (PS Blog post coming soon with sooooo many more photos)

Zane Andrew Simmons joined the world on March 8th. I can't believe this little peanut is over 9 months old now! He is such a sweet little boy who has brightened every life around him since he arrived most certainly the lives of his parents, my sister, Andrea, and my brother-in-law, Steve. I have missed him dearly since I have been away, luckily Andrea has been great at sharing about all the milestones - big and small - with pictures, stories, and videos. Can't wait until I get to snuggle this little guy again!

Capturing the moments of one of the most special days in a persons life is an honor and privilege, I know that sounds cheesy but it honestly is. The joy, celebration, and love that fills a wedding is unparalleled. Leaving behind Adorn photography was very difficult for me because I truly loved every minute of photographing wedding and portraits. Within the first few months of the year I was invited by five spectacular couples to photograph their wedding days and each one was so very special. I am certain about few things in my future but one of them is that I know I will return to photographing weddings at some point in my life. For now I will enjoy using my passion to capture the world around me through my travel photography.

Ask either of us just a few years ago if we thought we would be spending the holidays together on safari in Africa or on the beaches of Zanzibar and both Renee, my sister, and I would have simply laughed. Such an unlikely story for two small-town New Englanders. Yet, this is exactly where we found ourselves this holiday season, see just two weeks before my winter break from school Kim flew back to Maine to be with her ill father which left the perfect opportunity for me to hop the Indian Ocean to visit Renee. Renee has been living in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for almost two years now where she freelances web design when she is not busy working on her passion of free diving and the resulting website www.seaunseen.com. We spent three amazing weeks celebrating the holidays, on safari, hanging out on the beach, diving, and having some much needed sister time.

It was actually December of 2012 that I started my health and fitness journey, dedicating most of 2013 to challenging myself physically and educating myself on proper health and nutrition. In January of this year I made the ultimate commitment to a 30 day juice fast and my life has not been the same since. Juicing allowed me to realign my expectations of food and reset my appetite. It not only gave me results in appearance but in self-confidence and strength of mind. With my juicing I finally felt in control of my body. I took the beginning of this year to fully commit to myself, focusing on goals like working out everyday and setting up a regular meditation schedule. It was an amazing time that I hope to revisit now that my life has settled down. 

Without a doubt, the craziest thing that happened this year was packing up our belongings and moving to -literally- the other side of the world. Following my dream to teach abroad, Kim and I picked up and left everything behind (that couldn't fit in our 6 suitcases) to explore the world. Three days and 8151 miles later we found ourselves in a land like nothing we ever knew before. Myanmar has been everything we never expected, our time filled with awe, frustrations, curiosity, and a whole lot of laughter. 

Without a doubt the most important day of 2014 was May 10th, the day that I married my love, Kimberly. As with any journey, who you travel with can be more important than any destination and nothing could have been half as wonderful this year without this amazing person by my side. Having someone to share in all of the adventures I have had this year and will continue to have into 2015 and beyond it the best thing I could ask for. 

(Read all about our full wedding day here. Photo credit to Justine Johnson Photography.)