Military life is a life of adventure

Dedicated to my father, Darryl Shyiak.

My father is a military man. He’s a pilot, a leader, and a hard worker.

I am a military brat. I’ve been living the military life since the day I was born.  I went home to a PMQ, or personnel married quarters, which looked the same as every house on the block. I moved four times before grade four and I have said goodbye to more friends than I can count.

But I wouldn’t change it.

The opportunities I have had because I’m a military kid are amazing, and out of reach for so many.  The friends I have made have all touched my life in unique and meaningful ways.

When I was seven I moved to Alabama with my family so my dad could go to an international military staff college. It was my first exposure to culture other than my own (believe me they think different down south). I hung out with kids from Alabama but also some from Sweden, Australia, and Denmark. I learned that people live differently than I do all over the world. I also learned people will make assumptions about the way you live (an Alabamian friend actually asked if we lived in igloos in Canada).

View from the Masada

When I was 16 I got to go with a bunch of other military brats aged 16-24 to Israel. We slept in the desert, climbed the Masada, rode camels, walked in Old Jerusalem and covered ourselves in mud before jumping into the Dead Sea.

Over and above that we got to do some things that not many people will ever get the chance to. Everyone fit for service serves in the Israeli army. That includes “trouble” cases like addicts and delinquents. There’s a base in Israel where many of these “trouble” cases receive their training. All their superiors are women because they’ve found more success with women running the show. Not only did we get to go there, we ate there, spent time there and got to talk to the women who serve as superior officers.

When I was 18 my mom, my dad and I moved to Rome while my dad did more international military courses, this time at the N.A.T.O. staff college. Rome was amazing. I spent half my time trying to learn Italian and the other half trying to order pizza in Italian. Oh and then I spent a lot of time eating the pizza too.

Roman Forum

Military life is a life of adventure. I could never trade the people I’ve met or the things I’ve done. Most importantly life as a military kid has taught me a lot. I have learned to be open-minded about people, the way they live and their culture. I have learned to adjust quickly to change, embrace it even. I am so grateful for how full my life has been because of my dad’s job. So, thanks dad.

Apparently April is the month of the military child. Here’s a beautiful little thing my dad sent me:

Save money on food!

When you’re travelling, and eating out all the time, you’ll find your money goes fast. To save try these tips:

• Try to find a hotel/hostel to stay at that includes breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are also good places to look. Many are very inexpensive and I have found the food to be better than at hostels or hotels.  
• Eat street food, it’s usually a fraction of the cost of sitting down to eat.
• Shop at grocery stores. You can buy just enough lunch meat to cover a bun and make a sandwich for lunch. Grab some fruit and granola bars for snacks and you’ll last longer in between meals.
• Ask for a menu before you sit down. Can you afford these prices? If you sit down and then check the menu you’ll likely feel too bad to get up and leave even if you can’t afford to eat there.
• Use a travel guide to find places to eat instead of just walking around and picking something that looks good. They’ll tell you approximately how much it will cost to eat at that restaurant.
• Don’t eat in museums or at big tourist attractions. The food is overpriced and usually not that great.
• As always, ask the locals. Not only is this a great way to save money it’s also the best way to find delicious food.

Pasqua en Italia

Easter in the Catholic capital of the world is a production and a half to say the least. On Good Friday the Pope speaks near the Colosseum while a cross with burning torches flickers in the background. On Easter Sunday people pack the streets around the Vatican to hear him talk once more. And when I say pack I mean shoulder to shoulder from the front of Vatican city, down Via della Conziliazione (the street that leads up to the Vatican) to the bank of the Tiber River. It’s amazing.

But when I was there what I really noticed was the chocolate.

When I arrived in Rome it was the end of February 2010. Shortly after I got there I noticed Easter stuff popping up everywhere. I didn’t see any mini foil-wrapped eggs or peeps though. What I saw were huge chocolate eggs, everywhere. In grocery stores there were eggs wrapped in cartoon or Disney paper with cute little toys inside. There were all at least eight inches tall, most were bigger.

The most unique eggs can be found at any of Rome’s many chocolateria’s. These shops specialize in making decadent desserts and Easter is a busy time for them. The make intricate designs on eggs, even painting edible pictures. You can get custom eggs made at some of them and a popular way to propose in Rome is to get the chocolateria to slip the ring inside an egg.

No matter where you travel it’s worth it to look up what festivals the locals celebrate and if you can, plan to be there for some of the best.

Choose your travel buddies wisely

I cannot say it enough- if you’re going to travel with people, travel with GOOD people. And people who like what you like.

Before you plan a trip with some one ask yourself, and them, are we going to want to do the same things? If I want to go out dancing with this person come with me? Will they sit on the side or be out enjoying the music?

Everyone has different traveling styles. Some people like to plan absolutely every moment of every day when they’re away. Some people, like me, want to just see where the day goes. Neither way is wrong, but those styles do clash. While there’s obviously a little room for compromise over what you and your travel buddies want to see and do but too much compromise will leave you feeling like you wasted time and money on a trip.

A taste of Italy

After living in Rome, Italy feels a bit like home, and sometimes I feel a little homesick. I’m a student, so I’m kinda broke and kinda stuck in this city for a while. I can’t exactly hop on a plane every time I miss my Rome-home but I can look at the pictures, relive the memories and cook like I’m still there.

One of my favourite dishes is tortellini with sun-dried tomato pesto. It’s a really easy dish to make:

Buy 1) fresh tortellini and 2) sun-dried tomato pesto. Boil water, once it’s bubbling put the tortellini in. Cook it until it floats. Strain. Put it back in the pot, take a scoop of the pesto and mix it in. Eat and enjoy.

You need not travel far

Trigger is about six feet tall, blonde and a certified stud. Trig’s a little bit of a miscreant, a free spirit if you will. He’s got a wandering eye and prefers to cut his own path through life.  He’s also my ride for the day.

Trigger is one of over 65 horses that live in Birds Hill Provincial Park at the Birds Hill Park Ranch. I went on a winter trail ride there and really enjoyed it.

For a school assignment we had to go on a travel expedition to a rural town in Manitoba. My group ended up with Birds Hill, so we went to the town Birds Hill and Birds Hill Provincial Park. Birds Hill the town is about five minutes northeast of Winnipeg (where I live) and the park is about 17. 

The highlight for me was definitely the trail ride I went on with Trigger. It was a gorgeous, sunny winter’s day. The only sounds were hoof on snow and an occasional horse snort. The forest was deserted except for us and our horses. By the end of it we were a little cold but it was worth it.

Before the ride we explored the park. I’d never been to Birds Hill in the winter before. Usually I go to the beach there once or twice in a summer. But in the winter the place is bumpin’! There were cross-country skiers, snowmobilers and hikers out to enjoy the 150+ miles of trail Birds Hill Park has.

We ended the day with a quick stop at Jonesy’s Restaurant & Bar in the town of Birds Hill. It felt fantastic to be outside all day and the soup I had at the end was so satisfying after all that. It’s fun to explore small towns, backwoods and little things that are close to you that you’ve never seen before. Look up a park, an attraction, a restaurant or something else. You need not travel far.

Virtual Tourist

A great resource for travelling is some one who has already been where you want to go. That can be hard to find, depending on where you’re going. There’s a really useful travel networking site called Virtual Tourist that can help you out.

Virtual Tourist is a site for travellers that includes guides, reviews, pictures and more. It’s all user-generated content which can be helpful and interesting.

On Virtual Tourist you set up a username and you can work your way through forums on everything travel. Pose a question, you’ll get an answer. Whether it’s what bus route do I take to get to the Roman Catacombs or what’s the best time of day to visit the Eiffel Tower you’ll be able to find out on Virtual Tourist.

Virtual Tourist also gives you the opportunity to network with other travellers. So if you’re in Dublin and want a buddy to hit up the pubs with, you’ll be able to find one.

Virtual Tourist is a really great tool for exploring and travelling so I recommend you check it out.