This past August marked the 10 year anniversary of my life on this side of the ocean. 10 years seems so unreal to have lived in a different place than where you were born. So many things have happened in these 10 years. I was so young when I first got here and had no clue that this would be where I actually settled down. I have lived in three very different states, spanning northwest to the very far east of the US. From a cabin in the woods to one of the largest cities in the world. I have been lucky enough to go to very remote places in Alaska, roaming around Montana and Yellowstone, walked through old plantations in Puerto Rico, experienced the Northwoods and the UP, seen the desert sunrises and sunsets, I have seen the desperation in old peoples eyes while walking through the casinos in Las Vegas, learned about the fire history in the west and seen the aftermath of reoccurring fires, learned about the Native Americans and how they just like the Sami people have been pushed away from the place they call home, skied long distances races in 20 below in the wilderness of Alaska, walked the streets of New York and seen the misery that comes when you lose everything. I have learned that you can’t take anything in life for granted, and that you never know when it will be the last time you see someone. I have grown but also lost so much since I landed at that small airport in Fairbanks, Alaska with only two bags. But most of all I gained a second family over here.
