My Heart Goes Out to the People of Haiti

The devastation in Haiti is something out of a horror movie. They were hit with a massive earthquake yesterday, measuring 7.0, leaving much of the nation homeless, trapped under rubble and in the pitch dark overnight. Today, relief workers from the all around the world have flocked to Haiti's rescue. They will need all of the financial help that they can get. Please donate anything you can to any of these reputable charities. These precious souls need our help.

Wyclef Jean's organization, Yele, is accepting donations. The site is slow, which is great because that means people are logging on to donate. But please don't give up. www.yele.org

The Canadian Red Cross is accepting donations of money for its relief efforts in Haiti. Contributions can be made online at www.redcross.ca/donatenow, by calling 1-800-418-1111 or at any Red Cross office.

Unicef Canada is accepting donations online at https://secure.unicef.ca/portal/SmartDefault.aspx?at=1211&appealID=19&CID=99 or by calling 1-800-567-4483.

World Vision Canada is accepting online donations at http://bit.ly/Help_Haiti

The Humanitarian Coalition, which is a joint effort between Save the Children Canada, CARE, Oxfam Canada and Oxfam Quebec, is accepting online donations at www.thehumanitariancoalition.ca

Save the Children is accepting online donations at http://www.savethechildren.ca/en/emergencies/haiti-earthquake-10

Welcome!

I've been infected. By the travel bug that is. Let's rewind and start at the beginning. My name is Jessica and I've finally made the plunge into the world of blogging! It's my first blog entry ever, so please bear with me! I guess a good place to start would be to tell you a bit about myself and why I've decided to start a blog. So, here goes... (get yourself a martini, it might be a long one).

I'm a twenty something girl and I've just graduated from university about a year and a half ago. I've since entered the working world and found that life is just flying by. I am EXTREMELY grateful for my job, as it's been there for me since my university days, but it's no substitute for trekking through the amazon or studying yoga in an Indian ashram. Although I try and spice things up, nothing new and exciting seems to take place around here. I've always dreamed of traveling around the world and I've decided that now is the time. I'm young, I have no real responsibilities as far as children or mortgages, and I'm healthy. I think life is too short to waste it not doing things we love. I know it won't be all rosy, but I'm opting to take the route less traveled. It's a bit nerve wracking, and it's certainly hard to decide what things are worth sacrificing and what I should hold onto. I'm also not too sure how far to take my traveling: RTW (around the world) jaunt? Teaching abroad for a year (or two, or three)? Short backpacking trips whenever time permits? The world is literally mine to conquer... I just have to figure out how to begin.

It is my hope that through this blog, I can figure out a way to accomplish my travel goals, and maybe even inspire others who are in a similar situation. Hopefully soon the pages of this blog will be overflowing with exciting tales of my world travel. Until then, I'll be plotting about how to make a graceful exit out of the rat race without losing everything I've gained. Any ideas?