I want...

...to leave this cold country for a time. I want to go to a place with endless beaches, warm breeze and smiling waiters. I want to go to a place where everything's brighter, and warmer. The sun, the colours, the smiles of strangers. I want to learn to surf, to snorkel through reefs, eat spicy food and drink freshly squeezed mango juice. I want to dance, let my hair bleach out and get wavy and wear jewelry made of shells that would look tacky anywhere but on a beach.

If not there then I want to go to a place where the very streets have been walked on for centuries before my country was even on a map. I want to wander through old castles and look around and enjoy the forgotten splendour of it all. I want to experience the kind of culture that is slower moving, they understand the importance of language, food and tradition in their continuity. I want to drink wine and discuss politics with the boys my age who act like they're men. I want to go to a daily market and sit on a terrace while the sun sets on some beautiful old ruin.

If not there, then I want to go to a place where to food is hotter and the colours are wilder then anyone with delicate North American sensibilities could ever imagine. I want to walk through old temples, and hike through ancient rain forests. I want to do yoga in an ashram and see where an ancient emperor used to keep his harem.

If not there, then I want to stand at the edge of a dessert. I want to walk through cities of vast wealth and vast poverty. I want to see an oasis. I want to experience a hot desert garden. I want to eat with my hands. I want to see places that westerners never go. I want to see catacombs. I want to see the oldest cities in the world, the greatest monuments to death and life.

So I think the point is, I'm bored of Canada, I'm bored of Winter. Get me out of here.