The Many Corners of the Philippines (2006)

The Many Corners of the Philippines

The East Side of Canada experience (Ontario and Quebec 2005/06)

The East Side of Canada experience, 2005/06

Return To The Pedder Bay (Victoria 2004/05)

December 2004, Vancouver Island

No Pearson relationship can be complete without Pearson. Well, duuh. In our case, however, while we attended the college, because we did not go there at the same time, it was crucial to visit our “roots” together. So, we decided to return to Victoria, Colwood, and the Pedder Bay to get to know each other in the company of old friends, host families, the current Pearson students, and the ever present nature of the West Coast; the Ocean and the trees, the rocks, and the moss, and the paths we had walked countless times before.It so happened that Jenny had had a plan to be in Victoria before even meeting Janis in the summer. She had missed her reunion in the summer, so a winter trip seemed to be a great way to reunite with the people and the place. And Janis also had thought of going to visit Victoria - it had been too long since he had been there.

And what an amazing trip it was! If you look at the pictures, you can see how very much we did. From going to the college, to walks in and around Colwood and Victoria, to spending tons of time with the current Pearson students, to meeting our professors like Ruse and Peter, and, finally, to going for a trip up-island to see Englishmen River, ski in Mount Washington, swim (well, not really) in Ucluelet, and see the marvelous nature of Tofino. We got to learn from and about each other. We got to talk, to stay quiet, to dance and to walk together; we kept on falling in love more and more.

Thanks to Ann and Tita, we had an absolutely amazing time in the place that shaped us into who we are and, come to think of it, has a great deal to do with the fact that we met each other in the first place.

Return to the Pedder Bay

Pandas, Many Mangoes and Us (Hong Kong 2004)

July 2004, Hong Kong

Having met in Makati, we could not resist ourselves the chance to meet one more time. After the Philippines, Janis was making his way back to Canada on the way stopping by in Thailand and Hong Kong. Our meeting had left such a strong impression on Janis, that he spent most of the days he had in Thailand, in a darkened room of a hotel in Bangkok. The fever and sadness had taken over his world and only a dose of Jenny could bring him back to life… So, Jenny decided to meet him in Hong Kong. Needless to say, the time we spent together in Hong Kong, will always remain in our memories as one of the sweetest and most amazing moments of our relationship. It was our first trip together, our first panda, and our very first many mangoes.

Pandas, Many Mangoes, and Us

How it All Started... (Philippines 2004)

July 2004, The Philippines

We met on a lovely July evening in Makati City, the Philippines. After considerable difficulties of getting into the beautiful Pearl of the Orient Seas (having been sent back to Thailand on his first attempt the day before!), Janis eventually did arrive to visit the land he had heard so much about, and to see some of his very good friends from Pearson College. Little did he know that the person he saw when coming out from the shower, will be the one he will spend his lifetime with...!

Jenny had been ready to meet Janis as his guide at the airport the day before. When he was missing in action (or, rather, sitting in a Bangkok hotel being frustrated by the visa issues in the Philippines earlier that night), Jenny was not sure what to expect. In fact, everyone in the Philippines was a little skeptical if this Latvian boy will actually come back. So, when they finally met eye to eye, it was clear that there is nothing left to do but fall in Love :)

That night, together with some other UWC people, we went to an amazing reggae club Xaymaca, danced the evening away with the music of Brownman Revival, and then ended up at a friends' place where we stayed up talking all through the night. It was so hard to part the next day. It was as if we both had met long lost friends. We ended up stealing many more moments together over the following days in the gorgeously sunny country of the Philippines only to meet very soon again...

Grand News!

Jānis's reflections after "yes" :)

As all of you who have been in my life for the past bit and a while should know by now, for the past two and a half years, I have been with an amazing person – Jennifer. We spent countless hours together and then countless ones apart, we spent days and nights in conversations and silence, we smiled and cried and hugged and held one another… And we decided that being together is better than being apart, that we would like to be in each others arms for the years to come and that, while we are not perfect, we are perfect for each other.

Jenny and I are engaged!

This past weekend we spent in Boracay and Jenny said yes to my proposal to spend our lives together! We both are completely ecstatic, happy, and super excited to start our lives together! For me, while one chapter of my life has come to an end, another super sweet, nice, exciting, and inspiring is starting. I hope you will enjoy the images from our weekend in Bora. Thanks to the great organization of Mama Jing (thank you so very very much!) and all the other amazing friends in our lives, this turned out to be an absolutely amazing weekend filled with unforgettable experiences and memories. Another milestone; another bridge…

Allrighty, now I am getting back to enjoying the company of my Love, the Philippines, and the amazing world :)

With many greetings,

Janis :)