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When
she was young, Angie's family lived in such faraway locales
as New Zealand and Saudi Arabia, but they have always considered
home to be in Red Deer, Alberta. Angie was a quiet kid,
happy to have her nose buried in a book and to hang out with
her many pets. When she was 15, Angie moved to Victoria,
BC to attend a private boarding school. It was her first
time living away from home, but she loved the experience - the
desire to move to distant places seems to run in the family.
High
school in BC led to university in Quebec as Angie moved to Montreal
to attend McGill. At first she tried to pursue her high
school interest in biochemistry and physiology, but halfway
through her degree she changed courses and graduated with a
BA in Religious Studies.
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After
graduating from McGill, Angie moved directly to Fukue, Japan to teach
English to Japanese junior high school students. The town she lived
in was very remote and very rural, but the complete immersion in the
culture and language was an enlightening, rather than frightening, experience.
Angie learned Japanese, made friends, and studied Japanese dance
and flower arranging (ikebana). While in Japan, Angie took the opportunity
to travel often in SouthEast Asia and the Pacific, as her 'gypsy feet'
led her to ever more distant and exotic locales. Even after leaving
Japan almost four years ago, she still has an interest and special fondness
for all things Japanese - especially Johnny!
After
two years in Japan, the time came for Angie to return to Canada.
She chose to move to Vancouver in order to stay close to the Japanese
community, and hopefully keep up her Japanese language skills (this
hasn't happened). After months of struggling to find work and
friends in Vancouver, she finally started to make the city her home
(although she's still confused by all the one-way streets downtown).
Johnny
and Angie were introduced by a mutual friend, and Angie noticed that
he was quite a catch right away; they became a couple in the autumn
of 2001. Falling in love was an easy next step, and Johnny's flexibility
and diverse interests continue to compliment Angie's wanderlust and
frequently-distracted curiosity well. She hopes their life together
will involve travel, kids, and lots of pets, maybe all at the same time!
