Snipernurse's VirtualTourist Home Page

Hello to all and thank you for visiting my page. Allow myself to introduce myself.

I reign from the 'Central Valley' of California in a town called Modesto. I have lived in Modesto since age 5 and in the same manner that most people my age speak of the town they grow up in, I manage to point out deficiences thoroughly before I acknowledge any good. Modesto has little to no attractions to offer and even the most excitable soul would be devasted for the lost of perfectly good time on this Earth had they been forced to spend it here. I do have a great deal of things here in my hometown that I do love, namely my family, good friends, my work and it's familiarity, however I thirst for the day I can move to a city with more activity.

My favorite hobby in the world is hockey (thus the picture). Hockey, regretfully, is not a popular or common sport to play in my town, another reason for me to bolt, but is by far and away the greatest game on Earth. Go San Jose Sharks!

I am a registered nurse in an Emergency Room at a hospital here in town, a job I really enjoy and hope to one day soon encorporate it in my travels.

Funny thing how you don't properly appreciate the world's wonders that await right in your backyard. While in Selcuk, Turkey, which is a 30 minute walk from the amazing ancient Roman site of Ephesus, I spoke to an employee at the hostel I stayed at who grew up in the area but never himself visited the ruins. I couldn't believe my ears. However I am guilty of just as much unappreciation. Although I live in such close proximity I have not visited Yosemite National Park for maybe 10 years, have no pictures or recent visits to San Francisco and Big Trees National Monument. I live less than two hours from a multitude of great skiing spots but have only been once. The only picture I have of sites in California are from a trip to Big Sur. One day I plan on doing extensive travelling through the United States, however in the meantime the least I could do is utilize the great sites that surround me!

It's funny how one feels while traveling far from his home. It's a sort of peace. The anticipation for the trip, the excitement of seeing a site you've been thinking about and researching for months. The learning, it's amazing all the things you find you didn't know. The people, it seems as though you meet some of the most interesting people travelling. The tastes of new food, the thrill of new adventures, experiencing different cultures, trying to learn different languages and the escape of the rat race that is daily living at home. Travelling is a necessity of a well-rounded person. As an anthropology professor once told my class (over and over) "How can you truly understand Modesto if all you know is Modesto?" However his logic rings true, you can't truly understand the world around you and your place in it until you've seen things from other peoples points of view.

What may be even more pleasing is re-experiencing things that you came upon while traveling. Like finding Costan Rican Coffee at a local coffee shop three months after being in Costa Rica, the taste will take you back. It's looking over your pictures again from a trip or recognizing an area you visited on television or in print. Nostalgia is a powerful. It's finding Turkish Delights at Cost Plus World Market, or going to a Hookah Bar to smoke water pipe (if only the would start opening up Hamam's!!) It's the remembrance of coconut milk and curry, and truly being able to decipher if a dish truly tastes like a Thai dish or a American commerical manufacture. It's learning to surf in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, to scuba dive in Phuket, to wind sail in Vasiliki, Greece, to sand surf in Peru, and I could go on and on...