July 19, 2014
Sixteen months ago, to the day, we left behind Canadian winters and Tim Hortons (oh, and the rest of our lives), and boarded a plane for South Africa (well, the plane was bound for Frankfurt, but we were bound for Johannesburg).
Sixteen months later, we landed on Canadian soil for the first time since we left. It probably goes without saying that we were both really excited to see our family, our friends and our furballs. But we were also really excited (and curious!) to see how it felt to be back, and how our impressions might have changed, having lived outside of our home and native land for well over a year.
It was a whirlwind tour: we started in the interior of British Columbia to visit M's family and our cats, moved westward to Alberta to see our friends and pay a visit to my office, and ended with a stop on Canada's eastern edge to see my family in Nova Scotia. We could not have asked for a warmer welcome in every single place we visited. We crammed a lot of activities, plans and visits into our two weeks, but we also made time for just spending time.
As for our impressions, we realized a few things:
1. It's gorgeous. Canada really is very pretty. In the summer, everything is so green and lush and the air is so fresh and clean it almost smells sweet...(strange, yes, but very true!).
2. Canadians are friendly, but... if you ask the cashier at the Tim Hortons in the airport how she is, she will likely respond with and awkward pause, followed by "...what can I get you?". Friendly greetings might occasionally be found in small towns, but overall, Canadians cut to the chase. Not sure if it's impatience or just a more reserved culture of saving friendliness for friends? Either way, it was the first thing I noticed in the Vancouver airport, and was reconfirmed repeatedly as we worked our way across the country and had countless encounters with strangers along the way.
3. Canada is expensive. Yes, I realize it is all relative, but holy moly! The thing you don't realize when you've grown up here- Canada is not a cheap place to visit. Restaurants are extremely pricey, wine costs a fortune, and inter-country flights cost as much as overseas long-hauls.
4. Being Outside. Despite the less than accommodating weather at certain times of year, being outside is an integral part of the culture in Canada. Most cities and towns have pathways and excellent sidewalks busy with people coming and going, kids are often out playing in parks, and on any given day or street you'll see runners and bikers out making their way along.
5. It is a huge country. The distance from coast to coast in Canada is roughly the same as flying from Johannesburg to Egypt...this is mind-boggling to me. The fact that there are six time zones in Canada should have tipped me off...
6. Canadians have an accent. Perhaps I'm stating the obvious, but living in Canada I felt like we were the "neutral" ones, but now I am acutely aware how very wrong I was. I can hear a Canadian a mile away. And now I have "cat that thinks he's a dog" syndrome, in that I don't realize I sound like that.
7. Comfort of familiarity. This isn't necessarily "Canada" specific, but I was continuously surprised by how nice it is to spend time with old friends, to travel a road I've been down a hundred times, to know where to go to find something, etc...don't get me wrong, I love discovering new things and building new friendships, I just forgot a little bit how much I also love the familiar.
While the focus of this trip was really on catching up and checking in, we did still manage to take a *few* pictures to document our experience...enjoy!
Sixteen months later, we landed on Canadian soil for the first time since we left. It probably goes without saying that we were both really excited to see our family, our friends and our furballs. But we were also really excited (and curious!) to see how it felt to be back, and how our impressions might have changed, having lived outside of our home and native land for well over a year.
It was a whirlwind tour: we started in the interior of British Columbia to visit M's family and our cats, moved westward to Alberta to see our friends and pay a visit to my office, and ended with a stop on Canada's eastern edge to see my family in Nova Scotia. We could not have asked for a warmer welcome in every single place we visited. We crammed a lot of activities, plans and visits into our two weeks, but we also made time for just spending time.
As for our impressions, we realized a few things:
1. It's gorgeous. Canada really is very pretty. In the summer, everything is so green and lush and the air is so fresh and clean it almost smells sweet...(strange, yes, but very true!).
2. Canadians are friendly, but... if you ask the cashier at the Tim Hortons in the airport how she is, she will likely respond with and awkward pause, followed by "...what can I get you?". Friendly greetings might occasionally be found in small towns, but overall, Canadians cut to the chase. Not sure if it's impatience or just a more reserved culture of saving friendliness for friends? Either way, it was the first thing I noticed in the Vancouver airport, and was reconfirmed repeatedly as we worked our way across the country and had countless encounters with strangers along the way.
3. Canada is expensive. Yes, I realize it is all relative, but holy moly! The thing you don't realize when you've grown up here- Canada is not a cheap place to visit. Restaurants are extremely pricey, wine costs a fortune, and inter-country flights cost as much as overseas long-hauls.
4. Being Outside. Despite the less than accommodating weather at certain times of year, being outside is an integral part of the culture in Canada. Most cities and towns have pathways and excellent sidewalks busy with people coming and going, kids are often out playing in parks, and on any given day or street you'll see runners and bikers out making their way along.
5. It is a huge country. The distance from coast to coast in Canada is roughly the same as flying from Johannesburg to Egypt...this is mind-boggling to me. The fact that there are six time zones in Canada should have tipped me off...
6. Canadians have an accent. Perhaps I'm stating the obvious, but living in Canada I felt like we were the "neutral" ones, but now I am acutely aware how very wrong I was. I can hear a Canadian a mile away. And now I have "cat that thinks he's a dog" syndrome, in that I don't realize I sound like that.
7. Comfort of familiarity. This isn't necessarily "Canada" specific, but I was continuously surprised by how nice it is to spend time with old friends, to travel a road I've been down a hundred times, to know where to go to find something, etc...don't get me wrong, I love discovering new things and building new friendships, I just forgot a little bit how much I also love the familiar.
While the focus of this trip was really on catching up and checking in, we did still manage to take a *few* pictures to document our experience...enjoy!
Canada = Maple Leafs + Totem Poles + Tim Hortons (and the honorary Starbucks).
Dinner @ Mr.Mikes with the Quesnel fam.
Home sweet home for M.
My fur baby.
M's lil' girl.
What's up there?
There is a lot I love about these particular photos, but the sign on the top bridge absolutely takes the cake.
Something we haven't seen since we left Canada...we not only saw this sign, but on the same drive we also saw a moose in the flesh.
Spending an afternoon reminiscing at Barkerville.
"Naturally Friendly". Yup.
Hiking the power lines for killer views over Dragon Lake. There's no denying the beauty of this place.
G&Ts on the lawn to round out a lovely summer day...bliss. Thanks for an awesome time in the Q guys!
Landing in Cowtown- first stop, Cilantro for dinner with M's articling buddies.
While the whole country is our "home", this is our house. Happy to see it is still standing and very well taken care of!
So many people to catch up with, so little time! This was a typical day: lunch with friends, drinks with friend(s), followed by dinner with friends. LOVED every minute of it!
Crossing the Peace Bridge on an overcast summer day.
A day in the life: Evening BBQ chez Co, looking out over the stunning Calgary skyline. Thank you for the incredible hospitality Co!
What would a trip to Canada be without a visit to the mountains? So special spending the day with these two wandering around one of our favourite places on earth.
Race in Progress. M and I were so pumped to be able to cheer Mo and her sister on as they killed it in their first Half Ironman.
Race day shenanigans. Such a fun cheer crew at such an inspiring event!
So happy to get to spend time with this beauty- thanks for fighting jet lag so we could catch up before M and I flew out!
Adorable to the power of ten.
And since we were on an ice-cream theme this trip, what better way to end our time in Calgary than with a visit to the of-the-moment ice cream parlour of The Village? Salted Caramel, Phil & Sebastian Coffee, Village Vanilla Bean...yes, please!
Leaving the mountains behind, we headed to the far eastern coast of Nova Scotia for fishing boats and fresh seafood.
Sisters and seagulls.
The boys golf...
While the girls go to the zoo!
Loved watching these cuties run around and explore.
We took advantage of having everyone together in one place, and did a mini-photo shoot. Thanks so much P for organizing!
The youngsters.
Family and friend time.
Spending the morning on the mud flats of Blomidon Beach.
It had been far too long since we've done a jumping shot...this took us a thousand takes, and this one is the best we got (with me looking like I'm booting the poor dog in the muzzle)...perhaps there's a reason why our "jumping shots" are few and far between?
Reilly and Mugsy running off steam.
Anniversary dinner with my folks. Thanks for celebrating our 3rd anniversary with us guys!
While South Africa has its share of vineyards, M and I will never pass up a day of wine tasting. The Valley has some incredible wineries, making for a gorgeous day of sipping and sampling.
Sampling the goods.
Lobster traps alongside wine barrels...only in Nova Scotia!
The self-guided wine tour. Thanks Chauffeur Dad!
Ladies night and lobster poutine. Solid way to spend the last night in N.S.!
Working our way back across the pond, we made use of a layover in London to catch up with S!
M and I with the Tower Bridge.
Wandering the streets of East London.
Witnessing ceramic poppies being placed around the Tower of London; one for each soldier that lost their life in World War I.
Thanks for an incredible home-leave trip, Canada! We truly are grateful and proud to call Canada our home, and while we may choose to explore beyond its shores, we never take for granted all that welcomes us on our return.
