What We Do to the Earth

What we do to the earth we do to ourselves.

~ Lululemon

I've made it. Over 24hrs of travelling and I have officially reached the homeland. My homeland. It's a little strange to be here after being away for 3 years - yup, that's right. 3 entire years I have been gone. It's a little crazy and I have no explanation other than time seems to fly when having fun. 

Enjoying the view

To say coming back to Canada was a little intimidating is the understatement of the year. I was entirely petrified. No one except my sister knew I was coming for the simply fact that the thought of showing up at the airport after 24hrs of travelling and 3 years of being absent, the 20-some people eagerly waiting to greet me freaked me out. Talk about pressure. 

And so I planned it as a surprise. Didn't take much effort other than to book my flights and inform my sister of the date of my arrival. And then hope she'd even show up. 3 years changes things - it certainly changed me and I could only assume that everything had changed back in Canada as well. Even still, I knew it was time to go back and see everyone again - I was as ready as I would ever be.

Saying goodbye to everyone in Hanmer Springs was difficult. It felt as though I was saying goodbye to home and my family all over again. Having been there over a year, Hanmer Springs has become home. And yet I did the deed and left. Driving away in my rental car, all I could think was that it would be my last day driving on the left side of the road for a while and that kind of freaked me out a bit. I only hoped that things would be okay upon my arrival.

In Christchurch I found a place to stay and tried to fall asleep at 5pm. Naturally, this didn't happen and so I tossed and turned until nearly midnight before my mind finally shut off and I got a few hours sleep prior to being woken up by my alarm at 3am. It was time to go. Checking in at the airport and going through security was pretty standard - right down to my being chosen (as usual) for the "random" bomb check. I seriously need to figure out what it is about me that makes me look like an explosives carrier. 

Banff, Alberta

7am we left Christchurch on route to Sydney. After a quick breakkie and one showing of 21 Jump Street, we were there. Off the plane I went to go check-in for the next plane, sit and wait for boarding and then board. And again we went - only this time leaving 30 min later than we were meant to. I figured we'd catch up time in the air. Apparently not. During our 14hr flight to Vancouver, the captain didn't find time to speed up a little. Instead, he slowed down so that our arrival time was a full hour later than we were meant to arrive. Perfect. I had a mere 40 min to disembark, grab my luggage, go through customs, re-check in and board the next plane to Calgary. 

As that was an impossible feat in itself, I got put on standby for the next plane. Fortunately I got on - only my bag didn't which resulted in the first meeting with my sister in Calgary being one of total awkwardness as we waited for my bag to arrive at the baggage claim for what seemed to be an eternity before we concluded that it hadn't been on the same flight as me. Fortunately the airport would courier it to me later.

What followed my arrival to Calgary was none other than a series of surprise visits to family who had no idea I was in town. After a lengthy lunch date with my sister, we went to my mom's work to set up a coffee date between her and my sister. Only my mom didn't know I would be there too. When she showed up, it was like the world stopped spinning and nothing moved. And so it went.

Tears, smiles, exclamation of excitement - one by one I surprised all my loved ones. It was incredibly exhausting and exhilarating all at the same time. My dad was probably the best surprise as he and I had been planned a Skype date for that week and so he was busy eating dinner so he could be in front of the computer for our arranged time. The glitch came when my sister called to say she was in the area and asked if she could drop by. My dad greeted her at the door and proceeded to make small talk, all the while informing her that she may have to go as he had a Skype date with me. He was completely unaware that my sister had dropped me off down the street to walk up to his door and ring the doorbell. His automatic response to the ringing door was to demand what "they" could possibly want. He opened the door and was completely stunned to find me standing there. It was perfect.

As these emotional days have passed, I find myself settling into life back in Canada to a point where it almost makes me wonder if my life in New Zealand was even real. Things have changed. I have changed. Everyone has changed - and yet it still all the same as I left it 3 years ago. It's strange but oddly comforting just the same. 

Banff Springs Hotel

What has stunned me the most is probably the amount of stuff I had left behind so long ago. I had previously sold what I thought to be nearly all my possessions as I didn't know when I would return to Canada. However, upon returning, I have discovered that my previous notion of "all" my possessions really wasn't accurate. I began opening up boxes to find I have enough clothes for an army. I do believe I had a shopping problem. Fortunately for me, this means I no longer have to buy clothes for the next few years. I can finally say goodbye to my one pair of jeans I have been hanging onto in New Zealand and mending every they rip. 

Overall it's been a bit of a whirlwind to say the least, but it's good to be back. It's good to finally see familiar faces in person - not just on Skype. It's good to finally be in the same time zone as everyone else. It's good to be able to pick up the phone and call someone for a coffee date and know that it could actually happen. It's good to no longer be saying "I can't wait to come back" - I am back. For now. 

We Can Bomb the World to Pieces, But We Can't Bomb it Into Peace

august 28/09

more and more i realize i am not meant for the big city. everyone rushing, everyone busy. the air stale from constant gas emissions and construction dust. whats left of the natural environment is divided into territories, reshaped and developed into skyrises. townhomes. condos.

even still - vancouver has to be one of the greenest big cities i have ever been to. there are vast amounts of parks, beaches and mountains - but after having my experience out in the wild of b.c. i find that what vancouver has to offer is not enough. i long for a beach without views of freighters and cruise ships passing by. i dream of walking down a sidewalk without being detoured every block by construction crews. i miss the slow pace a smaller city brings where "window shopping" still holds its meaning.

that all said - vancouver isnt all bad. i have enjoyed exploring all there is here - including my experience in getting my first (and well deserved) pedicure. i had no idea there was that much dead skin on my heels! i thought for sure the lady was going to scrape me down to the bone.

there is also so much more to do than what i have donw. the markets. more beach. grouse mountain. vancouver island. the list goes on and the more i do, the more i find out there is to do.


august 29/09

well - yesterday was such a long day i simply had no energy left in me to finish writing about it. after spending a few hours wandering the streets and shops of downtown i managed to find my way over to granville island where the year-long market is.

from there i spent more tim wandering the stores filled with handmade and/or imported products. i admired all the fresh produce on the fruit and veggie stands and spent time listening to local musicians as i ate some gelato. all in all it was a great day.

as i left the market it was then that i met HIM. i was walking along the sidewalk towards my bus stop when out of the corner of my eye i saw a man making a beeline for me. when he got beside me he started gesturing towards the "scenery" (we were under a major bridge, the street was grundgy and the boats parked along the shoreline sat in algae-coated water) and saying things in french. i simply told him i do not speak french so hes going to have to switch up the conversation style if he wanted to talk to me.

he responded by explaining that he thought that everything we were looking at, where we were, what we were experiencing was utterly romantic.

me - being me - automatically went to my defence tactics against creepy men im not interested in by playing the bitter card. i told him it might be romantic for those who were with their special someone.

as soon as the words left my mouth i knew i had said the wrong thing. i had momentarily forgotten i was speaking to a middle-aged french man who was obviously VERY forward. as such, my words of bluntness immediately opened the door for him to think that i was available.... for him.

i dont remember much about the rest of our conversation other than i told him my name was susan, he gave me his email address, repeatedly asked me to go for drinks with him, kissed my hand and stood WAY too close to me. all the while the little voice in my head is screaming "SOS" and my eyes scan all the people passing by us to find one that i could pass off as being my friend. as it happened everyone was either on a bike, rollerblades or strolling hand-in-hand with that special someone as they enjoyed the "romantic" view.

eventually i managed to convince my paris-residing creep that i REALLY had to go meet my friends. he pulled me in for a hug and kissed me on the cheek. i wanted to run for my life. instead i crossed the street and hid behind the bush until i could be sure that the french man was long gone. i made a mental note that i need to come up with more strategies to avoid these types of men should i ever venture to the realm of france.

***

today, however, was an excellent day in which all of us (mike, kathy, the kids and i) went out for some chinese food and then for ice cream. we ended up going to an place called the international ice cream factory and it definitely lived up to its name! complete with 218 flavours i was astounded to find out what some of them were. there was corn, wassabi, apple cheddar and many others that left my jaw dropping at the thought that there was people out there that actually WANTED to pay for a taste of that. i, on the other hand, stuck with a more "normal" flavour of pineapple strawberry. YUM!


august 30/09

as i come down the homestretch of my experiences with vancouver i feel sentimental in having to say "goodbye." i find the emotion surprising to me as this is not the most ideal place i would want to be at, yet the complexities that vancouver offers pull me in to a deeper sense of appreciation and even love of the west coast city.

sure, the beaches are littered with garbage and the view is busy with an endless stream of freighter and cruise ships, but that has brought me to a place of fascination over the unique culture of vancouver. yeah, theres tons of construction, tall skyscrapers and endless streams of vehicles, but that gives the city character.

there is a sense of beauty and grace to vancouver that is unlike any city i have ever been to before. looking back over my journey that has brought me to today, i truely believe i came to vancouver with a closed mind. i had already decided it wouldnt be a place id like. as such, i had originally planned to be in and out within a couple of days. its now nearly 2 weeks and i am glad i stuck around. sure, vancouver may not be a place id come to settle down in, but because i finally took the time to relax and get to know the city, i can see how others want to and have come to live here.

a couple days from now i will plan to move on. i want to check out vancouver island for a bit before i make my way down the west coast to LA. i find it amazing how much cheaper flights are from the states though i really cant complain much as now i get to add the west coast of the usa to my adventures. to top it off - i got family in oregon so i hope to stope by for a visit with them as its been a few years.

all that said - today has been yet another great day. i went to do the observation deck at the vancouver lookout then have spent the afternoon wandering around downtown, taking pictures and hanging at the beach. here on the sand i have realized just how much my body has become climatized to the hot weather. it is sunny and in the mid-20s today - everyones stripped to their swimsuits. i, on the other hand, stay in jeans and contemplate putting on a sweater as i find the ocean breeze cool.


august 31/09

it is officially the last day of the month and i can hardly believe how time has flown by. its hard to imagine that before this journey had begun, the longest i had ever been away from "home" was a total of 19 days. today im at day 62. before this journey i had never spent more than 4 days backpacking in the wilderness. i have now done 49. before this journey i had never done a lot of the things im doing now - i had only dreamed of them. and yet, even still, this journey feels the most natural things in the world. i suppose that is what living out my dream should be like.

i am super excited to be moving forward in the next couple of days. i can only imagine where life is going to take me and i relish the feeling of not knowing.