Autumn Feels in Canada

Before I blog about Canada, I want to acknowledge my stance on the Black Lives Matter Movement: I support the movement, and I support black people all over the world in this fight. I know that racism exists in Canada, and I will strive to stand up for black people (people of colour). I think that my previous post about Edna O'Brien's book, "Girl" offers insight to my sentiments, but I worry now that I watered my down my argument and wasn't outspoken enough. If you agree, then please know that I am committed to do better, be better.

Canada:

I used to dread going home to London (Canada). I felt guilty for leaving my sister and father for work. I felt disconnected from my friends who remained in my hometown and in Canada. I started to question whether I belonged in Canada, if I ever belonged there to begin with. I felt the people I love slipping away. However, a horrible confrontation with my sister helped us communicate all of the things we had buried for years: frustration, stress, anger and grief. It was cathartic and meaningful as we grew closer and finally bonded as sisters and friends. That helped me understand myself better and also figure out what friendships I wanted to continue.

Once I left Spain for Canada, I felt excited—yes, excited to go home. I hadn't felt that way in...a very long time. London in September and October last year was hot, cold and wet, a good indication that it was autumn. My sister, her partner and their pets kindly let me stay with them. I can't thank them enough! I tried to make sure that I cooked, cleaned, grocery shopped, walked the pooch and just generally was a good house guest. I had a really good time staying with them. My sister's partner taught me how to play the board game "7 Wonders" and kindly put up with my weirdness. By the way, I LOVE "7 Wonders"!!! Even though it was a bit different, home was full of comforting autumn feels: leaves changing colours, hikes, pumpkin spice lattes, candy corn, Thanksgiving and Halloween.

The view during a hike. Some trees were still green and others were in the midst of changing to orange and red :)

I love Halloween paraphernalia at Michael's!

Taking a family selfie while shopping in Michael's after dinner at East Side Marios. It doesn't get more Canadian that that, folks, hahaha! (Left to right: My dad, my sister, me and my uncle on my mom's side. Missing: My sister's partner. He was in a different store. He's not into crafting, hehehe!)

On one trip to Chapters/Coles, a national bookstore chain, I found these. LOVE them! If I had a home to go to, I would have bought these.

Carving pumpkins!!! My pumpkin was pretty simple because I hadn't carved or painted a pumpkin in forever!

A rarity: Neko (my sister's cat on the left) and Honor (my sister's partner's cat on the right) chilling out beside each other.

Kuma, my sister's dog, was pooped by the end of our 7k walk, LOL.

Even though I didn't get to spend Thanksgiving with them, I was able to spend a bit of time with my family in Ottawa. It made me realize how little vacation time I'd had to spend quality time with my extended family while I was working in Shanghai. In fact, I was still working remotely for the publishing firm in Shanghai, but I could feel my passion for the work wane...A lot. I submitted my resignation and officially stopped working for them at the end of January 2020. Without the best part of my job, my colleagues, I couldn't muster the motivation or desire to continue working for them. But back to Canada because my time at home was amazing!

I was able to get some quality time in with my family in Ottawa and then at my family's new lake house. It was sooo quiet and peaceful out there! I also got to spend more time with my cousins. They're over a decade younger than I am, so it's not always easy or desirable for them to have conversations with me (who wants to have a meaningful conversation with a weird, old maid like me?!?). Since I rarely get to spend meaningful time alone with my cousins, this was really special for me. So many thanks to them for hanging out with me!!! My cousins in Ottawa, by the way, look nothing like me. People always look at me funny when I introduce my mom's side of the family (who have some Metis background but are also Caucasian), as if I'm joking or lying.

Mik: See this tall, blonde, blue-eyed stunner? She's my cousin.
Others: Yeah, OK, Mik.
Mik: No, really. She's my cousin.
Others: Mmmm hmmm.

My cousin and I at Christmas...Awhile ago, hehehe! I think this is 2014.

I was able to stay with my family in Ottawa just long enough to go to an anniversary party (it was for a Quebecquouis family and so much was in French. It was awesome!), travel to the lake house, go to the Third World Bazaar...TWICE, enjoy relaxing in the outdoor hot tub and chillax with my family. I travelled back to London on Via. The train was comfortable but almost as expensive as flying. I made the mistake of selecting a train journey that had me transferring trains in Toronto during rush hour. Good job, Mik! I had flown to Ottawa and boy was it a SHORT journey, LOL! When you tend to take flights that are at least 14 hours long, a flight that's less than an hour is a joke.

Sunset at the lake house is STUNNING!

My aunt and I went shopping at the Third World Bazaar!

Gorgeous glassware from Mexico at the Third World Bazaar.

While I was at home, I got to do some baking and even some crafts—although I'm definitely NOT as crafty as my sister!

One of my sister's dreamcatchers

Butter pecan muffins with spiced icing

My sister and I also got creative when we travelled to Lion's Head with my mom's closest friend. We went to honour and remember my mom. It was a great girl's weekend trip! We experienced beautiful weather! It was really fun to spend--yet again--quality time with people that have been so close to my family. My mom's best friend Jenny and her wonderful friend Rose (who took over my mom's business after my mom died so that my mom's clients still had a bookkeeper and tax preparer) are still a part of our lives, but I only get to see them for a few hours when I go home.

 My sister and I with our rocks to throw into the bay for my mom.

All of our rocks

The lighthouse: the trees were JUST starting to change.

Being at home wouldn't have been complete without a trip to the library. I LOVE my local library. I hope that you support yours. Firstly, the library is a service (in London) that is FREE. It's a place where you can use computers, the internet, printers, fax machines, meeting rooms, etc...There are lots of programs available for EVERYONE. You can read the newspaper, magazines, borrow DVDs and even see authors give readings. It's a fantastic resource, so please use your library.

BOOKS! I only read two the five :(  To be fair, I'm not a big fan of YA fantasy (although I used to love it), so I'm not sure why I borrowed them in the first place.

If you'd rather buy a book, please go to the Goodwill, Value Village or a secondhand bookstore. You can find the locations for the Goodwill here: https://goodwillindustries.ca/goodwill-bookstore/. A new Value Village opened near my dad's old apartment (London Mall), so you know I went there for books and clothes: https://stores.savers.com/on/london/valuevillage-thrift-store-2156.html.

 Buy 4 and get 1 free?!? Books can still be expensive here, so please keep that in mind.

Ahhh, being at home was like a breath of fresh air after being in China. I felt like I could unwind and release some of the stress and frustration I'd been feeling. I got to see so many great friends and my family, and I'm so thankful to them for taking time out of their busy schedules to spend time with me!