Back in the Saddle...

Back in the city...
It's been over 3 weeks since returning to Canada and the differences are becoming clear the more time I spend here. On one hand, it is so nice to be home, but there are some things that I miss about being in Belgium.

One thing that I love about being home is having friends and family a phone call away! It is so nice to be able to hop in the car and meet up with friends, get together with them for supper, see new homes, renovations and paint jobs and just be all around more social. That was the hardest thing about living so far away - not being close to the people I care so much about.

As I am now mooching off of friends the last few weeks, I am most excited about moving into my new apartment. I move on May 2nd to a huge apartment that I deserve. After living in a shoebox the last 6 months, it is going to be overwhelming to live in such a huge place (3 bedroom in Clayton Park). It is going to be like Christmas opening all the boxes that I haven't seen in so long and now I wonder what I was thinking packing and keeping all my old belongings. There are a few things that I miss (hairdryer, curling iron, green tshirt), but I really don't remember the stuff that 6 months ago I felt I couldn't live without.

As for Brussels, I miss my good friend Alison, a girlfriend who was up for absolutley anything any day of the week, I miss the bakery (although I've been doing alot of baking since I've gotten home), the language and most of all, the subway. I see the Metro Transit busses chugging along through the city and wonder how I am going to adjust to waiting at a bus stop for a slow moving bus that runs on a schedule, ugh! When taking the subway, it ultimately runs on your schedule since it comes every 4 minutes or so. If you miss the first one, the next is very close behind!

Living away was a great experience that I am happy I have accomplished. Many people say "Happy to be home?" and I reply "yes, very happy"....in saying that, most people think I couldn't have lasted another day away - not necessarily. As being home for a bit now, I could go back in a second and make a life there comfortably (never permanently), but would still miss the same things as before - mostly friends and family. Therefore, I am in a place now that will make and keep me happy!

I advise anyone who has the opportunity to live in another country (even for a short period of time) to take advantage of that. It was so interesting to experience the day to day life of another culture. Perhaps I would have been happier in a place where it didn't rain everyday, but I enjoyed every moment of it and shed a tear when leaving. When we were packing, Dylan asked "Are you going to miss this apartment?" and I said "Nope, not even a little" and I was right, the apartment I will never miss, but the lifestyle, culture and experiences, I do miss. I also had a little cry saying goodbye to Alison (although she may not have noticed). It was sad saying goodbye to my 'partner in crime' for the last 6 months. Although I come back to some great friends, she made my overseas experience unforgettable!

It is a different life for me here and the biggest difference is having a car again (or the availability of a car). I never depended on a vehicle while being away - I walked everywhere and didn't think anything of it. I would put on my raincoat, grab my umbrella and purse and head out (even if it wasn't raining, best to take the umbrella anyway because chances are that it will rain in a very short period of time). Having a vehicle, I do what all the citizens of HRM do - hop in the car and get shit done. Drop into the superstore to pick up some extra things, head to the mall to browse, go to the bank - it is impossible to live without a vehicle here and now that I'm not living downtown, I can't imagine not having one. With the prices of gas (1.32/L now), it is so expensive to drive, and although it is suggested that people use public transportation, it is hard to imagine depending on it no matter what the cost of gas is.

So - to sum things up - I am definatley happy to be home and will be happier once I get my own space and unpack. I do miss Brussels and the whole European experience as a whole, but I think that I am better off on my own stomping grounds and start to make my life here. After spending two weeks at home in Sydney and a week in Halifax, I now know for sure that this is where I am supposed to be and am excited to get settled! Too bad it's raining today though...