Pre-departure... at home
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Quebec,
Canada
Saturday, July 1, 2006
Before...
I have had an ecclectic winter, either the temperature was as well as my life.
Being back in the surrounding of Quebec, my hometown, for Christmas was pleasant (after my bags arrived), butlife felt pretty fast into a normal routine where it looked like I never left.
At least the first white month was great, embracing snow again, snowboarding with friends and partying wilder as well... until getting sick from it and having to start University.
With the family though, its been a complete other scenario. No enthousiasm, nothing special and nothing to look for... I somehow lost the feeling to look afterwards in meeting in a nice gathering. Its a spread, with no time and pretty individualistic family relation which proves to me that my friendship reaches higher... just typically canadian!
Then I moved to my flat in Quebec city to start University and that became the only activities I was about to have during the winter. Vacations done, family and friends went back to their routine. After a while I took the routine of having a hospitality club meeting (www.hospitalityclub.org) and met with some cool people there, got to hang with my flatmates too (living with 3 girls) and especially putting lots of time on the Internet working for HC besides my University tasks.
Nele came for a visit too, which was nice and she pretty much enjoyed it. There was still snow and she could go freely either from my appartment or while being at my parents. At least having her and the other few HC guests I had or met, were quite giving me the travelling bite again!
This went on until the spring and the coming back of the great season, which seems to always be the moment of a renewal anyhow with higher motivation. I worked on some great project for University which were taking lots of time and lots of hours... this didn't combine well with the death of my grand-mother in April (my only grand-parent) in the middle of the end semester rush with loads of project to finalise, and the visit of Leen who came but obviously disliked her trip to Canada after only two days... this left me bitter.
It was a sad moment to mourn my Grand-Mother, and a sad moment for the whole family. Some tradition came back and the mourning lasted 3 days. 3 days where I lived on the rythm of driving to Quebec city in the evening for team project meeting, driving back to my family house to work on the computer for the project until 5am, sleeping until 10am to be at the mortuary from 11ham till the afternoon shaking hand and receiving condoleance of the whole surrounding village.
One great aspect has been that I saw my whole family, cousins and cousines I didn't for such a long time and we came more near to each other and sharing discussion, and a drink at the nearest pub. Something that had never happened before in my family.
I understand that Leen might not have enjoyed that part of her vacation but still my parents took good care of her even during the mourning, and I tried my best as well during the rush. At least after my last project was done, I took her to Ottawa for a few days visit where we stayed at my aunt and then to Montreal where we stayed at my cousin before she caught her plane back home... I would never hear from her again after this!
The hot temperature came back and I couldn't find a job, I worked on HC instead and met pretty often with the local HC member (In total I will have had 4 guests including Nele). I simply decided to use the return part of my plane ticket and would then leave home to some unknown project in Europe by the beginning of July.
My parents backed me up really a lot and I could simply be thankful for that! I also got a Working-Holiday Visa for the United Kingdom and prepared slowly the journey. Meeting with my friends in the village for a last time for an undetermined time.
I felt like I was leaving my home where I was not expecting anything at all... to go somewhere where I wasn't having any expectation either. Simply going on and see what life will bring!
