Time of Transition

     I always knew that transitioning from Nicaragua back to Canada was going to be a hard one. In fact the night before I left I was laying on my bed and I kept thinking, "It would be a whole lot easier if I just stayed." So, I'm not going to try to hide what I already knew before I left Nicaragua: the transition is tough, change is always a little stressful for me.

    This blog post was inspired by my 2 year old niece Anna. Anna lives really close to my parents house in Ontario which means that I saw her a lot this summer and we did a lot together. Let me give you an example, one day I sat down beside Anna and told her that I was going to go away for a night and I wouldn't see her for 2 days. She looked me in the eye and had a very serious expression on her face and while shaking her head said, "Noooo". Anna reminded me that it's okay to express sadness when saying goodbye or farewell to something you had.

Anna helping me clean cupboards

       Since I left Ontario, Anna has been expressing the absence of her aunt. I feel like her actions express what our feelings as adults are when we say farewell to someone except we tend to hide our feelings a little better or express them in different ways. Let me match up some of her actions with my feelings:

      1. One night after I left, Sara was putting Anna to bed and she kept saying "Aunt Aimee, Aunt Aimee". Sara suggested they pray for Aunt Aimee which they did. When saying farewell to one place and transiting to another I do think it is important to be able to talk about it. Many people have asked me how I'm doing and I usually say "okay". A few people have sat down with me over coffee or gone for a walk with me and have really asked me. I've appreciated those listening ears. Like Anna so many people in Nicaragua are in my thoughts and prayers. 

      2. One morning while outside Anna saw an airplane flying overhead and Sara said, "That's what Aunt Aimee went in." Anna started running in the field after the plane saying "Aunt Aimee, Aunt Aimee". Oh I can soo relate to this feeling. The feeling of wanting to be back at the place you left; of wanting just one more glimpse. The feeling that the place is so far away; you want it but you just can't have it. 

      3. Anna saw William talking on the phone one morning and was sure that he was talking to Aunt Aimee (which he was not). She was then sure that she wanted to talk with Aunt Aimee too. We did, on Skype. I have been able to talk and communicate with people in Nicaragua. It has been great, but so much is missing from the communication because I'm just not involved in their lives or in Nicaragua the way I use to be. Again you get the feeling of closeness but at the same time it feels like they are sooo far away.

      4. Anna saw someone riding a bike like mine and again said "Aimee, Aimee". As you can see it is one word she has perfected. Certain things do remind us of what we have left behind. When I see them it makes we smile. For me that was having dinner at a Mexican restaurant with two friends, Robin and Jessie. 

At the Mexican restaurant with Jessie (in photo) and Robin (photographer): real mango juice!!

        Perhaps if you haven't moved or made a big transition in your life you won't relate to these thoughts. But I'm pretty sure these feelings will ring true in the lives of those who have. The other night on the phone my dad told me that you can make anywhere home if you stay there long enough. I think that is true. I like to think that I take a little bit of my homes with me where ever I go. Last weekend I was in Houston, BC and someone said to me, "How long will you be home?" This made me smile.  

Nica-eh Continues

Due to popular vote I've decided to keep using this blog to post updates. I've also decided to keep the name since it includes a hint of both my Nicaraguan and Canadian life. I can't deny the impact the time I spent in Nicaragua has had on my life and so the name sticks.

I've officially been orientated back into school again. The other day I shouldered my backpack and got on the bus to go to school. Riding the bus has been an interesting experience which often involves a certain amount of waiting. This morning for example the bus I was waiting for didn't stop because it was "full" (by Canadian standards). That means I needed to wait for the next bus which did come about 10 or 15 minutes later. I'm going to try biking now in order to get exercise, enjoy the outdoors before getting in the classroom, and save money.

Today I went for a bike ride along the Fraser River and took this picture. It was taken about 15 minutes by bike from where I live. One of the beautiful things about living in this area is even though you're in the city you get a bit of a country feel.  

Surprises

Last night I arrived in British Columbia and was greeted at the airport by Jessie and Robin Vanderhiede. We stayed up so late (or perhaps early would be a better way to state it) catching up on eachothers lives. I spent all day today with them and they graciously showed me around the area; Langley. I was feeling like it was a very big place and of course I don't know anyone here except them and the Boersmas. Well the big surprise was that when we walked into Staples, Kim Boersma nearly ran me over with her cart! Wow, what a reunion! Of course we have planned to see eachother but I'm not even sure Kim knew I was in town yet. I think this was the reassurace I needed that this place isn't as big as it seems. I praised God for this little collision because I realized that a simple decision to go to another store first could have meant we would have missed eachother and never known differently.

Novelties

After living in Nicaragua for so long there were some things about living in Canada that I had forgotten about but was able to take complete advantage of them over the past two months.

1. Mailboxes: As a kid I loved to be the first one to the mailbox by the road when the little red flag was up. I loved looking through the letters to see if there was any 'real' mail and not just bills. This summer I would often visit my sister in the afternoon and loved to see her red flag up when I biked into her driveway. After a while I got the title of the mail lady.

2. Peaches: When I bit into my first peach in August it tasted juicey and sweet as I expected, but it felt exciting which I didn't expect. Later I realized that I hadn't eaten a fresh peach in seven years. I might have made up for it by now.

3. GPS: I think I would still be lost if I didn't have the GPS along. I was able to drive into Toronto and Niagara Falls with little difficulty by just following the directions. I have a love/hate relationship with it though. There is a part of me that just doesn't want to always obey it. One day I decided that I was going to trust the directions and found myself downtown Guelph, facing a road closed sign creating a dead end, uphill, and pulling a tent trailer!! Grr...

4. Hot baths: Even though it was summer I took many a hot bath while engaged in a good book.

5. Pay at the pumps: Since in Nicaragua you have full service at the pump, I had to learn the trick of pumping gas in Canada. Here there is even an option to pay for your gas purchase right at the pump. You don't even see another person! Wow talk about trust.

6. Newspaper: Every morning the newspaper came to my parents house. At times I would buy a paper in Nicaragua but of course it was always in Spanish and not super easy to read. It was quite enjoyable to sit and read through the news in English everyday.

7. Public Transportation: Twice in Toronto I road the public transportation. It was quite roomy and also air conditioned! A far stretch from my bus riding adventures in Nicaragua.

Celebrating mom's birthday in Toronto