Springtime in February

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adventure, Canada, challenges, cultures, Emotion, entertainment, Family, friends, Happiness, Holidays, Home, new job, seasons, travel, Vancouver, Weather

The last few years I’ve taken some steps out of my comfort zone, but I don’t think I have ever felt so challenged before.

Being pulled back by funds, my Vancouver trip started off with a nerve-wracking, week-long job search on Craigslist and along stores, worsened by a major jet lag, instead of exploring the new vibrant city.

In the core of my body emotions were at war: worry, stupidity, curiosity, but also awe. Awe for the beautiful mountains that surround Vancouver. In awe for the warm, yet wet, weather. and in awe for the hospitality and unexpected help from strangers.

Now I am settled (but still a bit jet-lagged?!!) I get to enjoy this city. Vancouver is a big city, but the quality of life is high (and expensive) and it’s surrounded by mountains and green. The weather is great. It’s known for many rainy days, but so far so good. And the people… Totally different then what I was used to in Toronto and Montreal. Which makes sense; Canada is a huge country, so it’s only normal that it’s people differ.

Here, they take the effort to learn my real name, even when I try to brush it off and tell them to call me by my adoptive nickname. Which makes me happy, because the last couple of months I’ve been feeling a bit schizophrenic, and the two names didn’t make that any easier. It kind of feels like I’m going back to basic, to the time when I was just a Dutch girl with unpursued wanderlust.

Yes, I like Vancouver. It’s like a fresh summer breeze (or rather spring) after the cold Montreal days.

 

My undying love

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Canada, desires, Emotion, entertainment, Family, friends, Happiness, Home, Hot chocolate, memories, nostalgic, pastries, travel, Winter

As if a unicorn pisses rainbows on your tongue, that’s the sensation I had when I ate the homemade cheesecake my friend had prepared. Simple delicious. Old school, homemade, no added artificial crap and just sugar and cheese. If she would’ve let me (which she probably would’ve), I would’ve eaten the whole pie. I finally found fellow pastry lovers.

As a child I made a cake or pie almost every sunday with my mom. I was (and unfortunately still am) a sweet tooth. My favorites where pastries, and then in particular tompouces. Whenever I was making cakes with my mom, I dipped my finger in the batter when she wasn’t looking. I even uttered that one day I would eat an entire bowl of cake batter, just because it was maybe even more delicious than when baked.

Now I’ve come to the age of making my own decisions and prepping my own food. Though I’ve never eaten an entire bowl of cake batter, I still dip my finger when nobody’s looking. It still tastes delicious, but it has lost some of its flavour. Maybe because the sneakiness made it more exciting or just because the nostalgia makes me a bit sad.

But I can still enjoy pastries, pies, cakes and tompouces. Maybe even more so, now that I also have come to the age that I can’t eat everything I want… Anyway, I think I’ll have another slice.

Ps. I once got caught red-handed, figuratively and literally speaking. My fingers got stuck in the electric beater…

Back to reality

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adventure, Beer, Birthday, Brewery, cultures, Emotion, entertainment, friends, Happiness, Holidays, memories, New York, regret, travel

Her face is smudged with foundation that gives her an orange glow and only emphasizes her age. The creamy substance lumps in the fine wrinkles next to her heavy smokey eyes. Her top is cut just a little bit too low and shows a cleavage pushed up to her collarbone. The tight top not only accentuates her boobs, but also her muffintop. She is really nice though. She gives me and my friend, slightly tipsy, advice on where to go while we are in New York.

I met the nice lady in the Brooklyn Brewery, where I put my skilled taste buds to the test with some delicious beers. The brewery is based in an industrial hall, with long wooden picnic tables, which encourages the merrymakers to talk to strangers, a beer in hand and a slice of Brooklyn pizza in the other. We found ourselves, Brooklyn Oktoberfest beer in hand, talking with neighbouring women. The four women , were born and raised New Yorkers and proud to be. They reminded me of the four famous gals from Sex and the City, if it wasn’t reality kicking in.

The woman I was talking to most, let’s call her Samantha, looked pretty and sparkling, but from up close, you could see she was trying too hard. Her conversational skills were superficial and made her look immature, or maybe even overmature-midlifecrises-kinda-style. She tried to fit in with her slightly younger friends, but when she started talking about the upcoming Woodstock festival her friends faces drew blank.

I felt sorry for her. I am sure she herself and her close friends consider themselves glamorous, interesting, succesful and maybe even happy persons. But then I caught her. She was letting her guard down when she thought nobody was watching. I think, when she looks at herself in the mirror at night, after washing the layers of make up and the city of her face, there is a middle-aged, lonely woman left.

I don’t know if it is New York City that does this to her or if it’s her life choices. And I don’t know if its New York City that makes people unhappy or if it’s their life choices, but not that many people smile, at least, no sincere smiles. For me, this meeting, was a wake up call. Whining about turning 25, seems like such an insignificant action, while I have lots to be happy about. New York, you ain’t dragging me down!

Happy Anniversary

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adventure, anniversary, Canada, challenges, Emotion, entertainment, Family, friends, Happiness, Holidays, Home, longings, memories, nostalgic, Paris, travel

Yay! I have my first WordPress anniversary! A year ago I was bored and thought about my au pair time in Paris, when I was blogging for friends and family back home. I decided to start a new one. In english this time, to improve my english skills as well as to have a bigger reach of readers (hopefully). And I might say that after a year, 57 blogs, 2075 views from 46 different countries and 72 followers, I’m not dissatisfied.

It started with my first philosophical blog, just random thoughts put together on paper(or computer in this case). But my first big success and a story I’m still pretty happy with is La Rentrée. In times of reminiscing I reread my posts, with some I still agree, some I find utterly disturbing. But I guess everybody that makes something, if it’s writing, painting, singing or acting, always finds flaws. Because you are your own worst critic.

I read about things I have long forgotten about. So my blog is actually a not so personal diary. I hope I can keep up the creative vibe. Thanks everybody for the sweet words of motivation and appreciation of the last year. And of course for inspiring me, because I couldn’t do it, without people who inspire! I hope many blogs will follow from different places. Thanks, Bedankt, Merci Beaucoup, Muchas  Gracias, Grazie Mille, Danke!

From Montréal with love

 

At last we meet again (will we?)

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adventure, Canada, challenges, Emotion, entertainment, friends, Happiness, Holidays, Montréal, new job, travel

From the Québécois guy listening to a heartbreaking Celine Dion song while walking drunkenly to his house (or ex-girlfriends place?!) to the Chinese girl that puts sirop(!) on my peanut butter sandwich unasked, but meant wholeheartedly. I’ve seen and met quit some interesting people here in Montréal. I have been here for a bit over a week now and I have to say it is wonderful. The hostel where I work is great. The atmosphere is good, the coworkers are nice and the clients are even better.

When travelling you meet extraordinary people. With some you get along, with some you don’t and with some you have an instant connection. I’ve met quit a lot of amazing people. I know that I will never see some of them again, even though you have spent a beautiful day with them in a foreign city, but there are exceptions.

The usual first week of desolation and unease were shortened to just one day. I instantly made friends in the hostel, therefore my second day in Montreal was spent on the beach with my new Australian friend. I went to Mont-Royal with some French friends, got some groceries with a chinese friend and had drinks with an American friend. There is always somebody to hang out with. I know I use the term friend very lightly, but since most people travel alone, you consider each other friends easily, especially once you add each other on Facebook. With my real name, that asks for some getting to know each other (just kidding).

Like I said before, most of them I won’t see again. The exception on the rule I saw on my third day in Montreal. My best Canadian friend, whom I met in Paris and hadn’t seen in over a year. We changed subject every 5 minutes, there was so much to talk about. I hope that I will be seeing more of him the coming months. Especially since I landed a real paid job! I will do a test drive next week, but if everything goes well, I will be working at a hotel that has a hostel downstairs. So I would have the professional hotel experience on my resume, and the social aspect of the hostel. Perfect combination I might say, wouldn’t you agree?

Good ol’ and new Canada

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adventure, Canada, entertainment, friends, Happiness, Holidays, Summer, Toronto, travel, World Cup

“Happy Canada day!” Is what I heard from passing strangers, in pubs and stores. I was going to celebrate this national day with some newly made friends. No better way to bond than with beer and a barbecue! We went to the beach. People were coming and going. Our international company existed out of just 1 or 2 real Canadians, which resembles Toronto’s population. Eventually we ended the evening with the long-expected firework shows. I heard “Oows” and “Aws” all around me during the 10 minute long show. Now I never turn down a firework show, but I was used to the real thing, for as in the Netherlands the firework fills the entire sky with colorful lights. But I guess that’s Canadian modesty.

For me fireworks stands for a beginning. So I usually reflect the past time and think about the things to come, but not this year. I thought about how lucky and fortunate I am to have this chance. So I’m going to make the absolute most of it. So the fireworks were a nice, poetic touch to the start of my trip.

But in Good Ol Canada they also celebrate World Pride. So last weekend the streets were filled with colorful people, music and more than anything; tolerance. Parties on every corner, slushies everywhere and (half) naked people. After the World Cup match The Netherlands Vs Mexico we went to see the parade. The people in the parade were welcomed with enthusiastic cries when they got out there water guns in the burning heat.

Which is something that surprised me. Though humidity makes my hair more curly than ever, the sun is shining most of the time, the temperature is great and every 4 to 5 days a big downpour relieves you from the intense heath. And then it starts all over again. But I don’t mind. Not at all.

Unexpected wisdom

Tags

DreamWorks Animation, entertainment, Kungfu Panda

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present” ~ Master Oogway, DreamWorks Animation