I've been back in Bangladesh for a week now, and although I had an amazing time in Canada, it feels really good to be back. It's starting to feel more like home here. Since being back I feel like I'm more familiar and tolerant of those things that were driving me crazy before I left (though it could also be the difference between having 2 weeks of R&R vs 3). My 2 weeks in Malaysia just didn't feel like enough. I came back feeling unrested and unsettled; whereas after 3 weeks in Canada i feel wonderfully refreshed and excited for the months ahead. The jet lag from my 45 hour journey back to Cox's Bazar has passed, and though I'm excited to be back at work (and have already thrown myself into it) I'm also aware that I need to start firmly implementing a better work-life balance. But before I can look ahead (and there's A LOT ahead), it's good to take some time to reflect back.
This past week I've been thinking about my time in Canada. It was awesome to be able to see everyone, but even though I tried to cram in as much as I could I still wasn't able to see everyone I wanted to. I feel bad that i wasn't able to see certain people (R and E, specifically), but I know they understand, and I'm thankful to have friends like that. It was also good to have the chance to go to church again. It's something that I miss a lot. Though we have great relationships amongst all of us here, and it definitely feels like a family, it's not the same as having that time back at my home church. It was good to catch up with everyone (even a quick hello), and have the time to sit down and really catch up/update some key people. It's great to know that I have so many people supporting me and praying for me, and I'm so grateful to be surrounded by such understanding and loving people.
So... about Canada...
I started off my R&R with a quick stop-over in Vancouver. I haven't spent a lot of time in Vancouver, so it was fun to essentially experience the city for the first time. However, the jet lag was real, and I felt like most of the time I was struggling to produce coherent sentences. I also got sick on my second day and, unable to adjust to the massive temperature change, was constantly cold. But sometimes you just have to throw on a pair of long johns and push through these things. And it was definitely worth it to resist the urge to stay curled up in a comfortable bed, because it was a great weekend of exploration with a very understanding, accomodating, and fun "tour guide." We went cycling around Stanley Park, to the theatre, visited the Museum of Anthropology, explored some of the many beaches (and even saw a seal!), went for runs, got in the Christmas spirit at "bright lights" and the island of misfit toys, and had some very delicious wine and vegetarian-friendly eats. It was such a fun weekend, and a great start to my R&R. Thank you L.
Vancouver: oceans and beaches
When I arrived in Edmonton I basically hit the ground running. From pedicures and hair appointments, to shopping trips and piercings, Hogwarts re-creations, impromptu wine nights, catch-ups with my girls and the AHE crew, an Oilers game with a old friend, shifts in the O.R. (and a 3 foot tall Bernard Callebaut chocolate Santa), baking, and as much cycling and running as I could possibly manage (totalling 90km of running and 8.5 hours on the bike)... it was busy!!
A Collection of pre-Christmas YEG Highlights:
Though I did feel a bit out-of-sorts, and was living out of a backpack in a communal room at my parents house, it was still good to be home... especially for Christmas. Christmas is a really important time for my family, and not only because it's also my Mom's birthday. I haven't missed a Christmas at home with my family yet, even through almost 10 years of shift work, so it means a lot to me to have had the chance (and timing) to be able to come home this year. It was nice to have just the 4 of us together, eating birthday cake and playing Mahjong beside the Christmas tree. And to top it off, we even had fresh snow on Christmas day. A perfect white Christmas.
Christmas Birthday Cake and Mimosas!
After Christmas we took a family trip up to Canmore. Getting out of the city was one of the things I really wanted to do over my break. To me, being in the mountains feels like home. I feel so alive in the mountains. They have the power to relax, refresh, and reset me. Even if the days are packed with activity, I still come out feeling like a new woman. I love the crisp, fresh air, the sense of peace, and the overwhelming awe you feel just admiring their grande beauty. Truly amazing. And when you're set admist that kind of backdrop it makes you want to soak up every minute of it... so we did.
On our first day there, my brother and I woke before sunrise, and after a quick fuel-up from the Rocky Mountain Bagel Co (the BEST place ever), we set out to run from Canmore to Banff. The trails are not easy to begin with, and being that I was solidly out of shape, I was huffing and puffing for the first good while. By around the 6km mark I felt like I was finally starting to settle in.... by the 18th km though, things were not feeling so hot. Running through unpacked snow is not an easy feat, nor is a vicious headwind... add to that my lack of training, and the fact that I made it the whole 22km was a miracle. But crossing that final bridge at Bow Valley Falls made it worth the trek - simply stunning.
Trail Run: Canmore to Banff
The next day my Dad and I decided to give fat-biking a whirl. Though I've been before, my Dad hasn't. Despite the fact that we got lost a couple times (due to my lack of navigation (or maybe my desire for adventure) we accidently ended up having to climb an endlessly steep switchback hill at the end), and while my dad spent almost half of it walking his bike rather than riding it, and it may have looked a bit more like summer cycling that winter, it was still a pretty sweet 3 hour ride through the Nordic Center....one I'm sure he definitely won't be forgetting any time soon. Luckily the World Juniors was on, so we spent some solid recovery time over beers and hockey.
Fat Biking in the Canmore Nordic Center:
It was also nice to have some down time and do things I haven't had time to do here... like read. I managed to polish off 4 books while being at home, and all of them were great reads... so much so, that I have to recommend them to you:
1. Can't Hurt Me - David Goggins
2. A House in the Sky - Amanda Lindhout
3. Letters Left Behind - J
4. Living with a SEAL - Jesse Itzler
I highly recommend you look them up.
"Letters Left Behind" is a good read for my fellow aid workers, as it gives you some interesting food-for-thought about some of those things we think but generally don't say.
David Goggins is something else - his story of growing up in a down-and-out life to overcoming fears and becoming a Navy SEAL, ultraman, ultramarathoner, and one of the fittest men on earth. It will definitely inspire and motivate you to get your butt in gear. Roger that!
Following that, Jesse Itzler's book tells the story of living with David Goggins for a month, as a way of whipping his rear-end into shape. A hilarious read and also highly motivating.
"A House in the Sky" was one of those page turners that you just can't put down. Amanda is a free-lance journalist from Red Deer, Alberta and this book is the haunting true story about her and her ex-partner's 15 month experience being held hostage in Southern Somalia by a group of teenage militants. Devastating, eye-opening, and a must-read.
All in all, I'm so happy to have been able to spend those 3 weeks in Canada for both Christmas and New Years. I feel re-freshed and properly R&R'd. Thank you to everyone, especially my family, for putting up with me while I was there. I know I wasn't always easy to be around (re-adjusting is difficult, not to mention the struggle of living out of a backpack and feeling like you don't really have any space to yourself), but I appreciate your love and understanding.
The next coming months here are going to be great... there's a lot of change on the horizon and new projects on the go (including a huge move!!). I'm really looking forward to seeing how things unfold over here. So stay tuned...there's more to come...
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