People often ask me what it’s like to live in Canada, and that’s a very difficult answer.  There are things you can say that generally apply to all of Canada, like the people speak English or love hockey, but when it comes down to day to day life and the people you interact with, that largely depends on where exactly in Canada you are coming from.

A while back I did a photo comparison Google style of my hometown and the current city I live in, to show people the vast differences between where I come from and where I live now.  I think that gave people a pretty good idea of how different life is for me now than it was growing up… but it didn’t really tell people about what life in that small town on the east coast of Canada was like.

When you come from the Maritimes, it’s a completely different experience than in a lot of the rest of the country, and it’s often very difficult to describe.  Today I saw something a woman from my hometown put on her status message on Facebook and it made me laugh, because it sums up what life in the Maritimes is like perfectly.

This is life in the Maritimes according to Jeff Foxworthy (edited into a proper list for blog-friendly reading)

You may live in the Maritimes if…

Your local Tasty Treat is closed from September through May

Someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don’t even work there

You’ve worn shorts and a jacket at the same time

You’ve had a lengthy telephone conversation with……………… someone who dialed a wrong number

“Vacation” means going anywhere south of Saint John for the weekend

You measure distance in hours

You know several people who have hit a deer more than once

You have switched from ‘heat’ to ‘A/C’ in the same day and back again

You can drive 110 kms through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching

You install security lights on your house and garage, but leave both doors unlocked

You carry jumpers in your car and your wife knows how to use them

You design your kid’s Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow

You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter and road construction

You have more kms on your snow blower than your car

You find -12C degrees “a little chilly”

You actually understand these jokes!!

I can relate to every single one of the jokes on that list.  As I was reading it on my friend’s profile I was laughing to myself and thinking of home, and it really is like that!

People who don’t work in shops actually will help you, they are friendly and there’s a true sense of community.  I wore Halloween costumes over snowsuits!

I don’t even know what I was in this photo, a rabbit? a cat? a pink marshmallow?  Regardless, I may have been a chunky kid but you can bet your ass there was a snowsuit under there!

I knew if I looked I’d find a photo of my father wearing shorts and a jacket when all the sane people have the sense to wear actual pants.  He is living, breathing proof that these jokes are not just jokes, but facts.  Crazy, crazy bastard.

I have actually made friends by talking to random strangers who have dialled the wrong number, or having dialled one myself, I shit you not.

I admit, this did make me a little homesick but after all these years I’m used to it.  I just consider myself lucky to grow up in a place that is so unique and full of charm that makes me laugh like this when I think back on the time I spent there.  The Maritimes is such a great place to live, especially Cape Breton Island. It may not be great in the way a lot of people would like, there’s not a lot of money and not always a lot to do either, but the crazy friendly people and the beauty of the surroundings give it something no amount of money could ever buy, something I’m yet to find here in the Netherlands.

Related posts:

1. Canadutch Goes Live!
2. I’m Gonna Live Forever!

After moving to the Netherlands, I was so incredibly miserable. I was 23 years old and ‘fresh off the farm’ so to speak.  I’d moved around a bit in Canada but that was all more of the same, moving to the Netherlands was a shock to my system in a way that I never could have expected.

I moved here thinking it was going to be easy.  I was going to be with the man I loved, anything beyond that was just minor details.  I was under the impression that if I moved here and didn’t like it that we would both pack up and move back to Canada, but once I was here I learned that it wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

My husband was young then too and wasn’t expecting things to turn out the way they did.  He had underestimated the amount of culture shock and homesickness that was waiting for me here too.  Having spent a large part of his childhood in Ireland, he didn’t have those life long friendship connections for me to attach myself to, and all the friends he did have were back where he went to university on the other side of the country.  Most of his family lived outside the country, so for the most part it was just me and him.  A huge change for me and a lot of pressure for him.

I became incredibly depressed and frustrated.  I resented him because there were promises made when I moved here that weren’t kept.  Looking back I can understand that nothing was as easy as either of us thought it would be but I wasn’t thinking clearly then.  I had given up everything to be with him and I hated it here.

I didn’t hate him though, which is what kept making me stay. In spite of how unhappy I was I refused to give up and move home… what I did do wasn’t a lot better though.

I allowed my unhappiness consume me.  The culture shock ruled my life and before I knew it I’d gone from someone who was outgoing and social, to someone who hated to ever leave the house.  I hated the Netherlands and wanted to go back to Canada and that is all I could think about.  It dominated my every thought and my behavior reflected that.

I acted out in ways that I’m truly ashamed of.  I could never see the good in anything here because in my mind it was never going to measure up to what I had back home.  This caused a lot of friction between myself and my husband, it created rifts within his family, causing relationships that were already under strain to break, and it just made me a terrible person to be around.

I spent the better part of 3-4 years with my heels dug in and my head buried in the sand.  I refused to learn the language at all because I feared it would appear like I was settling here and I’d never get my husband to leave.  I couldn’t maintain friendships because it required me to get out there and integrate myself, finding my own way and making a life here.  My friendships also didn’t last, I suspect, because people just couldn’t stand my misery.  Other than a few who were miserable themselves, and even then all that existed in our friendship was shared negativity which did neither of us any good.

I wasted a lot of time, I let my own unhappiness spread and affect those around me, and worst of all… I let myself get to such an extreme low mentally and physically that even now, after over 10 years, I am still trying to fix it.

I carry so much regret around with me.  I regret the way I let my anger, confusion and sadness rule my life.  I regret how it all affected my husband.  I regret that my behavior caused problems within his family.  I regret that I didn’t tackle the language right away and force myself to integrate.

I know I need to forgive myself, because other than making the effort to be the best wife I can possibly be to my husband now, trying to get over my fear of speaking Dutch, doing everything I can to help mend relationships that were lost and generally trying to be a better person… what can I do?

I can’t change the past, it happened and it will always be a part of my life.  All I can do is learn from it and try to do better, and maybe talk about it and hope there is someone out there somewhere who is feeling the way I did, and hope that they can learn from my mistakes too.

I wish I could say I forgive myself for all the events over those years, but I think that’s a long way away, maybe I never will.  I’m just like that, I’m a dweller.  I dwell….

Maybe one day.  I’ll keep trying.

Related posts:

1. 30 Days of Truth: Day 28
2. 30 Days of Truth: Day 26
3. 30 Days of Truth: Day 2

There is an area downtown in my hometown called the Ballast Grounds. I have been there more times than I can even begin to count. My father’s barber shop was there for many years, I played there as a child while waiting for him to finish work, I hung out there from time to time as a teenager with nothing better to do and I got my very first set of car keys there when my father handed them to me after getting my drivers license.

The one thing I have never done is really look at it and really see it.

Like most other things I notice when I go back home, this is something I only appreciated once I was gone.  This small strip of land where people keep their fishing boats never really impressed me much or even crossed my mind when I lived there… but when I was home I couldn’t wait to walk down there and take it in with my camera.  Here are some of my favorites from the day I finally did…

It was a beautiful day that day, warm enough to walk around in just a t-shirt in the middle of October.  I spent a while sitting on a bench just enjoying the view and, just like old times, waiting for dad to get off work and come meet me.

I’m glad I’m able to recognize just how much beauty there is where I come from.  I also love that after living there for 21 years and visiting numerous times, there are still things that I see differently every time.  I can’t wait to go back.

Related posts:

1. Canadian Beauty – “Over Home”
2. The Partial Canadian
3. Canadian by Association

I was working on this photo from Canada today and I found myself sort of amused because in a way it represents who I am right now.  Proudly Canadian but with a piece missing, the piece of me that belongs to the Netherlands now.

Strange how certain things pop into your mind now and then, like how you can find yourself in or identify with a photo like this.

More photos from Canada coming soon, still slaving away at them!

Related posts:

1. Canadian Beauty – “Over Home”
2. Canadian Beauty – The Ballast Grounds
3. Canadian by Association

These photos were taken one afternoon while my parents and I were taking a drive “Over Home”, which means taking the old roads through Point Edward on the way to Sydney.  It’s called “Over Home” because it’s where my mother grew up and where most of her family still lives today.

I brought my camera along to try to capture photos of the places I’ve driven so many times but never stopped to notice in all the years I lived there.  It’s amazing how much more you notice after being away for a while.

The sky seems to go on forever, so much air and so much space.  You can see my hometown on the other side of the harbour.

A church I’ve passed a million times going back and forth to my grandparents but never stopped to look at. It’s really quite pretty, this setting.

I small cemetery on the road to Point Edward. Who knows, maybe one of my distant relatives are buried here.

The harbour between Point Edward and my hometown, North Sydney.  The gap you see in the distance in the middle is where it opens up to the Atlantic.  The ferries travel back and forth through there daily on their way to Newfoundland.

I took this photo of the waterfront in Sydney from the shore of Westmount.  I don’t remember there ever being cruise ships in Sydney when I was growing up but it’s become a regular destination for them now.  I laughed as I watched the tourists walking around bundled up in their winter jackets, hats and mittens.  I was still wearing my summer jacket.

Another view of the waterfront of Sydney from the Westmount Yacht Club.  You can’t tell but it was so windy that day!

This is something I miss so much, the sunlight on the water.  I guess when you live on an island there is water like this everywhere you go.  If it weren’t for the wind and my parents waiting for me I could have sat on those rocks for hours, just breathing and enjoying the peace.

This bridge connects Coxheath and Sydney River.  I’ve driven over it many many times in my lifetime but that day was the first time I’d ever gone over it on foot. It was like walking across a rope bridge it jiggled so much with every car that went by.

I am settled back into the Netherlands now, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the beauty and the space in Cape Breton.  There is just so much air, I can breathe and relax there in a way I can never seem to do here. I miss that a lot.  I really must find a ‘Zen’ place here in Rotterdam that can give me that feeling I get everywhere when I’m home in Canada.

Related posts:

1. Canadian Beauty – The Ballast Grounds
2. The Partial Canadian
3. 101 List – Fly Home To Canada Alone

Honestly! Every. Single. Time.

After a while I get sort of tired of answering it, because HELLO! Yes it’s different! I went from one of the biggest, most spacious, sparsely populated countries on the planet to one of the smallest, most cramped and densely populated ones.  What do you think, genius?!

In the past I’ve shown a comparison of the different cities I’ve lived in, compared the difference in the level of insanity of Christmas shopping here and in Canada, and how much more Dutch kids can do with snow than we have ever managed or bothered to.

I don’t think I’ve ever done an honest to goodness comparison of my hometown to my current city though.  A visual representation of just how massively different my life is now compared to what it was for the other 2/3 of my life.  Maybe I have, this blog has been on the go for over 6 years and I can’t be bothered to search the archives, but I know I’ve never done the Google maps version. So here you have it!

Let’s see if you can see the difference.

First we’ll have a look at the shopping experience in my hometown compared to here in the city of Rotterdam.

This is the main street in my hometown of North Sydney, Nova Scotia.  Nice wide roads, ample parking, lots of space and very few people.  There is not really much public transit to speak of, except perhaps the odd bus, so you either have to walk or drive to get there.  There is not a lot of variety in regards to shopping, so most people from North Sydney will go to Sydney (25 mins drive) for their real shopping needs.  When I lived there I rarely ever visited this downtown area unless I wanted to rent a movie or visit my father at his barber shop.  I had no other reason to really…

Uh, except for that summer I spent working at the new Subway.  Longest summer of my life.

Now, downtown Rotterdam…

These are photos of your typical downtown shopping experience in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.  It’s pretty much the polar opposite of North Sydney.  People, LOTS and LOTS of people.

There are some wide streets and very narrow streets, but sometimes none at all.  The majority of the city center is not open to vehicles, which can be a blessing and a curse depending on how you prefer to get there.  It is easily accessible by bus, tram, metro, train, and bicycle so if you prefer to get there by those modes of transportation, you’d probably love the fact that you can walk along the shopping streets without constantly watching out for cars.

On the other hand, if you prefer to travel by car, going to the city center may be the bane of your existence in the Rotterdam.  There are many parking garages but they are not cheap and parking on the street can be hit or miss, literally!  You have to be very careful when opening car doors as you are likely to have your door blown off by a passing vehicle or knock someone off their bicycle.  That is, if you can find a spot on the street at all and if you do, you’ll probably pay more for that than if you had gone to a parking garage anyway.

One very good thing about the city center in Rotterdam is that the shopping is fantastic.  There aren’t many things you will need that you won’t be able to find here.  There are everything from small personal shops to large electronics stores, department stores and even a huge bookstore with an entire section of English books.  Not to mention a wide range of restaurants, clubs and theaters.

Some down sides are that everyone knows the shopping is great here and the city has a lot of people, so any given day is 10x more busy than at the busiest point during Christmas in my hometown.  Also, the shops are only open one evening a week, on Friday. The rest of the time they close at normal business closing times.  They do make up for this by being open every Sunday though!

While the downtown area of North Sydney is usually hurting quite badly, you could always go up to the Northside Mall and try your luck.

Plus sides?  A massive (and FREE, OMG!) parking lot, spacious shops and general mall area, the ability to shop without feeling like you are in a stampede, and air conditioning.  Sweet, blessed air conditioning!

Down sides are that it’s only accessible by foot or by car and personally, I’ve never had a lot of luck there in regards to shopping.  There are very few shops in the mall that seem to survive and there is a lot of turnover.  Again, not a lot of variety which usually lead to me going to another mall in another town instead.

On my last visit home there was only one store in the entire mall that made it worth the visit, an adorable shop full of home deco called Granny’s Country Cottage. I would link to their website, but apparently they don’t have one.  All I know is that I have no idea how I’m going to visit that shop again with my measly one suitcase limit from Air Canada.  I could spend a FORTUNE in that shop!  Besides Granny’s, there is a large supermarket chain (Sobey’s), a dollar store (or at least there was last time I was there), a department store (Zellers) and well, other than that I have no freaking idea.  I just remember walking through the mall and feeling like I was in a ghost town.

Perhaps that had more to do with me having adjusted to the insanity of the malls in Rotterdam than the malls back home really being empty though.

Speaking of malls in Rotterdam…

There are a few, but this is the closest shopping mall to where I live.  Zuidplein Winkelcentrum is about a 5 minute drive from my house, if that.  Again, like the city center, it will meet most if not all of your shopping needs with a decent sized supermarket, department stores, restaurants and pretty much everything else you’d be looking for.  From the outside you’d probably hardly recognize it as a mall but from the inside there is quite a lot to be found.

When I first moved here I lived in another area not too far from Zuidplein and I couldn’t stand visiting this mall. It was always very dark, dated, warm and crowded. I would go there only if I absolutely had to.  Thankfully they’ve put a lot of work into it over the years, raising the ceilings and trying to give it a bit more of a spacious and airy feeling.

One major plus point besides the variety is it’s accessibility.  There is a metro station inside the mall, as well as a bus terminal below it.

Like the city center, major down side is the CROWDS and parking situation.  There is a paid indoor and street parking and it doesn’t matter if you visit the malls here at 9:30 am on a Tuesday morning, you’ll spend your entire time dodging and weaving people, ignoring their screaming children and waiting in line at the registers.

Another down side is the lack of air conditioning.  Perhaps they have it in the malls here, but if they do, they aren’t using it.  When you walk into shopping centers in the dead heat of summer, it’s like walking into someone else’s mouth.  It’s warm, humid, stuffy and it smells like… people.  People who have never walked into any of the pharmacies and bought themselves a stick of deodorant.  There are exceptions to this rule, some shops have air conditioning, but they are few and far between and when you do find them you dread the thought of stepping out of them and into the mall again.

This is what it looks like to drive along the waterfront of North Sydney.

This is what it looks like to drive along the waterfront in Rotterdam.

I don’t think it really requires a lot of explanation. Like everything else there are pros and cons for both.  The waterfront in my hometown is beautiful, peaceful and whenever I am there it warms the cockles of my heart.

The waterfront in Rotterdam is bustling, there are boats coming and going at all times, there are a lot of cars, tourists, people on bicycles, people walking, sounds, buildings, things to do and… well, just a lot of all kinds of everything at once.

Sometimes when I’m here in Rotterdam I long to be able to go down and sit at a park by the water in my hometown… but when I was a teenager I sat there dreaming about how I’d one day get out of there and see the world.  Life can be funny like that.

This is the highway I drove a thousand times over the years.  I have driven it to collge, to work, to movies, to the beach, out with friends and to visit boyfriends.  My father taught me how to drive on this highway.  I was pulled over for speeding on this highway.  I spun out and nearly killed myself one winter on this highway.

I have driven alone with the windows down, the wind in my hair and my heart full while singing on this highway.

I felt free on this highway…. but this highway has only ever taken me to the same places I’ve been a million times before.

This is part of the highway here in Rotterdam.

Big, busy, confusing, fast…  I have driven on this highway, but not in 10 years.  I can’t drive on this highway because my Canadian drivers license couldn’t be transferred to the Netherlands.  In order for me to drive here we need to spend hundreds, possibly a thousand euro on driving lessons and tests.  So I am now just a passenger.

I have never been alone on this highway.  I sit in the passenger seat while friends drive on this highway.  I look out the window while Xander drives me places on this highway.

I never have my windows down and rarely sing on this highway.

I feel trapped, insecure, and depressed on this highway… but this highway has taken me to places I never imagined I’d ever see.

This photo did not come from Google maps, because North Sydney is so small and apparently (according to Google) insignificant that they never bothered to do street view for anything other than the main streets.  I took this photo in 2007 from the back steps of my parents’ house.  It’s the view from the first home I’ve ever known.

I played in that grass, I learned to ride my bicycle on that street, I played with my friends and trick or treated at those houses. I took photos here before my high school prom.  I would pull into that driveway after work, an evening with my boyfriend, a night out at the clubs with my girlfriends or a day at the beach.

This is the only home I’d known for the first 21 years of my life.

This was the first home I’ve ever known in the Netherlands.

I spent a lot of time between those walls.  I felt lost and confused, I was depressed,  I missed my family and miss the green spaces of home.  I didn’t understand anything going on around me and I knew only one person in the entire country.  There were no girlfriends, there was no family, no days at the beach.

My world was turned upside down and inside out.  It was a puzzle that I just couldn’t seem to solve.

I left that house a year later to move into our current home. Now, after 11 years of ups and downs, I do understand what is going on around me, there are girlfriends, there’s family and there are days at the beach.

Sometimes my life still feels like a puzzle, but I’ve found most of the pieces already.  I know that one day I will see the full picture again.

So, do I find it different here in Rotterdam after growing up in Canada?  Of course I do.

Which do I like better?  Neither.

I love my hometown for it’s beauty, simplicity and space.  For the kindness and the welcoming nature of the people and because it’s where I grew up.  It’s where my family is.  It’s where I can be with my people, my language and my culture.  I will always love North Sydney and Cape Breton Island because they hold 21 years worth of memories that I could never have had anywhere else.

I love The Netherlands because it’s forced me to break out of my bubble and see the world through different eyes.  To learn another language and culture, to see more of the world and visit countries I never even dreamed I’d see in my lifetime.  I love it because it’s given me 11 years of new experiences, memories, family and friends.  Most of all,  the chance to grow and broaden my horizons.

They are both my home, but also not… Like many others, I am floating in an uncomfortable Expat Limbo where I have two homes, but no real home at all.

When I go to Canada, North Sydney is as foreign to me now as the Netherlands.  So much has changed, *I* have changed.  I am still Canadian, but I am also Dutch.  I am no longer that small town girl, but I am not truly a city girl either.

So please, next time you meet an expat or someone who is new to your city or country, ask them what they like to do in their spare time, ask about their hobbies, their famlies, if they’ve seen a good movie lately or if they have any holiday plans for the summer… because if you ask us to compare where we’ve come from to where we are, we will never be able to give you a straight answer, because we often simply don’t know ourselves.

Related posts:

1. Expat Life: Creating Your Own Traditions
2. Paying it Forward – Blog Style!
3. An Expat Meme

After almost 11 years living in another country, it still amazes me how deeply I still love Canada.  Especially the east coast.  Nova Scotia is my home, Cape Breton Island holds a piece of my heart and is part of who I am like only another Caper could truly understand…

I’m not at all homesick on Canada Day this year, not even a little bit.  I’m a picture of calm and acceptance.  I am cool personified.

In fact, I didn’t even burst into tears when I heard our national anthem in this video… nor when I saw the dude standing on the rocks at Peggy’s Cove.

Really, I didn’t.  Would I lie to you?

Well, even if I did, it’s not like you can prove it.

Happy Canada Day everyone, especially to all those amazingly friendly, funny and crazy Capers I love so much!  I’ll see you in October!

Related posts:

1. 101 List – Fly Home To Canada Alone
2. Canada, Baby!
3. My Second Day in Canada

Our other expat friends gathered together at our house for dinner on Christmas Day

The hardest part about life as an expat is missing your family and friends, I don’t think there is an expat out there who can argue that… and in the age of Twitter, Facebook, and instant messengers, it’s impossible to isolate yourself in your own little world and adopt a “What I don’t know won’t hurt me” attitude like you may have been able to in the past.  It is especially hard to enjoy the holidays when you are in a new place without them and you feel like everything is going on without you.  That’s why creating your own traditions is vital to getting through the holidays in your new home country.

I have been living in the Netherlands for 10 years now and I think this is one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned during my time here.  In the first few years, the holidays were an incredibly difficult time for me, especially Christmas.   I loved Christmas in Canada, with the snow, my family and friends getting together to reminisce and laugh about old times, great food, Christmas carols, driving around to look at all the Christmas lights and waking up to open presents with my parents.  That’s what Christmas was to me…

Waiting patiently for the food while hubby hands out Christmas presents

When I came to the Netherlands I wasn’t really thinking about those things.  I was in love!! I was going to the Netherlands to be with the man of my dreams and that was all that mattered.  Come December though, it was like running full speed into a brick wall.  For the first few years I couldn’t cope at all.  I didn’t have a lot of friends or any real roots here in Holland.  I would sit trying to hold back the tears as my mother would fill me in on all that was going on back home.   I’d try not to be resentful towards my husband for ‘bringing’ me here (even though I brought myself here, didn’t I?), and my family for still continuing on all our old traditions without me, but I failed miserably.   I was not pleasant to be around during Christmas, I didn’t even like being around me myself.  I wallowed.

At some point, and I can’t remember when exactly, I had enough.  It was so draining for me to put myself through that year after year, and I knew that it wasn’t just ruining Christmas for me, but also for my husband and my family back home.   My husband felt helpless, he didn’t know what to do to make me feel better and my family back home were missing me just as much as I was missing them, but on top of that they had the weight of the knowledge that I was so desperately unhappy.   It wasn’t bad enough that I fell into a terrible rut every year during the holidays, but even without meaning to, I was dragging them down with me.   I know my husband had to bite his tongue many times and probably wished he was anywhere but here, with me, at Christmas.  I also know that my mother would downplay the fun they were having and try not to go into too much detail about people getting together, for fear of making me even more homesick than I already was.

My misery not only affected those immediately around me, but it spread across an ocean!

It was time for a change, and that is how the Crazy Christmas Lady came to be.  I decided (yes, it really is that easy) that I was not going to spend another holiday season being miserable and bah humbugging everything around me.  I was going to embrace Christmas in this new land of mine, and create my own traditions, because the traditions you create today are the happy memories of tomorrow, right? 

A photo a friend caught of me with his mobile, and I thought I dodged them all! 

When Christmas rolled around the next year, my mind was set.  I bought decorations for the house, I stocked up on Christmas cards and sent them out to everyone I knew (even people I didn’t know very well, I was on a roll!), I ordered a turkey and was hellbent on learning how to cook it myself and made an honest to goodness effort to let go of the homesickness.  Instead of feeling resentful towards my husband, I tried to show him that I do love him and want to create our own memories.  Rather than worrying about what was going on without me back home, I concentrated on what I was going to do to have fun here.  IT WORKED.  I had a great Christmas, and if I’m honest, I created a monster.  Christmas has quickly become my absolute favorite time of year and I refuse to let anything change that.   If money is tight, or we’ve maybe had a rough year, it’s fine… but Christmas will go on!

Since this sort of mental switch, I’ve been having a blast.  I’ve dragged my friends into my insanity, having them over for dinner on Christmas day while I try to iron out the wrinkles in my turkey dinner cooking adventures.  Each year I pick up a few more decorations for the house, which is starting to look like Christmas vomited all over it, but that’s ok, and I do whatever it takes to bring Christmas spirit into myself, my husband, my friends and our home.  Like Christmas Crafts and cross stitches, making my own quilted tree skirt, when my friend Penny and I went to the Cologne Christmas Market, or this year when my husband and I visited the Christmas Fair at Kasteel Keukenhof.  Who knows where I’ll end up next year, and that’s what I love about it.  It’s only January 2nd and I’m already looking forward to next Christmas.

New Traditions are not limited to Christmas alone. This year our friends started a new tradition of a pumpkin carving party ‘for the kids’.  I think the adults enjoyed it more than the kids did! 

So, even if you usually think I’m completely full of crap, take my advice on this.  I have done it both ways, I’ve let myself be miserable and I’ve put my foot down and decided to make the best of it, so I know what I’m talking about.   I know being in a new country can be difficult and none of us will ever stop missing our family and friends during the holidays, but it doesn’t have to be a time of homesickness and sadness.   The choice is there to create new traditions and have our own adventures!   If your family and friends are anything like mine, they won’t mind you missing them a little bit less, as long as they know you are happy!

Related posts:

1. Expat Limbo – Google Maps Style
2. Decorating Early
3. The Missing Piece

We all know I’m terrible for taking long, agonizing walks down Memory Lane, right? Well… I’m at it again!

Out of the blue a few days ago I started humming the theme song to The Littlest Hobo.  When I told my husband about it he had never heard of the show so I started singing the tune to him.  Then today I saw my friend Gail posted a video with the same tune.   Most of you probably have no idea what it is, but if you were a child in the 70’s and 80’s in Canada, this will probably tug at your heartstrings the same as it does mine.

I can’t imagine a child out there who didn’t love The Littlest Hobo.  I know I definitely did.

Then yesterday I was talking with my friend Heather when she brought up Little House on the Prairie, yet another of my childhood faves!  I have always been a huge fan of Michael Landon, who I still consider to be one of the greatest TV stars of all times. 

So handsome, so talented… *sigh*  I literally weeped when he died.   I’m sure I’m not the only one.  I gather he was a bit of a heartthrob!  Thinking of him brought on an entirely new set of memories…

Would could forget him as Little Joe Cartwright in Bonanza??

Then of course, the role most people of our generation will remember him for, playing Charles Ingalls in Little House, based on the books by the real Laura Ingalls Wilder.

Finally, another favorite of mine and his last major role, Jonathan Smith in Highway to Heaven.  Big ups to Victor French too for this one.

I honestly don’t know anyone who had such major and classic roles in television as Michael Landon.  Back in the day when TV shows were less about shock value and more about just honest to goodness family entertainment.  I miss that sometimes.

Heather and I also got to talking about Anne of Green Gables.  Quite possibly one of my favorite stories of all time. No wait, it’s definitely my favorite story of all time, there is no doubt.   I first saw the movies as a child and was completely enamored with Anne (WITH AN E), her Kindred Spirit Diana Barry, her darling Matthew and even Marilla with her strict but loving ways.   I grew up dreaming of having a Gilbert Blythe of my own, but happy to love hers in the meantime.   Always wondering why everyone thought Anne was so ugly because I personally thought Megan Follows was beautiful in the film, even with her short hair.

How could anyone not just love the chemistry between them and not watch it again and again… and again and then one or two more times?!

Ok not an opening theme, but that’s not going to cover how magical the story of Anne and Gilbert was, now is it?  I so totally cried just watching that.  Don’t judge.

Who am I kidding.  I STILL love him!  I’ll also be marathon watching the Anne movies tomorrow, you can bet your ass on that.

It would be wrong of me to not give Road to Avonlea an honorable mention here.  While I did watch it and enjoy it, it was never came close to the OMG FAVE status of Anne of Green Gables or Little House on the Prairie.  It was still a lovely family show though.

Aaaah, I am so nostalgic right now.  I think if I ever had a child, a little girl especially, I would buy box sets of all these shows for them to watch.  There aren’t enough heart warming TV shows with good messages out there anymore, and that is such a pity.

There are other shows I would have added, but I’ve already spoken about them in the past.

Like FAME in I’m Gonna Live Forever!
Also, The Facts of Life in You Take the Good, You Take the Bad…

What shows make you all nostalgic?! 

Related posts:

1. Blast From the Past
2. Blast from the Past!
3. Not Just A Tree

I just got back from dropping my mother off at the airport.  I’m a bit down and I miss her already but I’ve learned over the years that if I let myself wallow I can sometimes not drag myself back out, so I try to keep myself occupied until it passes.   When I got home I checked my RSS feed and saw the sweetest thing,  it managed to make me smile even though I’m feeling so sad.

On Bakerella.com, one of my favorite (not to mention sinfully tempting) baking websites, a man contacted the blogger and asked for her help in proposing to his girlfriend.   The blog entry starts like any other, with the recipe and instructions on how to make these darling wedding cake pops, but at the bottom it has the photo with the proposal.  I gasped, I smiled, I cried and exclaimed loudly “HOW ROMANTIC!!!”.  Yeah, I’m a little emotional at the moment, but better to cry over someone else’s happy day than my sad one.

I don’t know who Melissa is, but I read in the comments that she said YES! 

Honestly, how could she not?!

Related posts:

1. Light Writing Proposal
2. Home Sweet Homo
3. The Sweet Spot