After one last dinner with my bestie and triple checking my bag (kidding, just barely managed to fit everything in!) and I am off! I hugged my dad at the train station and eventually climbed aboard one of VIA’s newest trains and cozied up for the ride. When the car lurched forward, that’s when I knew this was real. I put on one of my favourite songs, and smiled to myself with the excitement and relief that had been slowly brewing during my last few long and stressful weeks.
I started the Fellowship of the Ring, watched the scenery and texted friends before rolling into Montreal. I got a little lost and had a nice walk in the snowstorm before coming back inside to catch the new REM train across the St.Lawrence, and I got to catch up with Allan and Teo at their home.
Montreal didn’t pull any punches though, and the next morning was filled with snow removal from the driveway. We tag teamed the pile at the end of the driveway and even tackled a large tree branch that snapped and nearly fell onto one of the cars. And then, we hoisted the tarp onto a temporary garage that is really popular in the area, a “Tempo”. Fingers froze while grabbing the damp tarp and typing knots, but it was one last reminder that I am so excited to be leaving Canada for the winter!! My last day in this timezone ended with a lot of Letterkenny and Shoresy, a pack of Krispy Kreme donuts, and a homemade pasta dinner with my hosts.
An early bedtime means an early wakeup in my life, and I was so lucky to get a ride to the Montreal airport. I said goodbye to my gracious hosts and scooted through security quickly, buying myself time for a coffee and a panini to start the day. I felt glorious, with the world at my fingertips, and I was so unprepared. I boarded the flight with 60% battery, no charging block in my bag, and no battery pack! I briefly panicked when the USB slot at my seat wasn’t working, but after some careful finagling, I got a charge and was able to finish The Fellowship of the Ring on my flight.
Vancouver is awesome. I really love the narrow streets, three and four story houses and condos, and all the little businesses of Kitsilano. After landing I got out for a run along the waterfront and it was just so peaceful to look out across the bay while I struggled through my training run (I’ve been using TrainAsOne lately) but something is working because I reached my best 5k time yet! Can’t wait to soon try a dedicated race to properly PB my 5k time.
And really, the best part was catching up with my friends Sam and Steph, who moved here from Guelph years ago. We had a lot to talk about, with their outdoors-driven lifestyle here and what all of our friends were up to in Ontario. The next morning Sam took me to Pacific Spirit Regional Park that separates UBC from Vancouver, and we had a blast trying to ID all the plants with our phone apps. It reminded me so much of the parks my parents took me to growing up on Vancouver Island.
I had some time to myself then, so I visited a coffee shop and met this woman Rachel, who was on a 5 year work permit in Vancouver to be an actress after retiring from teaching in Australia. We talked about all the cool stuff I should do when I make it there, and she was disappointed that I didn’t have more recommendations for her in the Vancouver area haha. I didn’t leave without telling her about Bon Cop Bad Cop, in hopes she can learn more about Anglo/Quebecois culture!
That night I was dropped off at the airport, said goodbye to Sam, Steph and Ellie, and jumped on an Airbus to Fiji! 🙂
