Back in the land of the Maple leaf

Being back in Canada has been good. I have moved into my lodgings. I am renting a basement from a woman at work. It’s only been 3 weeks but I have no complaints. There are 4 kids in the family I’m renting from: Montana 9, Cameron 7, Emma 5 and Molly 2. They are great kids. I live 20 minutes from work, its right on Lake Ontario, it’s near a mall and the highway. My room was ready when I came back the living area and bathroom should be finished sometime this week. Paul the dad of the family is really into ice hockey and has made an ice rink in the back garden apparently I will be learning how to skate! And have already been to a hockey game.

Work is starting to pick up, I’m beginning to grow into my full responsibilities and am pretty busy at times. Sometimes I feel out of my depth but I keep remembering all the reasons that confirmed it to me that I am meant to stay in Canada and that keeps me persevering. I knew a lot of people in the office before I started but its good to deepen friendships in the Toronto area as a lot of my friendships were made up at the camp.

I’m going to Romania in May for 2 weeks. I’m on the ministry leadership team which I’m really excited about. I’ve really missed going to Ukraine so it will be great to be involved in a team again and experience Romania for the first time. If all goes according to plan I will be home for a time in June before the madness of the summer starts. The entire Toronto office moves up to camp for the summer. So I will carry on my current job up there as well as taking on other responsibilities.

Northern Ireland vs Canada:
Since I got back I’ve started to notice wee differences between here and home more so than when I was at camp. They do not have Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Corn flakes here and their Frosties are called Frosted Flakes, and apparently custard is not served often with dessert nor can it be found in supermarkets at least the ones I’ve looked in. After this knowledge when I went shopping last week all I want to eat is crunchy nut cereal and custard! To be clear this would not be a combo! ALSO how ridiculous is this law of the road: In North America when driving you can turn right on a red light as long as there is nothing coming. This is a good idea HOWEVER with this rule pedestrians can cross the road so you see cars literally driving through groups of people crossing the road. This also happens on a green light turning left.
My next point which is more of an annoyance and really should be Belfast vs Toronto is that it takes SO long to get anywhere! The other night it took me an hour and 15 mins to get to my friends house on the other side of Toronto! It’s not like Belfast where you just meet on the Lisburn road!

Here’s to “Can you say a sentence without the word wee in it?, cinnamon and apple pita bread, watching planet earth, lunchroom banter, to the white beast, my boss quitting (It was nothing to do with me arriving!), flannel sheets, “Should be fine”, Molly still not acknowledging me after 3 weeks, seeing pictures of Claire, Emma, Paul and Fiona at the Muskoka Woods Alumni event and to going to up north to camp on Friday.

Pictures: My office and my car. When my place is finished ill post some pictures of where I am living.

Home SWEET home

Sorry it’s been a while. I have been super busy since I got back. Firstly being home for 3 weeks at Christmas was amazing. I couldn’t of asked for a better time. It was such a blessing to come home with friends and family I had not seen in a year and to feel like I had never been away. It is true what they say there is no place like home.

Here’s to “Mothers of orphans”, outings in the coop, playing settlers, getting lost at new years, taking many a picture with Emma Rice, Tripping it up to Drumcera with Ems and CP in the Kangoo, The N.I Muskoka,Woods Chrsitmas party. to the 6 minutes at Drumcrea!, Emma complaining about the coop, Sunday nights at Niall’s, country fried chicken kebabs, getting stuck in Ballynahinch during the snow storm and to great friends.

Picture: Some of the Northern Ireland folk that were at the woods in the summer