As unbelievable as it seems, I've been home for a week.Over the past seven days, I've been struggling to write something that sums up the experience of returning to Vancouver after nearly a year in West Africa.
Trouble is, new and noteworthy events occur daily, causing me to delay putting pen to paper (or finger to keyboard).
Additionally, I'm writing an opinion piece for CBC.ca about reverse culture shock -- which, I find, hasn't really happened yet. That does not bode well for the bank account.
Rather than delay what is sure to be a lengthy treatise about my return to Canada, I thought that, for now, I'd take the easy way out. Here then, is a series of top ten lists.
TOP TEN THINGS I'M LOVING ABOUT VANCOUVER
1. Regaining my anonymity.
2. Coffee, coffee, coffee.
3. Sushi, sushi, sushi.
4. Obscenely hot and powerful showers.
5. Potable, flowing and soft tap water that encourages soap to lather.
6. My friends.
7. The sweet, delicious cold.
8. Customer service.
9. Good beer on tap. And the availability of decent whisk(e)y.
10. Driving my own car.
TOP TEN THINGS I'M HATING ABOUT VANCOUVER:
1. The rain.
2. The cold.
3. Rude people and that me-first attitude.
4. Traffic.
5. Regaining my anonymity. I'm not special anymore!
6. The prices.
7. Rejoining the workforce.
8. Bills.
9. Everything is so normal.
10. Feeling like I never left.
TOP TEN THINGS I MISS ABOUT GHANA:
1. The people.
2. Globug.
3. Gato (who eventually became known as simply "Cat").
4. Cheap everything.
5. Big bottles of beer.
6. Red-red.
7. The sun.
8. The outrageously warm sea.
9. Travelling around the country.
10. Pints with Leffler.
TOP TEN THINGS I DON'T MISS ABOUT GHANA:
1. My inconsiderate (and light fingered) roommate.
2. The heat and humidity.
3. The occasional water supply.
4. The almost complete lack of customer service.
5. The blackouts (though these really dropped off this fall).
6. Being the centre of everyone's attention.
7. Ants.
8. Malaria.
9. The lack of pedestrian rights.
10. The molasses-like internet.
Cheers!
1 comment:
What...?! You've been away, 'gone', as you say...? Who knew. All those text messages, phone calls, e-mails with and without pictures and small movies attached... are you SURE you left and went to, what was it - Ghana you said?
Hmm... I don't know. I sense a Bobby Ewing moment here. You know, step outta the shower, grab a towel, look around and think, "Oh yeah, right... never left... got it!"
Then again there is all this luggage on the floor.. hmmmm....
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