Toronto
My trip home was great--albeit too short. Even though I had a great time, I am not entirely sure going home to Toronto from Italy for a week is a good idea given the jetlag, and massively long flight. But anyways, I am totally glad I got a chance to go home and see all my family and friends, and would do it again if given the chance.
Saturday, 18th February:
I arrived after an almost 9 hour flight. Did you know that returning from Europe takes longer than getting there? From Paris, the flight path takes you over England and right up under Iceland and Greenland before arching down over Newfoundland, Montreal, and finally Toronto. From Toronto, you just fly straight over the water to Paris, so it takes less time. Stupid flight paths.
Anyways, I was really excited to be home, but also exhausted. I think I went to bed at around 7:30pm TO time, which was 1:30am Italy time. My mom surprised me with tacos (yum) for dinner, which was lovely.
Sunday, 19th February:
I went to my dad's around noon for our late Christmas celebration. My step-mom's family came over as well, and we had yummy Chinese food for dinner. It was just like Christmas, except for that it was in February.
Monday, 20th February:
Met Newhomeowner for lunch for some overdue girl time before going to the doctor. After my appointement, I met up with Jen and we went to Yorkdale to shop. I was jetlagged, so unfortunately I couldn't muster up too much shopping enthusiasm, which is rare for me. Then Jen came over to my house and we had dinner together and watched some Olympics on TV.
Tuesday, 21st February:
Met Erin for lunch for some more overdue girl time before going to get my hair cut. After that, I went to see George's sister-in-law who was in Toronto visiting her sister who lives there. We had Dominican lunch and got to chat about what has been going on lately. Later on I went up to my dad's house for the night.
Wednesday, 22nd February:
I stopped at Staples to get some much needed school supplies to take back to Italy with me. You would be amazed at what you can't find over here, such as standard-size staples, index cards, spiral notebooks, and lots of other teacher supplies too, like sentence strips and construction paper. Most strange.
I spent the rest of the day and evening with my mom and Gordon. My mom made me pork tenderloin for dinner, and then we watched two very good movies: In Her Shoes, and Crash (or maybe it was called Traffic?)
Thursday, 23rd February:
On my way to my dad's, I stopped at Bayview Village to try and exchange the backpack I bought there in August that is now falling apart, but when I got there I found that the store had gone out of business. Maybe it has something to do with the shitty backpacks they were selling???
Once my brother and sister got home from school, my dad drove us over to the science centre to see the BodyWorlds exhibit. It was so fascinating. I thought at first it would be gross to see real, dead, plastinated people, but it actually wasn't. Although I must admit that once you have seen one dead, plastinated person, you've seen them all. But is was a great exhibit. Most educational!
Friday, 24th February:
I went to the store with my dad in the morning to pack up and ship off my deffective backpack to Mississauga. I had called the company and told them what happened, and they said for me to send it in and they would send me a replacement. Now, since it is an e-Bag, which means it has a special laptop pocket, that solution wasn't of much help for me to take my laptop back to Italy the next day, but I managed.
Then I went home to start packing. I had a lot of space in my suitcases for going back to Italy since I had brought presents and my heavier winter clothes with me, which I left in Toronto. So I filled up all that space with food, food, glorious food! 5 boxes of cereal, tonnes of granola and fruit bars, cookies, 2 dozen bagles, peanut butter, you name it! Even a 2kg bag of frozen perogies! I am surprised they didn't stop me somewhere to ask if I was opening up a store!
Later that night I met my friends for dinner at Milestones before some of us headed off to The Maddy. I had THE BEST time that night! I must say that it was so nice to be out in a bar where you know "the game." Everyone speaks the same language, and you know the rules for just being there and mixing with members of the opposite sex. You just know the way things go. You know that no one is going to grab your hand and make you start dancing with them (a terrible version of merengue to a rock song mind you), no one is going to play with your hair, or start tickling you, or start bumping you just because they think you are cute. It was most refreshing indeed.
Then I went home, finished packing, and went to bed at around 3:30am.
Saturday, 25th February:
Last day at home! Boo.
I got up early. Gordon drove me to my dad's store and dropped me and my luggage off. My dad met me at the store with my brother and sister. We rented a movie to watch and went home. I spent the afternoon doing last minute things and watching a movie with my family.
The airport limo came to get me at 4:30pm, and off I went. My flight left at 7 that night, and since I was so tired from the night before I slept most of the way to Paris.
Sunday, 26th February:
Arrived in Paris, barely made my connecting flight, and slept all the way to Venice. Once I got there I was so happy that I had arranged for pick-up service from the airport to my house. I got in the van and arrived at my apartment at 1-ish Italy time.
I had a great visit home. It was the first time I have been home since moving away in August 2003 where I felt like I had never left. Ususally when I go back to Toronto, I have to readjust a bit to things. But this time I felt like I had always been there. When I was looking back on the past 6 months here in Italy, it felt like it never existed. Almost as if I had dreamt the whole thing and had been in Toronto the whole time.
It was the same way with my friends. When we were hanging out, I felt as though I had just seen them the week before.
And when I left, well it was the most upset I have got about leaving.
Saturday, 18th February:
I arrived after an almost 9 hour flight. Did you know that returning from Europe takes longer than getting there? From Paris, the flight path takes you over England and right up under Iceland and Greenland before arching down over Newfoundland, Montreal, and finally Toronto. From Toronto, you just fly straight over the water to Paris, so it takes less time. Stupid flight paths.
Anyways, I was really excited to be home, but also exhausted. I think I went to bed at around 7:30pm TO time, which was 1:30am Italy time. My mom surprised me with tacos (yum) for dinner, which was lovely.
Sunday, 19th February:
I went to my dad's around noon for our late Christmas celebration. My step-mom's family came over as well, and we had yummy Chinese food for dinner. It was just like Christmas, except for that it was in February.
Monday, 20th February:
Met Newhomeowner for lunch for some overdue girl time before going to the doctor. After my appointement, I met up with Jen and we went to Yorkdale to shop. I was jetlagged, so unfortunately I couldn't muster up too much shopping enthusiasm, which is rare for me. Then Jen came over to my house and we had dinner together and watched some Olympics on TV.
Tuesday, 21st February:
Met Erin for lunch for some more overdue girl time before going to get my hair cut. After that, I went to see George's sister-in-law who was in Toronto visiting her sister who lives there. We had Dominican lunch and got to chat about what has been going on lately. Later on I went up to my dad's house for the night.
Wednesday, 22nd February:
I stopped at Staples to get some much needed school supplies to take back to Italy with me. You would be amazed at what you can't find over here, such as standard-size staples, index cards, spiral notebooks, and lots of other teacher supplies too, like sentence strips and construction paper. Most strange.
I spent the rest of the day and evening with my mom and Gordon. My mom made me pork tenderloin for dinner, and then we watched two very good movies: In Her Shoes, and Crash (or maybe it was called Traffic?)
Thursday, 23rd February:
On my way to my dad's, I stopped at Bayview Village to try and exchange the backpack I bought there in August that is now falling apart, but when I got there I found that the store had gone out of business. Maybe it has something to do with the shitty backpacks they were selling???
Once my brother and sister got home from school, my dad drove us over to the science centre to see the BodyWorlds exhibit. It was so fascinating. I thought at first it would be gross to see real, dead, plastinated people, but it actually wasn't. Although I must admit that once you have seen one dead, plastinated person, you've seen them all. But is was a great exhibit. Most educational!
Friday, 24th February:
I went to the store with my dad in the morning to pack up and ship off my deffective backpack to Mississauga. I had called the company and told them what happened, and they said for me to send it in and they would send me a replacement. Now, since it is an e-Bag, which means it has a special laptop pocket, that solution wasn't of much help for me to take my laptop back to Italy the next day, but I managed.
Then I went home to start packing. I had a lot of space in my suitcases for going back to Italy since I had brought presents and my heavier winter clothes with me, which I left in Toronto. So I filled up all that space with food, food, glorious food! 5 boxes of cereal, tonnes of granola and fruit bars, cookies, 2 dozen bagles, peanut butter, you name it! Even a 2kg bag of frozen perogies! I am surprised they didn't stop me somewhere to ask if I was opening up a store!
Later that night I met my friends for dinner at Milestones before some of us headed off to The Maddy. I had THE BEST time that night! I must say that it was so nice to be out in a bar where you know "the game." Everyone speaks the same language, and you know the rules for just being there and mixing with members of the opposite sex. You just know the way things go. You know that no one is going to grab your hand and make you start dancing with them (a terrible version of merengue to a rock song mind you), no one is going to play with your hair, or start tickling you, or start bumping you just because they think you are cute. It was most refreshing indeed.
Then I went home, finished packing, and went to bed at around 3:30am.
Saturday, 25th February:
Last day at home! Boo.
I got up early. Gordon drove me to my dad's store and dropped me and my luggage off. My dad met me at the store with my brother and sister. We rented a movie to watch and went home. I spent the afternoon doing last minute things and watching a movie with my family.
The airport limo came to get me at 4:30pm, and off I went. My flight left at 7 that night, and since I was so tired from the night before I slept most of the way to Paris.
Sunday, 26th February:
Arrived in Paris, barely made my connecting flight, and slept all the way to Venice. Once I got there I was so happy that I had arranged for pick-up service from the airport to my house. I got in the van and arrived at my apartment at 1-ish Italy time.
I had a great visit home. It was the first time I have been home since moving away in August 2003 where I felt like I had never left. Ususally when I go back to Toronto, I have to readjust a bit to things. But this time I felt like I had always been there. When I was looking back on the past 6 months here in Italy, it felt like it never existed. Almost as if I had dreamt the whole thing and had been in Toronto the whole time.
It was the same way with my friends. When we were hanging out, I felt as though I had just seen them the week before.
And when I left, well it was the most upset I have got about leaving.
posted by Going Somewhere @ 8:10 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home