Freshgreen MIGRATION & travel BLOG

Well, I’m up. I had 3 hrs of sleep and 35 mins or so of rest…30 mins of fb and now I shall blog til I’m tired again.

It was my second last day in Ottawa. Tomorrow night I fly to Geneva and enter a whole new chapter in my life: it’s actually the easiest move of my life thusfar b/c 1. I’m going to live with a dear friend who’s lived there for several years (hence, no apartment search this time); 2. I have more than enough money in my bank account oddly enough and really through no work of my own (thanks God!); 3. I am being picked up by my new boss who has already wowed me with his organizational skills and flexibility (he was very understanding about my summer travel sched and wasn’t frustrated at not being able to reach me while I was in Sweden and Japan); 4. my flight is in the evening so I have time to do my last-minute packing and cleaning and ideally take another LUSH-cious bath; 5. I am oddly calm about all this despite the hurricane of stuff that surrounds me and the 12 hrs til check-in time for my flight (OK that realization just scared me some…); AND 6. well, b/c Switzerland is the epitome of safe and tranquil (this is not Vietnam or Paris!) and there is no foreign language or major cultural gap this time around. It’s European living part two. (Part I actually took place a looooong time ago, in 2001-2!)

Fun fact: did you know that Geneva is only 5-6hours to Paris by car? That’s like Ottawa to Toronto but like way way way cooler!!!!

I’m suddenly tired but I do want to finish this post or at least write until my battery runs out…who is really going to plug it in in the middle of the night…that would take too much effort and turning on the light too–ugh!

Sooo bref, parlons du party ce soir:
Goodbyes are increasingly bittersweet and even though I haven’t loved Ottawa the city, I do cherish the friends that I have made here. In the past week, I feel like I have had many heartfelt, sincere, close hugs (SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE TYPICALLY WEAK ASIAN KIND!) and well-wishes that indicate to me how much I am going to miss this place and all the lovely people I have had the joy of meeting and getting to know. At the party, I was so touched to see friends from school (API was intense so these bonds are for life and will stand the tests of international distance and work); from my amazing church (if in Ottawa, check out the MET), from my various work places (even a couple of my stats students from winter semester); and from my adventures learning Japanese. Also I met friends of friends which was also so so fun.

The party lasted…roughly 6 hours. Yup, I was a bit tired afterwards and I did and still feel such love and more and more lament at that fact that I am leaving my friends here b/c truth be told, I do not yet know when I will be back in this part of the world. I could live here again…I have not done all that Ottawa has to offer. I don’t know the city that well…darn you (well, not really!), grad school! 😛 I know it’s not my preferred long-term destination but that does not mean I couldn’t move back here for a shorter term…I will apply for one job here for 2013 so we shall see.

Geneva starts tomorrow, or well, actually Saturday at 10am. It’s a bit much to even consider what that even means….good thing I am quite adaptable to change but sheesh, thinking bout this could make my head spin! So I won’t. I’ll start when I get there but at least I know it’ll be good. For whatever reasons, I am meant to be heading to Geneva. God has made this quite clear to me in the past couple of weeks–the only way I can see my bank account go from less than $100 on August 1st to the comfortable balance I have today (just 3 weeks later) without working a day since April 27th, is a freakin’ miracle: nothing that can be done/explained by humans. Hence, God and his blessings are on display here again 🙂

So I will leave Canada with peace. I am in good hands. Very grateful to have had the past 3 weeks to catch up and then sadly say goodbye.

Now for some cheese but still it’s beautiful music:

So thank you all!!!! I have loved every chat/coffee/resto meal/outing/library session etc. with you and I hope to do it all again in person but til then, fb n skype and email r never far away! <3 :O 😉 HUGS BISES MUCHOS SMOOCHOS!!!!!