Canada, Eh?

I’ve sat down to write countless times this summer,

and have frequently been interrupted by a suddenly awake toddler, or a needy dog. Moves prompt a desire to write, to share, and to preserve the fleeting thoughts that have been skipping across my brain as we settle down into a new country. So, let’s give it a shot.

This move has felt different. It was kind of like one of those robot claws in a kid’s toy machine came down and picked the five of us up, plopped us into Ottawa, and waved adios.

We pulled into town on a Friday and jumped straight back into work on Monday. There wasn’t much easing into it, and not nearly as much hand holding that we got when we moved to Israel. Probably because we don’t really need it here; this is Canada after all, our friendly neighbor to the north.

It’s English Speaking, although you hear plenty of French, some which I’m hoping sticks in Kenny’s little brain. If I had to assign an adjective to the impression that I’ve gotten from our first month and a half, it would be kind. Cliché, I know. But it’s true. The ‘ehs’ are plentiful and random strangers wanting to spark up conversation is alive and well. The man at the Starbucks window wanted to chat about what a beautiful day it was, and getting someone to go ahead of you at a 4-way stop sign is essentially impossible.

The rabbits are noticeably bigger, and are driving the dogs crazy. A good majority of the residents leave their Christmas lights strung up all year round, an unexplainable pet peeve of mine. There are lots of backyard pools… a ton. More than there should be in a country that has about 3–4 swimmable months per year.

We’re coming up on 8 weeks now of living out of our suitcases, and 8 weeks of hopping across 4 different Airbnbs. I commend our little pack for hanging in there and dealing with the constant state of transition. Kenny has officially adjusted to her second and hopefully permanent daycare, and the dogs are loving the cooler summer evenings. We won’t complain about that, knowing there are below zero temps coming our way this winter.

So… so far, so good. The beer is solid, which is encouraging as Ottawa has around 50 breweries. So far, we’ve checked 12 off the list. We just signed up for long-term memberships at a gym, so it’s only a matter of time until they figure out how weird we are.

If I’ve been reminded of nothing else across this transition, it’s how change can be so uncomfortable. There have certainly been a few tears over irrational things, like missing my favorite grocery store… and over rational things, like suddenly not having friends or family around to hangout with. Yet I’m reminding myself that typically, in the long term, change is good. It’s challenging and anxiety-inducing, but it’s good.

A fresh start, a chance to learn new things, explore new places, freeze our asses off and grow together as a family.

I’ll try my best to share as things come up that are worth sharing. Next on my to-do list is to research some local fall races, and map out some hikes.

Cheers -