Ah, sweet memories. We decided to give our lives in Canada a little space on this blog in order to keep our homesickness in check. Or actually our
Fernweh, which is one of those German words that cannot be literally translated, and mean a yen for far away places.
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| Goodbye cake from colleagues |
Canada is simply a fabulous place to live, with tons of opportunities, with gorgeous scenery, and with nice people to meet (everybody knows that Canadians are nice, eh!?). We are surely missing our second Heimat*, and that's why we will be taking these therapeutic little trips down memory line.
* Heimat is another typical German concept with no English equivalent. The closest translation might be homeland, but it doesn't bear the emotional aspect towards a place. We can be bound to our heimat by birth or childhood experience, language or acquired affinity. For us Canada became Heimat by the latter. |
April 18th, 2005
Goodbye, Germany! |
2005 was a peculiar year for us. For three months we lived in our almost empty apartment in Germany, because we had gotten rid of most our our belongings through Ebay and the likes, while other stuff was donated or thrown away. Then in April we both quit our jobs, and for the first time in our professional lives we didn't have new employment lined up. Instead we packed our bags, said goodbye to our loved ones, and made a beeline for the Great White Tundra, called Alberta.
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| Downtown Calgary |
We became landed immigrants on touchdown in Calgary a.k.a. cowboy central (that was before it emerged to oil&gas central), and our bureaucratic triathlon began…
A week later everything was already set in motion (in your face Germany!). Also, we had quickly set up our new apartment thanks to a certain Swedish furniture store, and got ourselves some wheels. We were ready to start our new lives in Canada.
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| The Badlands |
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| Along Bow River |
We explored the prairies, revisited the badlands and the Rocky Mountains, got dressed up for the Stampede, discovered
Kananaskis Country, and made new friends.
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| At the Calgary Stampede - Yee Haw! |
Mid summer we started applying for jobs. A few days later we had already signed our contracts. How did that happen? Calgary was a boom town, and simply everybody could get employment. It was like the gold rush, only that it was the rush for oil and gas.
Fall came and went, and we went on venturing out to the Rockies. We saw an early winter arrive. It got cold, really cold. Then there was the
Chinook, the snow eater…
All in all we had a gentle start into our new lives.
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| Summer Prairie near Okotoks |
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| Kananaskis Country |
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| Along Bow River |
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| Peyto Lake… again |
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| Takakkaw Falls |
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| It snows, and we have a white car... |
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| Well above zero C in November. It's the Chinook. |
Heimat= Stomping grounds?
ReplyDeleteI laughed and laughed at "In your face, Germany". No wonder you can't wait to see what "adventure" I have next! Your moves ARE adventures. Mine, not so much. I have to wait until I'm on my death bed to look back and say "Meh, not so bad". In the meantime it's painful to start over and over. But maybe I can change that this time. I'm going to try to make something wonderful of my next move. I'll let you inspire me. But I guarantee the scenery won't be as grand as yours.
Stomping grounds? I'd say close but no cigar ;-)
DeleteMartha, you venture out on your own, which is far more challenging than a change of locale with a partner in crime. I have nothing but respect for your life choice, and I'll hope you will find your holy grail, be it location or some place in yourself.
Glorious pics of Canadian scenery.....and I learned two new and cool German words! Danke!
ReplyDeleteSonja:
ReplyDeletethank you for your photos. I think I was in Kananaskis country about 5 years before you. Came down from Jasper through the Columbia ice Fields so your photos look a bit familiar.
I keep thinking about our Oregon trip to iMBC2010 . . . so many memories you have left behind. You seem so close, but so far . . .
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
So true, Bob. I just went through the pictures again. Great trip, great people. This window of opportunity is gone (at least for a while…).
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