It's official: Spring is Here!

Roland: The storks are back already, and some of them actually never left the area this winter! We could see a pair of them flying up and down the valley for quite a few days, and now we already find the results of their busy schedule: a nest on top of the "Storchenturm" (stork's tower) right next to our market square!

When we were little we knew storks only from stories and photos. We are really grateful that these beautiful birds re-discovered Germany as their habitat! Hopefully we will get an opportunity this spring to catch them with a better camera than my iPhone...

Homesickness vs. Reverse Culture Shock

Germans live to work!

Most Germans live a very pre-programmed life: It starts with school, then education in form of an apprenticeship and/or a study. And the rest of work life one will work endless hours to build a career, build a house, pay taxes, save into the retirement plan, and think of all the things one wants to do after one will be retired. This was pretty much us.

Canadians (and most other people not German) work to live!

At one point we asked ourselves, is this it? Are we going to continue slaving away until we can’t no more? We wanted something new, exciting, exhilarating. So, that’s why we left for Canada. We built up a new life, and it worked well. Living abroad for us meant dealing in a foreign language in our everyday life. We learned something new every day, it was challenging but in a good way and full of enriching experiences. And Canada was good to us. Not only were we successful professionally, but we also managed to make wonderful new friends and felt integrated into society. And we lived greatly! All was going well. So, why change this perfectly good life? 

Homesick!

Eight years is a long time. For Sonja Canada was home, the mountain view and the ocean breeze alone would simply make her feel glad to be alive. But Roland was feeling increasingly discontent. Frustration was sneaking up upon the homesickness affected. Suddenly he increasingly started noticing negative things happening around (the annoying neighbour, the traffic, the weather... the list became endless). He became unable to appreciate and enjoy the beauty anymore, and ended up making a mountain out of every molehill. He felt lonely and alienated, and started suffering from depressions. It was contagious, and also began affecting our relationship. Hence, the only cure for homesickness was actually returning home to Germany.

A Stranger at Home

The irony of it is, that while Roland was instantly happy to be home again, Sonja had started feeling disengaged, irritated and depressed for a long while until finally realization, re-adjustment and adaptation kicked in. (well, she’s actually still working on it...)

In the first months of our return we both felt out of place. We reconnected with friends and family but everything previously familiar seemed to feel different, not because they had changed, but our experiences had changed us more than we thought. We had gone through a roller coaster of feelings. Similar to the process of grieving we went through sadness of leaving Canada, to anger over the friggin’ German bureaucracy, to acceptance through the familiar faces around, and having a regular work life again.

As a repatriate one has to be prepared that friends and family might not care much about how you feel upon your return. Some of them might not even have overcome why you left the country and your safe jobs in the first place. They will just be glad to have you back in their unchanged reality.

Naturally, we sought other traveling folks who we could relate to (the internet is the perfect tool for such). It is however not always beneficial to exchange experiences with other repatriates as it might fuel unwanted Fernweh (the yen to travel), or Wanderlust as the English speaking world puts it. But talking to people who will likely understand provides an helpful outlet. 

Culture without the shock

Exploring the local culture, architecture and history certainly helps a lot. Well, there is this, and there is our motorcycling and scootering, too. The roads are great and the Black Forest offers a pretty scenery, plus is geographically a perfect spot to re-visit some of our most favourite countries such as France, or Italy, and discover some new territory in Eastern Europe. We have also made plans to rediscover the four corners of our native country. Germany has a coast, too, you know. 

We are going to make the most out of it, that is until the travel bug bites again, and if hard enough, might catapult us in a completely different world again. It’s not over. Not for a long time! Life is good!

Sonja & Roland - December 2013

Now THAT's a pretty sight!

Source: theguardian

In Europe the Olympic Medal Count is ranked by number of Gold medals rather than total number of medals, so right now it looks very good for us German-Canadians, with Germany being in front and Canada as first runner-up! Canada had started very strong, but in the last two days Germany won four Gold and one Silver medals, so they really went ahead in the count.

It is quite surprising how well Germany does at Winter Games in general considering that it is not a country that knows hard winters. But even the All-Time Winter Olympics count is being led by Germany, although this counts both previous German states as one.

One medal that Germany will not take home for sure this time is one for Hockey. For the first time since, like, forever, the team did not qualify for the Games. This is a huge decline since the legendary Bronze medal from Innsbruck 1976 when they managed to get into third place due to a) the absence of Canada and Sweden, and b) a very strange rule that put them ahead of Finland although ending up with the same number of points and a worse goal difference, and having lost to Finland. No problem for us anyway, we say "Go Canada"!

2012 - The Final Year (Part 8 of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries)

This will be the final installation of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries.

After having run into unspecific health issues Sonja had decided to change her diet, and went (mostly) vegan. We also concluded that with all this beautiful scenery at our doorsteps taking up hiking and kayaking was in order. 2012 certainly became the most outdoor active year in our Canadian records. 

In spring we visited our families in Germany again, and of course we also paid our dear friends in California another visit, and how could we not, as their weather turned out to be splendid and mild, contrary to the chilly dampness of the we(s)t coast. 

Burg, Germany

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

Also, as one of the perks of working in a New Zealand company Sonja got sent off to Kiwiland again, where new (moto-blogger) friends were made, and more of the beauty of this country was discovered. 

Kiwi Scenery

Auckland, New Zealand

Street Tripling on Coromandel Island (Photo: Geoff James)

After many miles on his Vespa Roland was ready to take the next step and procured himself a maxi scooter. There were two-wheeled road-trips around the Lillooet Loop, along the Sunshine Coast, and down to Washington and Oregon to meet our moto-blogger friends at the IMBC2012. 

Later the year we had another stopover in Europe with Norway, Sweden and Germany on our list. While Norway was a rather spontaneous decision, our business in Sweden was of more 'serious' matter, as a good friends of Roland's got married. Norway had impressed us, and reminded us dearly of the landscape of Newfoundland, while Sweden seemed to be more like Ontario. Contrary to our previous years in Canada we seemed to become quite the world travelers in 2012.  

Somewhere in Norway

Norway Fjord

Norway Scenery

Sweden

A bit unexpected (for Sonja), homesickness had kicked in for Roland after so many fantastic years in our dreamland. So, on the verge of the new year, the decision to return to Germany had been firm, and we prepared for the move, sold Paolo (Sonja's Vespa) and Whitey (Roland's Maxi Scoot), and got rid of furniture and other items we didn't want to (or couldn't - such as electrical stuff) take with.

View on Downtown Vancouver

Howe Sound

A last ride to Buntzen Lake

Sunset at Burrard Inlet, a five minute walk from home

At Duffey Lake

We said our goodbyes to our friends and the country we had called home for eight years, packed up our belongings, sold some of the vehicles (the red Vespa and the Sportster stayed with us), put the condo up for sale… the rest is history. Will we ever come back? Or settle down somewhere else? In Europe? In Canada? We don't know yet. But we are sure about this:

Found in a bookstore in North Vancouver

2011 - Traveling Canadians. (Part 7 of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries)

On our return from the winter wonderland in Germany we were welcomed by a different scenery in BC. Instead of the usual rain and clouds we got frost and sun.

Picture perfect at Pitt River

Back in 2011 we thought, this is it, we have arrived, here's where we always wanted to be. With this in mind we sold our Calgary apartment and purchased a condo with a view on the inlet and the mountains in Port Moody. Little did we know where life would take us only two years later.

The best thing happened to us in February that year. In a festive ceremony we became Canadian citizens. 

Roland, although having put his feelers out on the BC job market, continued working for his employer in Alberta, who had generously approved his commute between Vancouver and Calgary, and partly working out of his home office.

Spring time did reunite us with Andrea and Guido for a recharge of our batteries, and we escaped the rainy west coast by having a splendid time on Maui.

Aloha, Hawaii!

Another highlight of the year came in form of Roland getting into motorcycling. Sonja had meanwhile a lot of two-wheeled solo travels under her belt, or went off with a riding buddy. However, when Roland fell in love with a certain red Italian beauty, he insisted that Sonja should get a Vespa, too.

Going Vespa - Bella & Paolo

With our newly acquired Canadian passports at hand traveling to the US of A became so much less cumbersome, and so we decided on a trip down to Oregon. Oregon had inspired us on previous visits and we had secretly voted it our most favourite American state.

Columbia River

Some time in May we swapped our Merc against a small Audi, which was so much more fun to drive on the twisty roads of the BC hinterland.

Route 99 at Duffey Lake

We also explored the local scenery on our newly acquired scooters. It was fun, and Sonja thought that selling her Beemer was an acceptable decision. However, by summer she got a craving again for a real motorcycle. This is how this most beautiful American Iron came into her life.

Hear me roar! A sportster purchase.

Vespa-ing through Washington

Solo on a Harley

The Summer in BC turned out to be awesome, no reason to go anywhere else. We spent a lot of time riding in the hinterland, hiking in the rainforest or walking on the beach, all available at our doorsteps. Life couldn't be better!

Our main vacation would take us once again to the US of A. We had planned a Best-of-the-West tour that included as many national parks as we could find along the route. Road-tripping America certainly is (almost) every European's dream.

Arches NP, Utah

Grand Canyon, Arizona

Death Valley, California

We really made good use of our new passports this year. Countless business trips would send each of us to the midwest of America mostly. But we also got to explore Washington and Oregon some more, and meet with friends. 

View on Portland, OR

Pike Market, Seattle, WA

Becoming Canadians was the very last step in our immigration process. We had moved to BC, made Port Moody our new home, traveled a lot, and felt fully integrated in the Canadian society. It was another perfect year.

Lower Mainland Winter

2010 - Going Coastal. (Part 6 of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries)

Having friends in California certainly has its advantages. It was good that we had started the new year with sun and warmth instead of wintery prairies because on her new project Sonja got thrown into a cold and dark place in the province of Manitoba. Winnipeg, or Winterpeg as the natives call it. Need we say more?

At the University of Manitoba

The job was alright but there were limits to what one could mentally endure wheather-wise. The seemingly endless winter, the constant black and white, and minus 40C plus windchill made her back out of her contract, and escape to the west coast of Canada only a few months later.

North Vancouver

By March she had lined up new employment at a New Zealand based start-up company, with a ticket in her pocket to actually visit down under, where it happened to be warm and sunny.

Downtown Auckland

After her return to BC a car was bought, and an apartment set up, and while Roland packed up the condo in Calgary and organized the move, Sonja had set up their future life in Port Moody, British Columbia.

Reunited in Vancouver

New friends were made easily, especially with that revived hobby of Sonja's. By May she had a new (used) motorcycle, and ventured off to explore the coast and the lower Mainland.

While Roland spent his summer vacation with his best friend at the jazz festival in Montreal, Sonja and a certain moto-blogger buddy of hers went on a motorcycle trip through Washington and Oregon.

Downtown Montreal

Yakima Canyon with Bob - on our way to IMBC2010

In fall we had the opportunity to visit Vancouver Island again. It was another exciting and busy year, but all went well and we had finally arrived where we always wanted to be: At Canada's We(s)t Coast!

On the Island

Pitt Lake (Lower Mainland)