Wednesday was exactly 6 months since I landed in Canada. I still find it hard to believe. I sometimes feel like I didn't make much progress in the last few weeks, like if I was taking 3 steps forward and 10 back. However, writing you has made me realize once again the growing path I'm taking even when I feel like I'm not moving forward.
If I have often been impatient with myself, this month has been one of many small changes and challenges.
I got some new opportunities to get back on the road & visit the surrounding lakes and mountains, with a first road trip with my friends to Kimberley for Joe's birthday, then a second one with John to Osoyoos for visiting a car.
March was also the start of spring, which was quite sudden and gave me good occasions to explore, locally, with Meg, Annika, Liam and/or Oatis... The perfect amount of adventures to make me impatient to experience the warm and sunny summers in the Kootenays...
A good month to also plan a day trip to RED MOUNTAIN and try out some spring skiing before being brutally caught up by the reality of a Canadian winter and the return of snow...
One last winter coat to transform our landscapes again and allow me to go back enjoy the powder before the official end of the season!
And speaking of season ending, this month was also the end of my work at Whitewater and the start of my new job, the dream one I quickly talked about in my last article...
So, as always, this is gonna be a blog post full of photos, lots of blabla and at the very end, a first review of my life since I am in Caribooland! So, should I take you along? Let's go !
KIMBERLEY GETAWAY
Shortly after publishing the last article, I went to Kimberley with Rob, Meg, and Joe. 2 very sunny days perfect for exploring the surrounding rivers and improvising a night adventure to natural hot springs lost in the mountains.
A good laugh as I was the driver responsible for the evening and the unpaved road was full of obstacles to pass... Not to mention the night driving that played a few tricks on me... I was driving a bit fast over what I thought were pieces of ice that had fallen from the cliffs, which turned out to be large pieces of white stone... I might as well tell you that my tyres and my 4-wheel drive were well tested!
Once we arrived, we enjoyed a gentle moment punctuated with pretty colours thanks to Rob, who had the great idea to bring some glow sticks to light up the pool. It was great to be lost like that at night, in the middle of nowhere, in hot springs and to play with almost psychedelic colours! (the photos definitely don't do them justice)
On the second night we went night skiing at the resort located a few minutes from the centre of Kimberley. The view was amazing and the colours of the sunset dazzling. I had never skied at night before and even though we only had access to one run, it was a lot of fun! It was enough to immortalise this moment with my friends before warming up for a last dinner around the fire.
In the early morning of the third day, I was back on the road alone, not in the 4WD you see on the picture, that one is Rob's ;) but in my car, in order to be back in town for a job interview at the place I am now working at ! (but a little more patience, I'll talk about it below :))
KOKANEE CREEK WALK
Over the next few days I did a lot of exploring in the area.
Venturing out on the trails of Kokanee Creek Park with Meg, we discovered new frozen waterfalls and beautiful beach scenery. Indeed, the water level is currently so low that we were able to explore and walk along a sandbar to the middle of the lake! This was of course a good opportunity to take some pictures before being caught by the dark and threatening clouds that we could see in the distance.
This month I also continued to explore the neighbourhood near Nelson, whether it was for a walk, a hike or just a drive. I have to admit that I have "borrowed" Oatis from Kristy quite a bit to take him with me when I wanted to go out but had trouble motivating myself. And at the time I wrote this, I was his dog sitter for 10 days because Kristy was away on a holiday. After only 5 days, I wasn't sure if I was walking him or if he was giving me the opportunity to go out... I'm not complaining, as he tends to be very protective and when I got a bit lost last month, he was the one who found the way back ! And since it's already bear season, having him with me is necessarily a bit more reassuring...
Speaking of bears, the wildlife is slowly starting to wake up in town. We have new roommates including MIMI the marmot who lives in the rocks across the street and Maeko the raccoon who I haven't seen yet but who Oatis has definitely spotted several times in the middle of the night. Scott, Kristy's brother, who lives just below us, saw the first brown bear in the back of the garden, still a bit sleepy after his long hibernation. I didn't see him either but apparently it will happen soon... I don't know if I'm eager or if I'm afraid...^^
ROAD TRIP TO OSOYOOS - CRISTINA LAKE
A few days ago I drove to Osoyoos with John who had spotted a car he was interested in. He had driven for 3 hours to buy "Copine" (my car), so it was my turn to return the favour. 3,5 hour of driving to the west this time and a great opportunity for me to improvise a little road trip ! I had never been to this area and I really wanted to see what this region, considered as one of the hottest in British Columbia, was like.
Osoyoos looked like a town for retired people, which was funny because it was hard to find a nice place to have lunch on a Saturday. On the other hand, the scenery really reminded me of those American deserts and some memories of Patagonia too.
In the end, the car was not in as good condition as advertised, but no matter, I was glad I had come to explore this new area a little. On the way back we stopped at Cristina Lake, where, for a few moments, I felt like I was in the middle of summer, on an paradisiac island. The fine sandy beaches and turquoise water, surrounded by mountains still covered in snow, not to mention the micro-climate offering us a little 15°C, it was magical!
It was a real coup de coeur and I think that if the parks reopen this summer, I'll probably come back to camp there !
RED MOUNTAIN
With spring just around the corner, we were eager to explore RED MOUNTAIN, located only an hour's drive from Nelson. We went there for a day trip and it was a day full of surprises. Indeed, the resort is much bigger than the one in Whitewater and looks more like our French ski mountains! It was a real pleasure to find the bars and restaurants in the middle of the slopes, just like in the Alps. It's silly but I wasn't sure if it would exist here. It wasn't the case in New Zealand or Whitewater so I had some doubts. The snow was really similar the condition we have in France for spring skiing, meaning, apart from the groomer, nothing else is good to ski. My friends were a bit frustrated, but I was SOOOO HAPPY as I'm very used to this kind of conditions... A day of long runs at full speed, with the sun and on groomed slopes... Sounds like a dream !
Finally, what was also nice that day, was to have these clear views on mountains completely different from those we have in Nelson. A real pleasure for the eyes, almost as refreshing as sitting on the beach and looking towards the horizon! :)
WINTER RETURN
After all these sunny rides and ski days I must admit that I was definitely ready for spring... but Canadian winters being known to last, we were suddenly caught back by a new wave of cold and snow! Somehow, I found motivation again and went enjoy the powder for one of the last sessions of the season. A good day to take my camera along and play the landscape photographer for a little bit !
As far as work in the resort is concerned, we had a little hope that the snow in March would bring more customers to the cafeteria where I worked but the COVID restrictions definitely didn't make things easy. Some people sometimes say that they would like to be paid to do nothing, I can tell you that for me it was very complicated... The days often seemed very long, with nothing to do but wait for customers (who didn't come). Morally it was quite hard to feel rather useless. We had to find occupations and read a lot of books, just to make the time go by faster!
Not to mention the fact that for a week now, the province has been under lockdown again (well, once again it's not the same kind of lockdown as for France). They suddenly decided to close all indoor bars, restaurants and gyms for at least 3 weeks. There was no anticipation or announcement from the government, it just kind of came out of nowhere. The numbers were increasing, so I think they preferred to react quite quickly.
So in one day, the streets in town were decked out in their most beautiful terraces, as these can legally remain open... and our last week in the resort was spent outdoors !
Well, in some ways, spring is coming, so it should be fine... but this morning, it was still -1°C... so sometimes, we get a bit chilly out there !
Finally, on Sunday, we celebrated the official end of the season and for this occasion, we all came dressed in Hawaiian costume. A nice way to say goodbye to winter and attract the sun... (at least, we tried)
The lodge restaurant wasn't very busy for a last day, so I got the chance to go skiing one last time with my friends, before making an official spot for my skis in my closet ! :)
It's funny how I forget sometimes but I had always dreamed of doing a ski season... Now, it's done! Even if the conditions were quite different with the pandemic, I don't regret my choice at all. It allowed me to meet a lot of people, to slowly find my feet in the city and above all to create my little group of friends here. Despite Covid, we managed to enjoy the snow and the winter as much as we could and I must say that I also slowly created a network of people that could be useful for the future... So, although some moments were not the easiest, it is with a smile and many memories that I said goodbye to "Coco Waitress at WH2O!"
MY NEW JOB
It's been 4 weeks now that I'm a member of a leather workshop called POPOV LEATHER . I am one of the production members, I mainly take care of the sewing (by hand) and the finishing of the different products that we sell on the website (slowly learning the cutting part and assembly too!). We do many sorts of accessories and wallets, made of high quality leather, guaranteed for life, and made only to order (to avoid stocks and overproduction). The whole team is very friendly and the bosses are very focused on the well-being of their employees. All of it sounds like a dream and I love it. They offer flexible hours too to suit our lifestyles, which I must admit is one of the arguments that made me fall in love with this job too !
This week will be my last part-time week as from next Monday I will officially only be doing this job!
It's funny because a few weeks before I saw the job ad online, I was talking to my friends here about what I wanted to do next. I said I wanted to find something a bit more handmade and creative, in an inspiring team and a medium-sized company. I also said that I would like a job with flexible hours so that I can enjoy life here this summer. And a job that pays a bit better than the minimum wage I had to get used to with the waitressing jobs. And there it was, 10 days later, the perfect ad just there in front of me... The power of manifestation...
I think since New Zealand, I had never really given myself the chance to realize small dreams, professionally speaking. I realised recently that what made me so happy in NZ was the fact that I was constantly giving myself permission to dream and live those dreams. Completing this ski season and starting this new job was a bit of a trigger for me. One was a teenage dream, to do a seasonal job in a ski resort, the other was one of my little girl's dream, to work in a workshop. I often let myself get distracted, forgetting little by little that the simplest ways for me to be happy are often found where they had always been. Within me. Taking the time to listen again to the little girl I was, the one who was constantly making games, boxes, sets, out of cardboard, string and modelling clay, for hours and hours alone in her room... Maybe this was the solution to give my life a new direction? And the opportunity to "be", once again.
6 MONTHS OF CANADA ?
Six months in Canada. A somewhat hasty arrival with COVID. A series of circumstances that brought me to Nelson. A job as a waitress in a resort, in the middle of a pandemic. A new roommate. New friends. And a lot of work on myself... My integration in Canada was not as easy as in New Zealand, due to the American clichés that haunted me even before I landed here...
Since my arrival, I have tried to avoid the comparison with New Zealand, which, as you know, has had a strong impact on me. I wanted to make a new fresh start here, without the shadow of a past history that stuck to me. And after 6 months, I think I've finally done some of that mourning. Another one, you might say.
Taking stock of these first 6 months was to realise how far I've come in the last two years. Since I left New Zealand the first time, I have been trying to find a new place to call home. I tried Norway but it just didn't fit. And each time I returned to kiwiland I had doubts about finding that feeling of happiness and joy that I had in Tauranga and the Mount Maunganui. With my arrival in the Kootenays and Nelson, I got my hopes up. This town never ceases to amaze me. I recently discovered that there are only about 12,000 people here, which is not much bigger than the town I grew up in. Yet life is much richer and livelier here. I couldn't tell you the exact number of restaurants and bars, but probably more than twenty. Not to mention the small second hand shops and local farm produce that are easily accessible everywhere. It's a bit of a dream place that I spent my time looking for. As for the region, it never ceases to attract me too. With summer just around the corner, I can't wait to explore it in all its glory, whether it's from the climbing walls, the top of the hiking trails or the mountain bike tracks.
Finding this job at Popov's, too, has finally given me a sense of closure. It's silly, but I was fed up with odd jobs and the unexpected. Perhaps it was the arrival of my 30th birthday that made me put the brakes on, but for several months I had already wanted to have a home of my own and to be able to plan other types of projects, not always compatible with a seasonal worker life. So finding a place to settle down, and then a job that I like and that makes sense, was exactly what I needed to finally put my ideas into action.
As for Canadians, they are definitely as friendly and generous as people say they are. The Quebec people remind me a lot of the French because their culture is really close and the English speakers remind me of the Kiwis. It's great because it's a real mix in which I'm slowly starting to melt. I'm starting to have my own little group of friends. I can't wait for Covid to fade a bit and for me to meet more people so I can go climbing and mountain biking with new adventure partners. But with the new lockdown looming, I have doubts that this will happen for now. I'm taking it as easy as I can.
Finally, I am slowly relearning to let myself live too. I think the last few months have been quite sporty and I've spent a lot of time being so afraid of being disappointed that I've disappointed myself. As I changed course and redistributed my energy to more positive ideas, the Universe slowly came back knocking at my door, magically bringing me the situations, experiences and people I needed. In fact, I'm not going to lie to you, they were already there at my fingertips. I just had to accept the emotional fog that I was sailing through to become aware that the sun was never far away. Day or night, windy, rainy or snowy, no matter what storm we're going through, it shines behind the clouds and its rays always come back to warm our hearts and souls...
Can't wait to tell you more about this canadian life next month,
love,
Co.
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