Monday, February 19, 2007

Back in Toronto

As most of you know, we're now back in good ol' TO. We've been back for a couple weeks and are adjusting but this weather is really not helping. We've heard about how mild of a winter this has been and just as we get back, it becomes insanely cold and apparently one of the coldest Febs on record. Yep, welcome back huh? My favourite line these days is 'What is wrong with this country??'

There was a bit of a culture shock coming back here. You remember what it was like but after being away for so long in mostly less developed areas, this seems a bit odd. The first thing I noticed leaving the airport was how smooth the roads were. Just arriving from Africa where we were used to driving slowly over massive potholes, the smooth and fast ride was a bit strange. Everything here is also so much more structured and clean. You can always expect the cars to be on the right side of the road, you know pedestrians get right of way, and you don't have to look out for animals wherever you are walking. Having to add tax and tip was also a bit of an annoyance as well when we were so used to paying for the price (or less) of what was displayed. After being here for a couple weeks though, none of this seems peculiar any longer.

Some things I've really enjoyed since being back are hot showers. It's so nice to know that its a guarantee every morning when it had pretty much been a hit and miss all year. I'm still relishing in this. Constant electricity and water are also an added bonus. I had been getting used to being in the dark, especially from being in Africa since we were camping almost the entire time. Having sushi has also been nice. Although available worldwide, it was something we didn't dare try anywhere else we went.

In a way, it's nice to be back to a familiar place where we don't constantly have to have our guard up since we know it so well. It's much more relaxing. But, I do miss the excitement of endless new landscapes, cultures, and experiences the world gave to us.

2 Comments:

At 4:12 PM, Blogger janjan said...

Jenni&Ian: Welcome back to Toronto! Just in time for Chinese New Year!

 
At 11:40 AM, Blogger Jenni said...

Thanks Janet! Yep, we had a celebration with my mom here and soon we'll be off to Calgary!

 

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