Return Home

Note: This post was re-written at a much later date**

When I arrived home after putzin' around in Vancouver airport fighting the cold upon my arrive, it was no surprise that I had to face the common thing we all have to face after traveling. Culture shock. Now as we all know it this is something we face when we arrive to a foreign country. In this particular case I call this post vacation blues...or depression, whatever you think suits your situation best. 

PVD is pretty self explanatory in the end it affects everyone differently, like drugs. So this particular post was erased since I didn't believe that it provided enough evidence of what I truly went through since I had written it about a week after my return. During this beginning of suffering PVD I noticed many of mentionable things that was very much like making a check mark next to that small revelation that I had made whist traveling. Which btw is a great accomplishment since it does very much reinstate and establish that you gained something from the voyage. Whatever that may have been for you or I.

Now I know that I had to reattach my roots before I take off again.

Layover in Vancouver and arrival in Edmonton

I went to the check in desk and Air Canada told me that London immigration didn't buy my connecting flight. I should have figured that they would do something like this. So I asked them about buying flights but West Jet won this war. As I was going to security I broke my head phones...lame. I am not having the best of luck.

I met a nice injury lawyer on the plane and kept me company with all sorts of interesting topics, next thing we knew we had arrived in Edmonton.

Snow on the ground -20C oh man is it cold. It sure makes me sad....it is very nostalgic to be back.

I have seen two of my very good friends, picked up at the airport and a big warm couch I can sleep on.
<3 you friends out there!

Flying home to Canada (Vancouver)

I never thought that immigration would be so harsh about hearing us out. Before we set off to the airport immigration said that we could get a meeting/hearing with them. In the end they say the law is the law and that we couldn’t appeal it, the thing is that we had faith until the last minute for a miracle. 

I withdraw my allegiance to the universe.  *shakes fist*

I was late waiting for the phone call from the chief immigration officer, telling us that there wasn’t anything we could do.(Then why the F did they say they would grant us a meeting?) Then I was shuffled through aircanada boarding, security, waited for my passport and off to the gate. The man that took me through said that this rarely happens to Canadians that I just had bad luck. I boarded the plane and they said that I cannot take my rose into Canada, the lady that escorted me on to the plane was nice enough to tell me how to press it into a book so I can keep it for longer. 

 The steward on board that served the food commented on my rose (actually a lot of people did along the way to the gate) saying that there is a girl in business class crying her eyes out because she had fallen in love with a boy while she was here on her 6 month student visa. 

It feels like someone ripped the quintessence from me when it was just emotionally embraced with my spirit for the first time. 

I have a set track that I am going to run during my return to Edmonton.

Last of London

I awoke with an aching feeling of sadness that my time here in England was nearly over, whilst Danny slept I packed my bag. I usually am ready to head to an airport with open arms but this time I wanted to just wave a magic wand and not depart. Especially so soon.  I am not ready.

Before and during breakfast I was compelled to write something I had never written before in my life time, a piece of literary work that was over powered by floods of emotions. (I know that most writings are powered by emotions and inspiration. My writing are almost always just thoughts that I want to get out of my head) the sentimental overflow was unbearable, gushy and my insides dreaded every moment inching closer knowing that I soon had to say good bye.  I wasn’t prepared for this hefty abundance of heavy sentiment, the emotions were streaming out of my extremities and even right now as I write this there isn’t anything I can do to stop it. 

I have never felt so alive in my life.

Day 4 in London (Valentine’s day)

Danny and is obsession with brown sauce.

Hyde Park

Again we slept in too late, off to get some awesome sandwiches. Danny had a massive BAP...which I am still not entirely sure what its status is in Canadian terms. I think it was settled on a bun on steroids. 

Since it is Monday the Citizens advice bureau? (I don’t remember exactly what it is called) is open we figured we should try something, instead of doing nothing, see if we can appeal the problem with immigration since we very quickly resolved all the issues. They told me to oblige by their terms and conditions, come back with a student or working visa so I can stay for a year next time I enter the country. Go to school, work odd jobs or just come back with a pocket full of cash and a return ticket. The very friendly man with gold teeth even said that we could just get married. Ha Ha what an awesome suggestion that would have been one of the easier solutions. 

There was nothing they could do; Danny and his mother (many, many, many, many thanks) had talked to all sorts of people, wrote things down and much more in regards to my case. We had solved the problems that they deemed wasn’t taken care of due my own lack of planning. So we planned to get a meeting in with immigration before I had to pass through security to see if we could petition it ourselves.  

I don’t know how it happened but the days just flown by, I have no power to slow down time what so ever. Boo. You know how the saying goes “time flies when you are having fun” I don’t think fun is quite the word for it...since I would say something along the lines of ‘one of the most pleasurable/enjoyable/entertaining times of my life.’

I wanted to hit up the Cartoon museum but they are closed on Monday’s who would of knew, I don’t recall reading it on their website. Wandering around randomly time, we sat in Soho Square garden for awhile watched the largest most fattest group of pigeons I have ever seen in my entire life flocking about in the park. Jumping on each other even! I even chased them a little bit they are a lot more fun to chase than cocks in Thailand (roosters). 

More drifting and sightseeing, down the streets of endless stores (oxford) trying to make useless mental check marks of the stores that we have back in Canada. We even hit up an HMV!

Then at the end of the street we finally came to one of the many famous open spaces I don’t know the name of in London. (high park, maybe?)  The parks here seem really empty to me but it was nice to walk away from the metropolis of London even if it only for a little while. As we keep on walking we hit a river, I had a stare down with a swan and tried to get a picture of the biggest one. It was nostalgic to see Canadian geese in London though, it was like the chilly walks back home in the river valley and seeing birds from home makes it so I get the best of both worlds. 

Onwards to see archways, I would tell you what I saw but I didn’t read the plaque or cared enough to remember.  I saw parliament, Abraham Lincoln, Sir Winston Churchill, Westminster Abby, Big Ben Clock tower hung out on Bridge Street for a little while before we were off to drop off stuff at the hotel and grab more layers before we arrive to the more romantic part of the evening. 

I don’t know how it happened but we were 40 minutes late but we arrived and made it into the greenwich observatory for the show. I got a rose at the door and learned all about space, stars, the vastness of our solar system, astrology, milky way, zodiac signs and some unknown space trivia not only that, I got to look at the moon through a 28 inch telescope!  It might have been freezing outside but we could see the whole skyline of London from the top of this dark hill. It was certainly romantic. 

Danny very thoughtfully wanted to take me out to get Pho since I am sure you readers out there know how much I love my Pho. For some reason the Vietnamese restaurants here in London seem to only serve Chinese food. Since the duration of time that I have spent in China and South East Asia I cannot bare to eat anymore Chinese food. I think I might have a little bit of an aversion, I wonder how long it will be before I will eat Chinese food again. Lol

I considered going back to the Tim Horton’s to grab a coffee but I realized that I will be able to have my fair share of coffee when I return back to Canada. I got caught up in Plants vs. Zombies before I attempted to watch the movie Inception...which I will watch later since I have now obtained it.