Not another long weekend....

We are all settled in our new place now. It is amazing how this place already feels much more like home than the place where we spent the last nine months. Don't get me wrong, we did really well for having picked it off the internet without seeing it in person, but our new place is much nicer. What a difference a home makes.

We are in the middle of yet another long weekend; the second one this month! For some reason, because us academics work so hard, we get an extra day off as well. This means I have Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off! What's a girl to do with herself?

I spent Friday shopping, so that got things off to a nice start. The clothes I bought are nice, but they are really, well, how do I put this....English. For example, I actually bought a tunic. Crazy (Of couse, here it is pronounced chew-nic, just like they say, 'chews-day' instead of tuesday). I don't think I would have ever bought clothes like this at Limeridge Mall! This reminded me of the feeling one gets sometimes when living in a foreign country that you are some alternate version of yourself. I remember feeling this when I lived in Belgium. For starters, the kids I worked with couldn't pronounce my name. The 'th' was too hard, so they called me 'Bet.' What's weird is that after a while I started to call myself 'Bet.' I remember also feeling weird because I couldn't make any jokes or be sarcastic - it just didn't translate into Flemish! It is like this strange out of body experience where you can see that you are being something other than yourself, but it seems to be the most appropriate self for the circumstances. As for the British Beth, she has to walk every where so she is always wearing hiking shoes and a fleece. Not the most stylish compared to the street-fashion of British girls, but definitely the most practical. Seems my whole existence here is about being practical. Luckily, sarcasm reigns supreme over here so I have not had to compromise my sense of humour!

I guess the question remains whether the English Beth and the Canadian Beth will be able to merge existences when we return home to Hamilton. What of the English Beth will I take with me? Could be too early to tell. One thing is for sure, we are feeling more postive about being here lately, we can now see more objectively the opportunties that are present for us here, and are perhaps looking back at home without our rose coloured glasses of a few months ago. For now, all I can say is that personally, I hope my new found alcohol tolerance finds its way back to the Hammer!

As for the rest of the long weekend, we have rented a car and are planning a wee day trip for tomorrow. We will have to post again with the story of how it all goes. The weather is calling for rain and a high of 9 degrees. Not the most promising weather forcast. We'll pull out our old stiff upper lip in true British style and persevere. It takes more than a little drizzle to stop the English Beth!