One Month

Since arriving back into Canada on April 11th, I spent a week up in my home town of Powell River enjoying the company of family and old friends. The weather was amazing and as always the adventure to get to Powell River was beautiful. Two ferries along the coast and a long winding drive down the peninsula with my mother and sister. We spent a week there, eating mostly Thai food and enjoying ice creams and before we knew it it was time to drive back to Vancouver.

Back in Vancouver I was reunited with my cat Ricky, Mexican food and my very good friend Chris moved to Vancouver to work at SFU.

I'm happy to say that I was able to find work a week after searching. I decided to see if I would be able to go back to my old job and they were able to hire me in the same position I left but on a different shift. I was able to keep my old wage so I was very happy not to have to start at the bottom and have to work my way up. I was hired on May 4th and started work May 5th. I work Monday to Fridays which is great and allows me to have the weekends off. 

My mother worked up North of Fort McMurray and there has been a terrible forest fire that destroyed the city. She was able to get out and fly to Vancouver on the 6th. We were very worried about her being up there so were very happy to have her be able to get out of there. We enjoyed a nice breakfast at Angelina's in New Westminster before sending her off on Pacific Coastal to fly up to Powell River.

I attended a Vancouver Whitecaps FC match against Portland Timbers at BC Place with Shawn, Jordan and Carol. The Whitecaps won and it was a really good match. It was nice to sing and clap along with the rest of the fans.

I spent yesterday with Chris and Shawn wandering Main Street. We walked down to Cartems Donuterie and enjoyed the rootbeer and watermelon doughnuts. They were very delicious and we shared them between me and Shawn. We walked up to Welk's and did a bit of shopping. I picked up a journal and a few lip balms. I am going to try hard to keep up a diary/journal/written account of what I get up to. We stopped at Bob Likes Thai Food for lunch and I had a Thai iced tea and the Red Duck Curry which was delicious and very filling. We were stuffed so I am looking forward to having those for left overs.

A Love Letter to Liverpool

Liverpool, I want to thank you for letting me into your city. The last two years have been a learning experience and have given me memories I will treasure for the rest of my life. From your two cathedrals, your waterfront, your museums, your historic buildings, your parks and more than anything your people. The friends I have made here now have special places in my heart as do you.

The most common question I got while working in Liverpool was why? Why choose Liverpool? The people seemed to not realise what a great city they were living in. I love Liverpool. It welcomed me and there were endless opportunities of places to explore. I will miss walking along the waterfront and seeing the Three Graces. I will miss seeing St. John's Beacon looming above me. I will miss walking past the beautiful buildings of this city. I will miss the accent of the Scouse people and all of their wonderful sayings. I could list off a million things that I will miss about Liverpool as the city has so much to offer.

I know I get to return for a brief stay at the end of March for one last embrace with my adopted city but it will be just as hard to get on the plane as it will be on March 1.

"Don't say goodbye. Because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting." - Peter Pan

Last day of Primark

On Friday it was my last day of work at Primark. It had been a day that had been looming in the distance for so many months and for it to finally arrive was scary and exciting. With it arriving it meant I had one week before I flew off to Portugal to start my European adventure in March.  I had been working at Primark since August 2014, so almost a year and a half had gone by with me working there. I had grown used taking the train into Liverpool from Mossley Hill. The slow walk down Parker Street past St. John's Market and approaching Primark, which in the above photo is the building on the left. All five floors of it of store and the sixth the employees personal domain. The hardest part of leaving were the goodbyes.

My week of leaving coincided with half term so a lot of my coworkers were off on holiday time spending it with their kids who were out of school. Half term also meant overtime which I enjoyed as it meant more money for my travels. After doing my best not to cry throughout the day on Friday, when my shift came to an end and I was presented with a loving card signed by the staff and a collection, I could no longer hold back the tears. Hugs all around, I left the store through the employee exit the last time. A group of us went out for drinks after in town to celebrate my departure. It was a very nice end to my time at Primark. I felt very loved and appreciated. I will miss all of my coworkers but with Facebook I will be able to keep in touch.

Now to focus on the last days that I have in Liverpool before I travel.