Monday, November 28, 2011

A Romantic View of my Canadian Heritage

A couple of weeks ago, during our short cold snap and snowy weather, I had stepped outside to go for a walk. I was well prepared for the cold in multiple layers, my homemade scarf, and a new puffy winter jacket. I smiled and thought how lovely it was to be so warm all wrapped up outside in the cold but refreshing air. And that got me thinking about how I survived so many years in Lusaka's hot (& sometimes steamy) temperatures. What a lovely little revelation- I enjoy both the cold and the hot. I let my mind wander down a fairly romantic ideal of why this might be...
"Ha" I thought to myself: I enjoy this cold climate from my Swiss German mother's side & love the heat from my Pop's Croatian side (you will understand this association if you've ever seen photos of the Dalmatian coast)*grin*.
The truth of the matter is that my mom's from Saskatoon, SK & my Pop is from Timmins, ON; I come by a love of hot summers & cold winters from good solid Canadian stock.

But then a couple days later I was reminded of how we Canadians love to explore our histories when my mom took me to the U of A's "Festival of Ideas". It was a lovely evening with renowned Canadian author Michael Ondaatje (& hosted by Marina Endicott). It has been a long time since I read one of his novels but I was so impressed with his readings & the engaging discussion that followed I'm keen to pick one up again. I'm always surprised when someone who has been so successful Internationally remains grounded, humble and downright enjoyable. I love finding inspiration in unexpected places.

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