Goodbye melancholy and the Nutcracker
Saturday evening 9pm. I'm in my room, just had dinner and for the first time, I actually don't want to write this post... The feeling that everything is coming to an end, that the term is really over, that I am going home in less than a month is a bit overwhelming and, as I had expected, not the feeling I want to have at this point. Of course I am happy to see my friends and family again, but I think that we all want to hold on to something that worked out for you, something that made you happy, something that taught you a lot. And this whole exchange experience did work out for me and did enrich me in a way that I had not expected. So, now I realise that this is one of the last posts I'll be writing, I do have to ask you to excuse me for throwing in a meloncholy thought or cheesy line hither and thither.
Last Wednesday, only a few hours after I got back from Montréal, the group said goodbye to Lydie, Aurélie and Jessica, yes, the 3 Françaises. We went out for dinner in the Green Room on Bloor Street, had some drinks and a few 'French' laughs. The majority of the gang took off to a club, but I said goodbye to them there, as I still don't like clubs, wild parties or dancing (which prooves that, deep down, I'm still the same person as the one that left Belgium on September 6th). We had a lot of fun together, over the semester and those three ladies were kind of the center point of the group. Great people, and I felt quite sad walking home afterwards, knowing that they will be back for the second semester, whereas I will be in Leuven... I am sure I will see them again, once we're all back in Europe but at least it didn't feel like a goodbye-for-ever. And by the way, once you have lived in North America, the distance between France and Belgium, really isn't as challenging as it used to look!
On Thursday I worked on my bachelor paper, mainly. I am reading Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time, and this time I have the perfect excuse! It is unbelievable how rich that novel is, and dear gentlemen, may I remind you that it was written by a WOMAN, over 200 years ago! The language, the wit, the irony, the humour and the uncertainty about whether Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are getting together or not (even when you perfectly know they do end up marrying each other every time you finish the novel) make this Jane Austen story one you should absolutely read before you leave this earth. Really, I'm serious, read it, you won't regret it.
Friday, more of the same. In the afternoon I had a coffee at Timothy's World Coffee with Charlotte. We covered a wide variety of topics, ranging from driver's licences to Christmas cards. On our way over to her appartment, we stopped over at Honest Ed's, because I wanted to take a picture of Ed's little paradise-on-earth and take the tour of his surreal shop. You really need a video-cam to capture the whole atmosphere, and I attempted at doing so by just taking some pictures to never forget the level of craziness and lunacy that is acceptable in Canada. Lynette, Charlotte and I cooked a very fine meal together and spent a very pleasant evening chatting.
Today, (guess!) I worked myself through some more Austen-material, always a delight of course. I did laundry and talked to my sisters online. They both were in an extremely funny and slightly crazy mood, which is caused by exams, they assured me. I kind of miss them, I realised... the way they pull each other's hair, the way they start arguing (I could follow all this on webcam) over who gets to type, the way they hit each other one moment and hug each other the next, Julie's eyes, full of mischievous and adventurous plans and Fré's contagious smile... They're really one of a kind!
At 2pm, Katharina and I had tickets for the Nutcracker, performed by the National Ballet of Canada. It was the matinée performance, which included tons of kids, dressed up as if they were about to kiss the Queen's hand. All very American, I can assure you! The ballet was very good, I liked it a lot. Although I know the music and have seen the ballet before, I never grow tired of watching ballerinas, light as feathers, flying over the stage in a perfect combination of beautiful music and elegance of movements. It just takes away the worries that happen to be in your head and makes you feel quite small compared to those dancers and the composer who gave life to the story by writing music that still does the trick.
Lynette and Charlotte joined us for a cup of coffee afterwards and we had a nice and easy afternoon. At about 7pm, I said goodbye to Lynette, who's leaving for Hawaii early next week, and Katharina, who's leaving for the States when I'll be in Ottawa. Another two people that will be in Toronto, when I won't be...
I guess there's no point fighting it. My time in Toronto really has come to an end... I sigh and say goodbye... there's nothing else to do. Life goes on, luckily the memory stays.
Last Wednesday, only a few hours after I got back from Montréal, the group said goodbye to Lydie, Aurélie and Jessica, yes, the 3 Françaises. We went out for dinner in the Green Room on Bloor Street, had some drinks and a few 'French' laughs. The majority of the gang took off to a club, but I said goodbye to them there, as I still don't like clubs, wild parties or dancing (which prooves that, deep down, I'm still the same person as the one that left Belgium on September 6th). We had a lot of fun together, over the semester and those three ladies were kind of the center point of the group. Great people, and I felt quite sad walking home afterwards, knowing that they will be back for the second semester, whereas I will be in Leuven... I am sure I will see them again, once we're all back in Europe but at least it didn't feel like a goodbye-for-ever. And by the way, once you have lived in North America, the distance between France and Belgium, really isn't as challenging as it used to look!
On Thursday I worked on my bachelor paper, mainly. I am reading Pride and Prejudice for the umpteenth time, and this time I have the perfect excuse! It is unbelievable how rich that novel is, and dear gentlemen, may I remind you that it was written by a WOMAN, over 200 years ago! The language, the wit, the irony, the humour and the uncertainty about whether Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth are getting together or not (even when you perfectly know they do end up marrying each other every time you finish the novel) make this Jane Austen story one you should absolutely read before you leave this earth. Really, I'm serious, read it, you won't regret it.
Friday, more of the same. In the afternoon I had a coffee at Timothy's World Coffee with Charlotte. We covered a wide variety of topics, ranging from driver's licences to Christmas cards. On our way over to her appartment, we stopped over at Honest Ed's, because I wanted to take a picture of Ed's little paradise-on-earth and take the tour of his surreal shop. You really need a video-cam to capture the whole atmosphere, and I attempted at doing so by just taking some pictures to never forget the level of craziness and lunacy that is acceptable in Canada. Lynette, Charlotte and I cooked a very fine meal together and spent a very pleasant evening chatting.
Today, (guess!) I worked myself through some more Austen-material, always a delight of course. I did laundry and talked to my sisters online. They both were in an extremely funny and slightly crazy mood, which is caused by exams, they assured me. I kind of miss them, I realised... the way they pull each other's hair, the way they start arguing (I could follow all this on webcam) over who gets to type, the way they hit each other one moment and hug each other the next, Julie's eyes, full of mischievous and adventurous plans and Fré's contagious smile... They're really one of a kind!
At 2pm, Katharina and I had tickets for the Nutcracker, performed by the National Ballet of Canada. It was the matinée performance, which included tons of kids, dressed up as if they were about to kiss the Queen's hand. All very American, I can assure you! The ballet was very good, I liked it a lot. Although I know the music and have seen the ballet before, I never grow tired of watching ballerinas, light as feathers, flying over the stage in a perfect combination of beautiful music and elegance of movements. It just takes away the worries that happen to be in your head and makes you feel quite small compared to those dancers and the composer who gave life to the story by writing music that still does the trick.
Lynette and Charlotte joined us for a cup of coffee afterwards and we had a nice and easy afternoon. At about 7pm, I said goodbye to Lynette, who's leaving for Hawaii early next week, and Katharina, who's leaving for the States when I'll be in Ottawa. Another two people that will be in Toronto, when I won't be...
I guess there's no point fighting it. My time in Toronto really has come to an end... I sigh and say goodbye... there's nothing else to do. Life goes on, luckily the memory stays.
posted by Anouk | 2:48 AM
1 Comments:
you have been blessed with courage
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