I am sitting in a room full of boxes, thinking back on my first five days in Nova Scotia. I’m trying to pinpoint the worst moment in five days of brimstone-and-boiling-lava HELL.
Was it the first day/night without electricity, sleeping on an air mattress?
Was it the heart-attack inducing array of nightmarish bugs? (see Figure A.)
Was it walking into the crooked, bizarre home-sweet-home in the middle of freaking nowhere?
Was it the realisation that I’ll end up working at Walmart if I stay? (The Walmart in New Minas, that is... because this town is too small to even have a Tim’s...)
Was it the bat flying around inside the house at 5:30 yesterday morning?
Has it been the ongoing struggle for internet access???
Perhaps it has been all of these things combined that have driven me over the edge. So let me make this perfectly clear:
I WANT TO GO HOME. RIGHT. NOW.
I’m going to try and stick around and help my parents with renovations and set up this summer, but I think I’ll have to move to Halifax in the fall at the very least to make a living doing anything (besides which, I can’t stand living in the country. This is so horrifying.) I dunno. I just don’t know. I just wish I could find a place where I belong. So far Nova Scotia is definitely NOT IT.
Although things have been 95% horrifying, there have been a few vaguely interesting things too: - On the ferry over from New Brunswick we saw lots of dolphins and a few Minky whales (not really well, just their fins, but still.)
- I finished Harry Potter.
- It’s been so humid here that I keep having flashbacks of The Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland :P
- The bats were cool... until one came inside... and then I cried.
- The air raid siren on the volunteer fire hall goes off at noon every day, which is cute.
- The soil and sand here are red, red, RED! The Cornwallis river looks like it’s filled with chocolate milk when the tide comes in.
- We went for a drive a few nights ago while the fog was rolling in over the cliffs, which was very surreal and slightly creepy. I took a picture of a boat. It was good fun, but mum was pretty sure we would fly off the cliff in the fog... in my opinion, this is a preferable alternative to living here.
So the plan for now is to barricade myself in my room when it starts to get dark until this little “bat problem” is resolved. Aside from that I plan on working REALLY hard getting this place in shape (I have my doubts that this will happen) so that I can move somewhere reasonable. This was a stupid move on my part. Good for mum and dad, but not (I emphasize, NOT) for me.
I miss you all TOO much,
Gillian
Figure A: This charming creature is about the length of my pinky from his antennae to tail. They like to hover menacingly in front of your face and say "BOO!!!"
Foggy Boat
3 comments:
Perhaps our yoga/healing clinic will be in Calgary? or Halifax? Sorry to hear things are a bit grim...I remember feeling the same way when I moved to Hay River, sight unseen. No Starbucks, no nothing, just a drugstore and home hardware...over a few months though you get very creative and discover that internet shopping REALLY can send you anything, anywhere...and after a little while longer you discover the small wonders and joys of living in the country...and along the way you meet some lovely, lovely folks and.... you REALLY enjoy those trips to the city...Give me a call if you need to chat..Love & Miss you too...
Oh Gillian, I'm so sorry that it had to turn out this way for you. I guess you're just a city girl at heart. At least you got out of Atco, got your yoga instructor certification and got travel across Canada. There is always something good in every bad thing. I know from experience though that it really takes a while for you to see it. But when you do, you realize that that horrible, frustrating, depressing experience changed something in you, in your outlook on life and you will be the better for it. Hang in there and know that you will always have a place to stay if you want to come home. I miss you tons. Love Sheila
Hang in there Sis, it'll improve. It already has! You have electricity and internet now.
Don't give up on it just yet. You might fall in love with the place once the bats learn that they're outside pets.
Hugs to you, Mom, Dad and the indoor pets.
Post a Comment