Cross Canada Goodbye Tour 2009
on The Road Less Travelled (Cameroon), 08/Oct/2009 00:42, 34 days ago
I spent the last 3 weeks going coast to coast saying goodbye to friends and family before I leave for Cameroon.   I started out in Ottawa where my first CUSO-VSO training - Preparing for Change - was taking place. This training went over many aspects of volunteering abroad such as "what is development", "the kinds of development", "staying healthy overseas", "cultural themes", and many others.  I met some really great people at this training session who are going all over the world and who are talented and passionate about volunteering.While I was in Ottawa for my first training I was able to see a couple friends which was great.  I had a wonderful dinner with Chantal, Cat, and Laura one evening.  I will miss these ladies immensely, especially their amazing culinary skills :) I was also able to visit with Safeena, Faizal and Khaleem.  We indulged in some wonderful south indian and sri lankan food at Ceylonta which was amazing as usual.  Khaleem is growing so quickly and is super cute.  He is definitely going to grow up into a heartbreaker.  Safeena and Faizal were looking great as well and are eagerly looking forward to a new arrival in the next few months.In between my first and second training sessions in Ottawa, I was able to go to Prince Edward Island for a couple days to see my best friend Stacey Riley :)  We had a wonderful visit and I got to see her new house which is super cute.  She has done such a great job making it comfortable and home-like.  I can't wait to go back to see her and her family.During my second training session in Ottawa which was called Skills for Working in Development (SKWID), I was also able to see a bunch of friends.  In fact, I had a bit of a shindig at Hooley's with friends I have made over my time in Ottawa as well as friends from BC who are also working in Ottawa. It was great to be able to share a drink with them and say goodbye.  I stayed with Kevin and Kailey while I was in Ottawa which was great.  They are awesome hosts and they even redecorated and bought a new table for their place so I would feel more at home :)  Bacon, their little dog, is one of my closest friends in Ottawa, she always gets really excited when she sees me and I know she will miss me a lot.  It was great having Kevin and Kailey as neighbours while I was in Ottawa, they were great gym buddies (especially Kevin, my Y friend, who I hope doesn't let himself go now that I am not there to go to the gym with him), and it was always fun to watch family guy with them.On my last night in Ottawa I was able to visit Sabrina and Ian's new house and new puppy.  They recently built a house... actually let me correct that, a mansion in Aylmer.  They also recently got a new dog, Lady Reno Ailing Bradley.  She is the most beautiful beagle and she is really smart and gifted.  She is already top of her kindergarden class at puppy school.After leaving Ottawa I went to Toronto to see my sister for a couple days.  It was great to be done with training and to relax a bit.  Now I am in Vancouver with Barb, Don, Barnaby and Brie.  It is great, I climbed the Grouse Grind and have eaten some wonderful food.  I will be back in Edmonton for Thanksgiving with the family and then I leave at the end of October. Time sure flies when you leave the public service :)