Oh Canada, I Miss You

Last weekend was the celebration of San Isidro in Madrid. It was pretty special and really exciting to see the whole city celebrating their Patron Saint. While everyone was celebrating I was feeling a little low, it was Victoria Day weekend back home (May 2-4) and I was feeling extremely nostalgic. First of all, we call it May 2-4 because originally the long weekend took place on the weekend of the 24th (obviously) but now, every year the weekend kind of changes dates. The May long weekend in Canada is the kick off to the summer season. It’s a time where everyone takes time to go camping, to the cottage, to the beach or even stay at home and host endless BBQ’s. It’s a tradition that I never thought was that important to me, until I finally realised that in the last 4 years I have only been home for this special weekend once.

This thought, along with looking over many nostalgic photos and speaking with many friends from home has put me in a downward spiral of homesickness. As someone who is almost never homesick, this realization of just how far away my home is was surprisingly overwhelming. It’s totally healthy to miss home and I’m not really sure why I repressed those feelings for so long. But here I am, dreaming of my beautiful home and native land and lets be honest, it’s not a hard place to miss!

Imagine it, driving a few hours outside of your city with friends or family. You’re heading to cottage country or up north as we say it. The air is fresh, the trees are a brilliant green, the towns get smaller and smaller. You get so out of the way that you need to stock up on all provisions for the weekend so you dont have to drive out to “town” again. The minute you arrive you unpack the beer and the food, fire up the BBQ, turn on the tunes and instantly, you’re in May 2-4 mode! Fresh air, complete peaceful silence aside from you and the loons. Whether your drunkenly passing out in a tent with your friends, or you sitting around a campfire with your family – The long weekend completely sets the bar for the summer to come.

Yes, ok, perhaps I am romantisiting the whole idea of the long weekend. But memories have a way of doing that. It’s funny, when your away from something for so long it really all seems so perfect in your memories. My family has a cottage up in a place called Bancroft, very close to the famous Muskoka region. I haven’t been there in at least 5 years. The cottage sits on an adorable lake called Lake Diamond – named for the diamond shaped reflections on the water during the day. It’s pretty secluded and is basically a nature lovers paradise. We have a fire pit, a boat and a cute little beach to relax on during the day. Looking back, I would kill to travel back there to spend the Victoria Day weekend again!

I love Canada and I love Spain, its a weird divide. Having 2 homes isn’t something that many people have to go through and it’s something that I am still learning to deal with. For a while I wanted to escape and discover a new home for myself. The funny thing is, now, Madrid feels like my home and I am beginning to feel the need to escape again. But this time, I want to back *back* to my other home. It’s an extremely funny feeling! So, heres to Canada, heres to Victoria Day and heres to remembering home!

 

– Leahxx