homecomings

So i just got back from a weekend away to the ol' Alberta. Yep, back to the home country for May Long. (Or, as some of the boys used to call it May 2-4 -- not because it usually (always?) falls on the 24th, but because it isn't uncommon to drink at least a 2-4 (24 pack of beer) over the course of the weekend.)

Having grown up there, heading to Alberta was, of course, a homecoming. And this was true even though my destination was Edmonton -- a city i have spent a sum total of less than 10 days in. I was there visiting a couple of very good friends from waaaaay back (i.e. high school) Taylor (aka Jen Taylor) and Lisa. It was a great low-key Albertan long weekend: sleeping in, staying up late (yes, with a little bit of booze), watching hockey, going to shows, going to the art gallery, hitting the lake, shopping in funky downtown shops, eating, eating out, eating out some more, enjoying that Albertan sun. Yeah, it was good. And especially good to hang out with the girls and just be together.

When there I had a few thoughts about this "home" country of cattle and oil and privatized health care, and how it is so different from this new home - Vancouver. So I'll share a couple. One I realized in the airport in talking with another Edmontonion-come-Vancouverite. And that is that virtually EVERYONE is white. Ok, so it wasn't totally true. I was actually impressed by the ethnic diversity I saw there, but there were a lot more white people than here in Vancouver.

Another thing that really struck me was how much more relaxed the Albertan city was about their dress. No one seemed overly made up, or even aware of what other people thought of their ensemble. Personally, I really appreciate this. For one, I like to be able to walk down the street and not feel like I am in the midst of a fashion show. And it makes people SO much more approachable. Doesn't it? I do like dressing up myself, but don't like feeling as if I have to. As if I won't fit in unless I do. As if I have to take a shower and put on something nice before I leave the house, even to go to the grocery store.

But though there are parts of Vancouver that frustrate me, I have to say that there were actually a couple of times during my trip that I caught myself thinking of my apartment here in Vancouver and missing it. And (this actually quite impressive given how I have felt about Vancouver in the past months), I didn't have a single sinking feeling in my stomach in the airport on my way back here. When I arrived, a cool 14 degree rain welcomed me, and I actually appreciated it; like heading back AB for the weekend, coming off the plane into Vancouver almost felt like a real homecoming too.

Am I allowed to have more than one city as home? More than one province even? (And if I wasn't, who would have made the rule to disallow, and do they enforce it?) Share your thoughts.