Perks of East Coast Living

One lovely weekend in October, we decided to take advantage of the fact that out on the East Coast, many major cities are so well-connected for relatively inexpensive prices. So, after hopping onto a BoltBus, we were in New York City 4.5 hours later where we met up with friends Jacquie and Regie who were vacationing there for a few days. Much eating, sight-seeing, walking, and shopping ensued!

On the first night, we watched an amazing performance of Stomp at the Orpheum Theatre.

The next morning, after a delicious brunch at Tartine, we walked to Washington Square Park for a gander.

Then, we went for a stroll across the Brooklyn Bridge (say "Cheese", Jacquie!).

In Brooklyn, we wandered over to the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and had ice creams by the water before taking the water taxi to Midtown...

... where we went up to the 'Top of the Rock' and looked at some quintessential landmarks such as the Empire State Building...

... and Central Park (so huge!).

That night, we went for dinner at the National  (awesome suggestion, Seb!) and took in the sights of New York at night (hello, pretty Chrysler Building).

We made a stop at Momofuku Milk Bar for some deliciousness in the form of crack pies, cookies, and coffees.

On our last morning, we walked a portion of the High Line and took in the sunny (but cool) weather...

... and pretty brick architecture.

We ended our little getaway to New York and time with Jacquie and Regie with a visit to Chelsea Market where we 'oohed' and 'aahed' over the assortment of spices, teas, meats, bakeries and bread products, jewelry and clothes. And for Ted, no visit to New York is complete without a meal at Shake Shack so of course, we ate there before parting ways - Ted and I boarding a bus to Boston, and (later that night) Jacquie and Regie boarding a plane to Vancouver.

Whirlwind Tour

I haven't been awesome at showcasing this new city I've moved to yet but a visit from my sister provided the nudge to rectify that! Amy was in town for a few days last week for a two-day workshop. She came for an extra day so in addition to spending three evenings together, we were able to spend an entire day together. It was the perfect chance for me to explore the city some more in ways that didn't include focussing on searching for necessary household items or furniture and we ended up having an amazing time together that included shopping, a bit of sight-seeing, a performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) and three seafood-filled dinners!

My day with Amy started with brunch at Max Brenner, a fun chocolate-lovers haven, where we had French toast and Belgian waffles. Everything was served with sides of chocolate sauces to drizzle on top of everything. The highlight was the hot chocolate and the mocha which Amy described as "heaven in a mug".

                                   
 

                                                   

Amy enjoying a Mexican Chilli Hot Chocolate

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     



This was followed by shopping and browsing along Newbury Street, followed by a stroll through Public Garden and Boston Common. And what trip to Boston is complete without a stop at the Cheers Bar (or rather, the Bull and Finch, the bar that the TV show Cheers was fashioned after)?

Boston Common

Public Garden

Where everyone knows your name...

On Amy`s last night, we went to a performance of the BSO. It was pretty exciting as it has been a goal of mine since childhood to listen to them live. They certainly did not disappoint with a program consisting of Mendelssohn, Ives, Franck and a composition by the conductor himself (Ades)! The program`s overall story was of an orchestral journey through time.

Let`s not forget the dinners!!!

Raw shellfish platter! YUM!

On the first night, we went to Island Creek Oyster Bar and partook in the raw shellfish platter for four. This was an amazing meal and Amy, Ted, and I definitely gorged ourselves on mussels, clams, shrimp, fluke, and lobster.

Enjoying beer, natch.

Amy`s scallop dinner

                                     

Night two found us at Atlantic Fish Co., 

another place with really good seafood and where we each ordered our own meal (I had the lobster ravioli: rich, creamy and delicious). While a tad more touristy than the night before, it was still a wonderful dining experience and the food was fresh.

And on the third night, since we were short on time and needed to be at the Boston Symphony Hall at a particular time, we went to the food court and had Boston Chowda co. clam chowders. Even their food court clam chowders are yummy here.








Thus endeth a fantastic visit with my sister and a great few days of just enjoying the city.

Identity

I'm going to start with this: I am a very fortunate and privileged person. I won't even begin to list the ways which exemplifies the truth of this statement; the list would be crazily, ridiculously long. However, borne of this fortune and privilege is the ability to consciously formulate an identity and think about what that means to me and its impacts on how I see myself and subsequently how I project myself to the world.

Ted and I have now been in Boston for a solid 2 weeks. In that time, we've found an apartment in Cambridge, opened a bank account, applied for credit cards, attempted to apply for social security numbers (we can't right now because the American government has been shutdown for a week and the two parties are at a stalemate), and started to shop for furniture and supplies and all those good household items. So far it's been a lot of fun and a good exercise in budgeting as well as 'dreaming big and whittling down'. :) There were a few moments when Ted and I felt pretty certain we heard our parents' voices coming out of our own mouths. The horror. :)

But, I digress. During the entering of the U.S. and the renting of the apartment and the signing of the lease and the opening of the bank account and the application for the credit card, I was reminded over and over of our situation. Ted was being "sponsored" into the U.S. through his work, and by extension, so was I. Thus, I am currently an extension of Ted. Even my entry visa puts me as "Spouse". Ted is the primary signatory on most things as he has the entry visa that confirms he is employed and will therefore have an income. Before we came to Massachusets, I willingly decided to change my last name and changed my passport accordingly. I was now Alexandra D., no longer Alexandra T. It was sort of strange at the time but not a big deal. Had we remained in Vancouver, I think I would have still had a solid sense of who this Alexandra D. person was: a young, hard-working CP social worker with many interests (chief among them: food and wine), financially independent, a home-owner, and newly a wife. I had a healthy and active social life that allowed me in-person, face-to-face access to a solid network of family and friends who are similar and therefore confirmed my sense of who I was. I might have had an easier time figuring out who Alexandra D. is since many other aspects of my life would have remained recognizable. Now, having moved to a city on the opposite coast with a different surname and where I'm noted as technically being a dependent and where we know only a handful of people, my sense of who Alexandra D. is has started to become something more difficult to grasp, which was inevitable, I suppose. The neat thing is that this is a great opportunity to try something quite different from what I was doing before. The truth is, it's sometimes an unnerving feeling and process and I think it's ok to acknowledge that. I'm young and at a new stage in my life. These shifts in my identity were going to happen regardless, but with so many changes happening all at once, I sometimes get overwhelmed.

This post isn't a complaint and I hope it won't be read as such. I make my choices willingly, happily and with great excitement of the possibilities ahead and am also secure in the knowledge that I am in a position to be able to make these choices. But I share the process I'm going through because I also think it can be a normal part of all this.

How many Canadian references can you spot?

So for now, as I take the time to explore my neighbourhood,
I know that part of what makes up who I am is "Canadian".

Best. Snuggie. Ever!

And maybe on some evenings, Batman --because who wouldn't want a chance to be the greatest superhero ever?

Life is Happening!

2013 has been a very busy year so far. We started in Vancouver. And now we're in Boston. New city, new try at the blog.

The short version of the story is: we got engaged, Ted got a post-doc position at M.I.T., we got married a few months later, slept on an air mattress for a few weeks while we packed up our stuff, and got on a plane for Boston a month after that.

We've been in Boston for 4 full days at this point, living out of our suitcases in a hotel, and spending our days looking for a place to live. It's both extremely stressful and extremely liberating having so much up in the air from where we'll be living to whether/where I may find work to how long we'll actually be here for, plus all the other issues in between. The answers to all of those question? No clue, yet.

We'll sort it out in time. In the meantime, Ted and I will just continue vacillating between being super excited with everything that is happening (and so quickly) and being extremely stressed out with everything that is happening (and so quickly).

"Life is a journey, not a destination." I'll drink to that, Ralph Waldo Emerson!

7 Months Later...

It's been 7 months since my return from Uganda. I went through what I imagine is the typical rollercoaster of emotions from extreme happiness and delight to sadness and an acute sense of missing people and the (slow) happenings in Masaka. These feelings have mellowed into a fuzzy sense of nostalgia and sometimes even a sense of pride that I had challenged myself as much as I did. As I went back to work 3 days after I returned home, I snapped back into my "real life" pretty quickly. I imagine this happens a lot to interns, which upon reflection, is both interesting and a bit disturbing. I always knew my time in Uganda was but a short 14 weeks, but it still surprises me how quickly I transitioned back. It was like my life was on a "time out" while I got to learn a whole host of things, but back in Masaka and Kyango Bigavu, there's no time-out. Life keeps moving as it does.

I particularly miss my host family and life being what it is in Masaka, communication isn't great. I figure I'll do an overdue post on how I remember them in a bit.

A friend started up a blog and it reminded me that I also have one (I nearly forgot how to sign in). I figure it was a sign that I could maybe keep at the blogging thing. Who knows? I may have something interesting to say one day....

I decided to get motivated and created a list of things I wanted to accomplish by the end of the summer. I started with my garden today. I am not a gardener. I do not have a green thumb. I usually have a difficult time telling the difference between weeds and non-weeds. But I decided to try. And try I did. The result? A near miss with a garden stake (yes, I nearly impaled myself on one) and no noticeable difference although some of my plants (particularly those unruly lavender plants) look a bit less scraggly.

My Life as an Intern: The Jjuukos

During my time in Masaka, Uganda, I stayed with the fabulous Jjuukos on their farm. This warm and open family wasted no time in having me feel at home with them. The family interactions were affectionate, casual, and very funny to observe. Here's a little snapshot of the family.

Mr. Jjuuko and Sophie (The Parents):

A sweet, hard-working pair. Mr. Jjuuko works on the farm and oversees some businesses in Masaka Town while Sophie works at home. Mr. Jjuuko is a delightful teddy bear who is obviously proud of his family, his farm, and his animals. He is a soft-spoken and reserved man, which made it that much more fun to watch when he got very excited over something. Sophie is a hilarious and opinionated mother who rules the home - the definite mother-hen.

Abdu Rezak (The Bookworm):
The eldest son. He's currently in med school and is super quiet and keeps to himself. He was home during mid-term break for about 1 week so I didn't really get a chance to hang out with him much. He likes reading and watching adventure movies. Most of our (limited) conversations centred around listing what movies we've watched. He seemed really nice and was the one who informed me that British Columbia was where the lumberjacks live!

A sample conversation:
Abdu Rezak: Do you watch Nicolas Cage movies?
Me: Yep. They're pretty fun.
A: Me too. Like, Face/Off, Snake Eyes, Sorceror's Apprentice, Con Air, The Rock...
Me: National Treasure 1, National Treasure 2, Ghost Rider, Gone in 60 Seconds...

Mariam (The Drill Sargeant):
                                         
The eldest daughter. She is in her first year of university, studying to become a social worker. She's a lovely, hard-working, opinionated and extremely bossy person. We got along really very well. She was living at home while attending school -- the first year she has done so since she was in boarding school during primary and secondary school. Campus was about a 15 minute walk away from home. She is not a hugger, loves TV, does not like being coddled or having her younger siblings be coddled (she has DEFINITE opinions about that!), and is quite strong-willed. Her current interest is in community development work and working with refugees. She doesn't want to get married (which led to many amusing conversations between her, myself, and her mother) as she thinks it's a prison and is very vocal about it.

Abdu Rashid (The Comedian):
                                           
The third child. He is Absolutely Hilarious. He was also soft-spoken until you got to know him. Always quick to tease and laugh, he appeared to be quite close to Mariam and they would alternate between teasing each other and driving each other crazy. He attended boarding school but the school term was done in November so I got to spend about a month with him, which was grand fun for me and we got along quite well. He thought I was a big weirdo and I informed him often that I thought the same of him. How could we NOT like each other??

Amira (The Regal):
                                           
The second daughter. She also attended boarding school for most of my time with the Jjuukos so I didn't spend as much time with her as I did with Mariam or Fazirat. She quickly struck me as a gentle, quiet, beautiful young woman with a very regal demeanor. I would often find her engaging in some useful and quiet activity and often helping her mom out. While much less out-spoken than her older sister, she could very definitely hold her own against her! Her school term let out before I left Masaka as well, so she was home for a few weeks. I know Mariam was glad for it because it meant the household work could be distributed more, particularly the cooking.

Feiruz (The Empath):
                                          
A sweet, gentle girl who seemed to be a budding philosopher who was always asking the "why" of things and wanting to know how one was feeling. I found her to be the most prone to discussing how she felt or wondering how people felt in certain situations and asking what one's reactions were when they were retelling a story. I didn't get to spend much time with her as she was also in boarding school and was only home for my last week. She proved to be an open and engaging girl whose attitude appeared to indicate absolute certainty that people would like her. And she is absolutely correct.

Fazirat (The Diva):
                                        
Oh, Fazirat (pronounced Faz-IR-ah). The quirky, energetic youngest child. She was coddled and spoiled (in the best possible way and as Mariam constantly liked to remind everyone) and she knew it! Fazirat and I would often wander the farm together and we went hunting for locusts together (see earlier entry). She preferred action movies and physical activity and would be bored if she had to read for too long or if we were doing quiet activities for too long.


I loved watching and participating in the interplay and dynamics within this family. Every single person had their own distinct personality but above all, loved to tease and laugh with each other, particularly the siblings...as siblings are wont to do. I loved every single minute of my time staying with them.

Reverse Culture Shock

After leaving Masaka, I went on a 5-day trip to visit two National Parks in Uganda: Kibale National Park and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest before heading back to Vancouver (details of that little trip to come). The flight was long and uneventful (yay!) and upon landing at YVR, I was greeted by my parents, eldest sister, and twin nephews who I discovered have learned to walk while I was away!!!

I will say, it's been a bit disorienting coming back the week before Christmas. When I left, it was still summer and with the weather in Uganda, it's just felt like I've experienced a 5 month-long summer. Also, the lack of big box stores that put up Christmas displays right after Halloween was also missing in Masaka, so it's a bit jarring to suddenly switch to winter weather with the holiday season of friends gathering in full swing.

Anyway, since arriving on Dec. 15, it's been pretty much a whirlwind of activity so while I've absolutely loved seeing people and catching up, I haven't had too much time to just relax and fully appreciate being back at home, yet. I'm anticipating some sort of 'reverse culture shock' to happen once the feelings of "I'm home! And having a REAL shower!" have subsided somewhat. I'm curious about how that will go since despite not having been gone for all that long, I feel I committed myself to the immersion experience in Masaka pretty well. I guess we'll see.

As my friend, Allison, told me:  "It's all about the journey! Endings and beginnings and everything in between!"