Thursday, November 29, 2007

What I will and won't miss while I'm away from Vancouver

I was thinking about the things I will (and will not) miss while I am away from this beautiful city. Some things are associated with Vancouver in general, while some are specific to my life here. So without any specific order, here are my thoughts.

I won't miss...
  1. The screaming kid that lives upstairs from me and his running around, stomping on my ceiling (his floor) on purpose. I will most certainly not miss his inability to shut up even when his parents yell at him.
  2. The gross weather we have been having. Excuse me, cold and slushie rain? No, thanks. I'm all for warm and dry climates. For a while, anyways.
  3. The lengthy commutes to and from my office, nor having to commute everywhere by bus (ah, the beauties of a small city).
  4. Some incredibly expensive food items ($ 1.00 for three limes? wow, for that money I buy three kilograms where I'm headed!
I will miss...
  1. My friends in the Metro Vancouver area. Each one of them is unique and I value their friendship in and of itself. I am very privileged to have the friends I do, and I will miss them dearly. If it weren't because I have to go, I would most likely stay for Christmas and the New Year. I am that confident that I would have a great time with them.
  2. My tiny apartment. Even though it is indeed tiny, and my neighbours upstairs are incredibly noisy, this is my own personal space and I am very happy with what I have. It's a small place, but it's cozy and more important, it's my own (I gave up on roomies a long, long, long time ago).
  3. The natural beauty of British Columbia. Especially Vancouver and the North Shore. I often go to Deep Cove, West Vancouver, Lonsdale Quay, Porteau Cove and Stanley Park for relaxation and to gather my thoughts. Some of my fondest memories are associated with these places. I will miss this.
  4. Playing volleyball on Saturdays and Sundays. Both my teams are lovely people and I have a ton of fun with them. And (even though I thought that an old dog couldn't learn new tricks), my game has improved a lot.
  5. The sense of self I feel while living in Vancouver. Since I live on my own here, I feel extremely independent. More than anything, I feel myself. When I go and visit my parents, I feel in many ways, constrained. I don't think I'm often the Raul I know.
  6. The opportunity to mend and salvage a couple of friendships. Given that I will be away from the city for a fairly lengthy visit, I won't have the opportunity to try and mend a number of relationships that, for one reason or another, have cooled off. Since statistically, we are bound to bump into each other, I'd like to make amends with these people -- but that will have to wait until the New Year.
  7. Talking to my brother every day. Since we live only a province away (thank you long distance phone plans), my brother and I talk over the phone quite regularly. I will definitely miss hearing his voice and having both profound conversations and totally silly chats. But well, this one can be fixed since we can talk on the phone while I am there.
When you travel over the holidays, or when you are away from Vancouver (or from wherever you happen to be from), what do you miss the most? What is it that you do not miss at all?

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