This Canadian Life

 Johannes

We have made many trips to Nova Scotia over the years. We have never stayed for this long, however. It has been wonderful. Seeing friends and visiting old haunts. Observing how some things have changed and others stayed the same. There is something comforting about being here and running into people you have known for decades. 

 

I have enjoyed teaching at Acadia, my hometown university, where my mother has taught for years. Everyone knows her and asks after her. Colleagues in the Politics department have been very kind and helpful. I have been able to be a small part of the university community, give some talks on recent research, and attend campus events. Students are finally laughing with me (and not at!). 

 

This has been a very productive time for me in terms of writing and publishing. I have been finalizing my book on cannabis and criminology due out in 2023. My colleague Jon Heidt and I completed that manuscript last spring and have another book manuscript in review at Oxford University Press. He and I have published five journal articles in 2022 and have three more in review. Whew.

 

I am also finding time to meet new friends and watch my kids fit into Valley life. From the Honor Choir to Cape Split hikes, trips to Noggins, Hennigar's, and even the Big Stop! I got on the ice the last couple of Sundays for some rec league hockey. Iscored my first N.S. goal in years at the first rink I ever skated at in Canning, Nova Scotia. Scoring a goal was fun, but playing music with high school buddies and old friends has been great.

 

 

Settling in has also meant finding a routine as part of my mom's care. I have been overwhelmed by the community here. People come to visit, offer respite, make meals, and do chores. They have lent their ears to those who need to talk and shoulders to those who need to cry. It is a relief to be able to provide whatever support I can while we are here. Thankfully she is more comfortable, more lucid, and more settled than at any time since May. To see her visit with her grandkids is so special. You cannot really appreciate the emotional toll involved in the long-term care of a loved one until you experience it. It has been a reminder of how much of our life experiences are shaped by things we cannot control.

I find myself trying not to count how many days we have left and just enjoying the time we have. Mostly I succeed. 

 

Margaret

 

I think one of the most influential things for me in Nova Scotia thus far has been my enrollment in the Annapolis Valley Honor Choir. It was recommended by a family friend, whose daughter was also attending. The Intermediate Choir is grades 6-9, and meets every Wednesday, directed by Heather Fraser. They have a big performance in December that they learn several Christmas-themed songs for. We, of course, would be gone by then, but there are a few smaller performances before then, such as a performance at Horton High School with the Senior Choir, and an optional performance called Light in the Forest. At the Horton performance, we sang several songs as part of the Deep Roots Festival with Coco Love Alcorn. It was really fun. I’m also doing the Light in the Forest performances on November 4^th and 5^th, and I’m very excited for it. I’ve made a few friends in the choir, and it’s been something to look forward to every week. 

 

Trevor's Part: The Booker School

 

When we started school I had some worries, but the Booker school [www.bookerschool.ca] was just really a chill school despite the uniform. I really like it. We went on bike rides to the Port Williams village, and other activities, such as a fundraiser called the Terry Fox run. My friend James and I ran together.

Trevor NS Top 5

 

1.     Amazing Ice cream

2.     Tasty chips

3.     More languages 

4.     Seeing family

5.     Biodiversity from oceans and forests

The hike to Cape Split was fun. James hiked with us too!

Liz

 

In many ways things are not that different from life in the U.S. We are still living in a rural place but with lots of access to arts and culture. We have been amused by certain quirks, like the slogans each nearby town has – "a traditional stopping place", "a nice place to live", "always a warm welcome", "birthplace of hockey" [that is Windsor, NS, if you were wondering]. People are friendly. And really it's not that different from being at home with the notable exception of the fact that I don't feel that growing unease we felt with the tenor and discussions in the political arena at home.

There is a socio-cultural sensitivity and gentleness that can be subtle but is also quite palpable. A prime example would be Truth and Reconciliation, a national holiday and week designed to encourage people to reflect on the travesty of the genocide of the First Nations people, achieved in part by putting indigenous children into residential schools. It was a sad awakening for our kids when Margaret shared with her class that there was nothing equivalent in the U.S. The debates that rage about whether we can abandon "Columbus Day" for a meaningful "Indigenous People's Day" continue. Meantime, in Canada, the goal is to work toward a better understanding of that tragedy.

The lovely part of this life is the warmth of community and family. We are over at my mother-in-law's home so many days of the week. You just never know who else will be there or pop in - cousins, friends, all with a hug and some stories. I love how excited Margaret is to just go and sit with Nonna and talk about her day.

 

I am finding going to work in my sweatpants a lovely change. I am doing remote work for a hospice organization in the U.S. and the flexibility and newness of that has been a perfect fit for our time here. I am taking art classes and joined a fiddle group. It is good to stretch other parts of my brain. 

 

I can do "pick-ups and drop offs" at school and we can end our days with a walk on the beach, tides permitting, or a snuggle on the couch as we watch our latest show. Somehow, between the kids' school and our activities and social lives, we are just as busy as we ever were pre-pandemic. And that is just fine. At least my office view isn't too bad.