Moment of Silence

In 2006 I travelled to Europe with my high school. Of course we visited many of the amazing tourist attractions like The Coliseum, The London Eye, and The Trevi Fountain, to name a few but one stop had us visit the concentration camp in Dachau, Germany. There is a surreal and overwhelming sobering feeling that comes over one when you step into somewhere that carries with it such a tragic, horrific history. For the second time in my life I had that same sobering feeling come over me today.

Today I visited what is the new Sandy Hook Elementary School in Monroe, CT. The old building in Newtown that saw one of the most horrific events I could ever imagine is no longer in use. As I drove through the community and saw countless mailboxes and fences adorned with green and white ribbons in memory of lives lost and in solidarity, support, of their community it really hit me that this was a community that, to this day, is in mourning and is trying to heal. As I pulled up to the school I never expected to get close to the building or even get inside. There was a barricade with a police officer at the entrance to the parking lot. He checks IDs and does his best to keep his community safe. I pulled up and handed him my letter and asked if he would be able to pass it along to anyone that he thought may need it. Before I drove away he looked me in the eyes, shook my hand, and said such a sincere "thank you", I knew that he was saying much more than thank you for a letter:

To The People of Sandy Hook: The students, the teachers, the parents, the community,

My name is Lauren Ridd, I am twenty-five years old, and I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. On December fourteenth, I, like countless others around the globe, watched, and listened, and read as the horrific events unfolded at Sandy Hook Elementary School. And, like countless others, my heart broke.

As an outsider, it is impossible and would be unfair for one to even begin to think or try to understand the horror, the fear, the loss, the pain, and the heartbreak that you have gone through. But, like millions of people in your country, and, undoubtedly, billions all over the world, I feel compassion and empathy, and I can mourn for every loss you have suffered because of that day.

I know I am not the first to say, but your strength, tenacity, and ability to survive – to get up and go to work or school, to carry on with your lives, despite what one could only imagine to be the worst day of your lives, is admirable and inspirational – in every sense of those words. For that, I thank you.

            The unfair loss of innocence and dozens of lives that could have been is one thing that makes your tragedy so, so heartbreaking. The ones that will never know how it feels to kiss a boy for the first time on a warm summer afternoon. The ones that will never get to drive their parents car for the first time – and the ones who, inevitably would crash it. There are the ones that will never be able to get down on one knee and propose to the love of their lives – the ones that will never get to say, “yes.” But what saddens me the most is the ones that will never be pushed or given the chance to figure out what they are meant to do in this world. That, breaks my heart.

            As an outsider that has watched, and listened, and read only being able to imagine what the day was like for your school and community, feeling sad and mournful and angry at the person that caused so much pain is the common reaction. But, know that that day and all that you went through, and all that you continue to go through every day since December Fourteenth, you inspire people around the world.

            Sandy Hook, you may not realize it, but you are the heroes of this world. Your ability to go on with your lives, to walk into another school, to walk into another classroom, to receive thousands upon thousands of letters just like this one from strangers, outsiders, all over the world trying to make sense of the senseless: thank you, Sandy Hook, for being strong, and tenacious, and inspiring.

Stay strong.

Love, support, and admiration,

Lauren Ridd

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Serendipitous

There is one thing I have come to learn in the last few weeks of travelling. Okay, there are many things I've come to learn (as you may have inferred from my last post) but one of the most important things I have come to learn is that more often than not the places that I never planned on visiting somehow turn out to be the most interesting. They are the places where I meet the most incredible people. Take Moncton for example: I knew at some point I'd be passing through but never planned on a lengthy stay. But, having my first hostel experience I met three amazing ladies that I never would have if I hadn't had this treacherous encounter with a few ATV trails and needed to lengthen my stay to get my car checked out.

When I crossed into the USA from New Brunswick my first stop was Maine. I had no plans for Maine. There were no outstandingly recommended sights that I wanted to see but I had a place to stay for a few nights and figured why not. It is known as "Vacationland", afterall. On my second day in St. George, ME my hosts took me to a little lighthouse and when we were there we met a woman (who actually stopped to pet my hosts dog, Sampson). We discovered that she is an artist from the area that was at the lighthouse because her and her husband, too, were showing out of town guests around. My hosts love art and it wasn't long before we were making plans to meet the next day at her art gallery. I must admit, I am not art savvy in any sense of the word. I can't name artists or their techniques at the drop of a hat but I can recognize talent and craftsmanship when I see it. The next day we stepped into Karen's gallery - she's a conservation artists from California that recently relocated to Maine that specializes in scientific art (http://www.karentalbotart.com/).

As I made my way around her gallery I noticed something that I found extremely cool. Under any major work, she had also included the drafts and sheets that she had used to make notes for each work - research, notes to herself - essentially her inner-workings displayed for all to see. I appreciated this aspect of her gallery tremendously because I could relate to it. I also appreciated that she let her art speak for herself. I, personally, find it detracts from a work if an artists has to include a description or explanation of a work. I, personally, want it to speak for itself, let me deduce my own meanings. With Karen's inclusions of what was literally her mental process of each major work I understood and appreciated what she had done, maybe more so than any other piece of art I have ever seen in my life - because I completely understand the process.

Karen and I had a chat and from her work I felt a connection to someone else. When all my friends ask me how long it takes to write a paper or a blog post or whatever the piece might be, I always tell them it's not the writing that takes long. It's the research or the preparation and with Karen's inclusion of her drafting and thought process I could see that her approach to art was similar to my very own and that I can respect and admire.

After Maine I headed to Burlington, Vermont. Yes, another Burlington (some of you may recall my stay in Burlington, Ontario). I was going to Burlington for one reason and one reason alone: I had found a couchsurfing host there that was willing to take me in for a couple nights. Kristina and her boyfriend Dave, let me just say this, are awesome. "Girl! You do whatever you want!" was Kristina's response when I asked (within an hour of meeting one another) if she would mind me purchasing some beer for dinner that night (we were ordering pizza). Not only did Kristina and Dave take me in, they bought me dinner, recommended places to go and things to do, let me have free run of their place since they both worked early, and ultimately made me feel so at home that I almost didn't want to leave.

Couchsurfing, I have to reiterate, is one of the most revolutionary ideas I have come across in a long time. Especially for someone that is travelling alone. Of course it helps save money (which for some is the most important thing) but for me, the most important and impactive quality is that it has allowed me to meet people - that I never would have otherwise. It allowed me to make friends.

None of the things were planned in my first two stops in the USA. None. Yet these people, what they do, who they are, and the chance that I would have the privilege to meet them is what this journey is all about. People using art to save species and to educate. People, students, offering up a place to stay to a complete stranger - FREE OF CHARGE - just because that is the type of people they are. That's what is right in this world. You want to talk about everything that is wrong with it? Look a little closer. There are people doing things that are right all around you.

Little Buggers

Well friends, the third (and maybe the most) traumatizing event has happened. Realistically it was only a matter of time considering all the different places I have been staying but after falling asleep shortly after 1 am last night, I woke up around 4 to go to the bathroom and... I think you can guess where this is going...

I found bed bugs. 

I had a minor panic attack, wanted to throw up, but quickly pulled it together. I grabbed my laptop, did some research and spent the next four hours inspecting my stuff, putting all clothes that were out in plastic bags, showering and vigorously beating/brushing off my luggage.

Worst part is that when I had first arrived I even moved all the pillows and the mattress and checked by the headboard and the sheets, and again before I went to bed - no sign of anything. Those little buggers were hiding real well. The good part is that I was smart enough to not leave anything on the floor, bags were done up, and I only had worn one outfit in the room.

Right now I am at a laundromat watching my clothes tumble on high heat for about 1.5 hours so any trace of those bastards are fried. Awful experience but like I said, it was only a matter of time. I am not surprised but I do know I will have the feeling of bugs crawling on me for the next little while.

To summarize the lessons I have learnt so far:
1) Don't drive at night on deserted highways because there will be moose.
2) Don't trust your GPS. When it leads you down unpaved roads - TURN AROUND.
3) When arriving at a new place to spend the night check EVERY inch of the bed, move sheets, move mattresses, check all surfaces before committing to staying.

Some may say I've learnt my lessons the hard way. I would be one of those people saying this. But, hey, you know these are lessons I'll never forget.

*Disclaimer: I do not recommend the Econo Lodge in Sharon, Mass. to anyone. Not because of the bed bugs - those can be killed and the issue resolved. But because the staff and presumably the owner responded to me informing them of the issue upon checkout with complete rudeness and was on the defense instead of offering a simple apology. I guess if he apologized he'd be admitting he was at fault and I might do something completely outrageous like ask for my money back.*

It's My Trip And I'll Do What I What To

"People too weak to follow their own dreams will always find a way to discourage yours."

-Unknown

I saw this quote a few weeks before I left on this trip and it was funny to see these words come to life in the actions of people in and around my life. The people that I consider friends and family - just because you're blood doesn't mean you're family FYI - majority, if not all, poured overwhelming amounts of support on me and what I was doing. I like to think it's because most of them have seen how hard I have worked for the past six years in school and work and life in general. But, hey, it also could be because they were secretly excited to get rid of this gypsy for a little while. Either way, as you've read in earlier posts, the support has and continues to be tremendous.

Every now and again when I am leaving one place and heading to another I get the urge to just turn around and go home because the unknown is scary - not knowing where I am going to sleep, or eat, or drive. Not knowing how much money it's going to cost me to park, or to fill up my gas tank, or do and see various places - it's scary. But whenever I am feeling doubt I get messages from friends like "head up! You can do anything!" or "this is YOUR trip, no one else's. Do what YOU want to do!" And somehow they seem to know when to send them. Like this one I recently received out of the blue "I'm so proud of you...I'm happy that you're doing something that you love! You look so happy in the pics." It's words and spontaneous messages and friends like this that keep me rolling forward to the next destination.

The people in the background of my life - the acquaintances or ones that maybe don't know me so well have shown that the quote above is true. Whether out of resentment, or ill feelings towards me, or just how they are feeling about their own lives feel the need to put me down or rain on my parade, so to say. Luckily, and almost shockingly, this second group has been smaller than I expected. But that just goes to prove that if you surround yourself with the type of people that you yourself want to be, the positivity and support for one another only grows and feeds off that same energy and positivity.

I think it's a safe conclusion to draw that there are many people in this world that live in fear. The unknown is scary! Whether real or imagined, there is a fear that controls us. Fear of doing something new in case we aren't good at it,  fear of walking down the street alone because of what might happen, and especially a fear of going somewhere new or different because it's unfamiliar or has a bad reputation.

Reputation. It's just that. I am from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The murder capital of Canada and the Slurpee capital of the world. If anyone based their opinion of Winnipeg on those two titles alone they would think we're a city full of diabetic serial killers. And they'd miss out on everything incredible Winnipeg has to offer: great hockey, great cultural diversity and acceptance, great food, great people. Why then would I base my decision on whether I am going to go somewhere in my adventure on reputation alone. I am a fond believer that everything in this world is what you make of it. If you surround yourself with people that shoot down your goals and aspirations, odds are you are going to fail and be miserable.

Make your own memories, your own experiences, your own choices. See how those Bad Reputations stack up. I'm not so naive to think that some are probably true but let me figure that out for myself. Unsolicited "advice" is no longer welcome.

Hey! I Just Met You...

If the last two weeks of my life were the lyrics of a Carly Rae Jepsen song they would go a little something like this:

Hey! I've never met you.
But I know your relatives.
So stay at my house,
You complete stranger!

Yes. I know. Pretty catchy, right? Either way, I know about 99% of you totally just read that to the tune of Call Me Maybe.

Weeks ago when I was in Ottawa visiting family, when I told them about my trip and the premise behind my blog they didn't hesitate on offering up their friends in various other parts of the continent as contacts and places to stay. I have to admit I started to feel a bit awkward, like I was becoming the poster child for high class homelessness or was a charity case and it took me a while to come to terms with the fact that if I wanted a bed to sleep in, as they say, beggars can't be choosers.

What was the worst that could happen? These complete strangers say, "Sorry. No, stranger, you're not able to stay at our homes." Well, lucky for me they didn't.

In Halifax, Nova Scotia I was lucky enough to stay with Anne for over a week. She allowed me to come and go as I pleased (even gave me a house key), I had run of the kitchen, t.v., a bathroom, even a gigantic comfy bed that her twelve year old son so kindly lent to me for my stay while he offered to crash on the couch. Aside from Anne and her families' extreme kindness I had the opportunity, if only for a week, to see what it would have been like to grow up in a house full of boys. In the spirit of full disclosure though, I must admit, it probably wasn't an accurate representation of most male-dominated households. Why? Because Anne's boys are rather extraordinary. These boys are friendly, entertaining, well-mannered, well-spoken, athletic, smart, talented, and to top it all off - THEY ALL GET ALONG WITH EACH OTHER! When was the last time you met a group of teen-aged siblings that got along as if they were all best friends? I can't say it happens very often.

I stayed in Halifax just over a week and saw places like the Pier 21 Immigration Museum - a place I didn't realize until I stepped foot into actually was rather meaningful to my family. Almost 70 years ago my own grandmother and uncle arrived in Halifax via Pier 21 as a War Bride and there I was walking through the same doors that they did all those years ago. Doors, had they not crossed, who knows if I would even exist today?

Pier 21

Handbook given to War Brides

Canadian Flag

Because I had a place to stay, I was able to do things like take an Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour, ride the Harbour Hopper tour, and visit the public gardens :

Alexander Keith's Brewery Tour

Harbour Hopper (about the enter the water).

Halifax Public Gardens - Victorian Style Gazebo

Of course, like every good tourist, I was going to visit Peggy's Cove but Anne (and a few other friends) recommended places that I had never even heard of before like Mahone Bay and Lunenberg - the latter being one of the most beautiful places I have been thus far.

Peggy's Cove

Lunenberg - The Sailboat I Later Rode

In case you haven't yet guessed, my time in Halifax was outstanding. Not only because I got to visit so many amazing places and see so many beautiful sights but because a complete stranger made it all possible when she and her family decided to let, on reputation alone, a complete stranger live with them for a week.

*Please excuse the formatting at the end of this post. For some reason the extra blank space could not be removed.*

The Look

It started when I was in Quebec and has only gotten worse the further I travel from home.

Driving down the street. Pulling into parking lots. I even see it when I have parked my car in a lot as other people walk by.

I wonder if people's necks are getting sore yet from that dramatic 180 degree turn they all seem to be doing when they see my license plate from Friendly Manitoba.

I find it rather comedic. Sure, I am a little ways from home but it's not like I have a license plate hailing from somewhere really far like Tanzania or Brazil - granted visitors from these countries probably would not have driven to anywhere in North America, still.

Manitoba, I am doing my best to be a good ambassador. I try to drive safe. Let people in when they need to switch lanes or are turning out of a lot. I follow the rules of the road yet keep up with traffic and never appear to be lost - even at times when I have absolutely zero idea where I am or where I am going. I feel like I have a responsibility to prove that not all Winnipeggers are awful drivers, regardless of what people may say. While I work on that out here, maybe y'all can work on that one back home?

Either way, I'll keep getting those looks and I'll keep doing my best to leave a good impression.

Manitoba?(!)

Manitoba.

East Coast Surfin'

I've spent my last four nights on the East Coast of Canada Couchsurfing. Yes, that's exactly what it sounds like. 

Couchsurfing is made possible through a social media platform very similar to what would happen if something like Facebook and Plenty of Fish (or any online dating forum) were to have a baby. Anyone that knows me and knows what I wrote my final university paper on knows that I like to prove the stigma surrounding certain new approaches to old practices to be wrong.

Couchsurfing: A Brief Introduction

You start by creating a profile on couchsurfing.org. You post as little or as much information about yourself as you'd like - sound familiar any of you Facebook users? You can start by checking out the local couchsurfing community in your city - follow the message board and the updates and check out different events. This is a great way to meet people, hear stories, and make connections. Trust me, you want to make connections because on your profile there is a section for references and friends.

References are categorized into positive and negative and they can only be left by the people that you have interacted with on couchsurfing. These references work just as you think they would - they let other people out there on couchsurfers know if you (or the random woman in Montreal) are, more or less, legit.

Now that you've signed up, created your profile, and made some connections, you're ready to surf. You can either "surf" or "host". Obviously, I am in the surfer stage right now. And this is where I would search a city. You can type in any city and the site will generate a list of people in that city (or surrounding area) and you can specify what you're looking for - a couch to sleep on, locals to meet up with, or even just information. If you ask any person that is travelling any significant amount of time or distance they will agree that Couchsurfing is revolutionizing the way people travel. 

In the simplest of terms, couchsurfing, is strangers opening up their homes to other strangers so that those of us travelling don't have to spend money on things like hotels and hostels. It's actually rather extraordinary when you think about it, if you can wrap your head around the concept of people doing good just to do good - paying it forward at it's finest.

In Charlottetown, PEI Jana and I met and stayed with a 53 year old nurse named Bob. Bob is one of the kindest people I have ever met and you can tell just by speaking with him for twenty minutes that he takes an extreme amount of pride in where he comes from. Bob suggested places for us to go, took us to his favourite restaurant for dinner, the three of us watched Pitch Perfect, and in the morning Bob made us homemade crepes for breakfast. Bob has become a hobby host. He has hosted people from all over the world. He doesn't expect anything in return, he just does it because he loves where he is from and wants everyone to have the opportunity to see his beautiful province.

Sarah has lived all over Canada. Sometimes in remote locations, sometimes not. Her and her husband moved to Antigonish, Nova Scotia not too long ago and Jana and I were her first official couchsurfers (although she has hosted cyclists before through a similar hosting site for people biking around). Sarah welcomed us into her home with open arms, she introduced us to her beautiful dog Leydy (which she rescued from Guatemala) and her roommates' temper mental cat Rufus. Within hours of meeting, the three of us were in the kitchen cooking dinner and in the morning Sarah made us a delicious homemade breakfast. Right now Sarah is working in Antigonish before she heads back to Guatemala for another six months to volunteer and work as part of a bicycle co-op program (I hope I got that right, Sarah). Sarah is awesome. Sarah's home felt like home.

Alison is a minister in Baddeck, Nova Scotia and has one of the most welcoming and bubbly personalities. Usually when you meet new people for the first time it takes a little while for everyone to come out of their shells but within minutes of meeting Alison it was like I had known her for years. When I told her that I was too nervous to drive the Cabot Trail (can you blame me after the previous experiences), she really encouraged me to try but never pressured me to. So the next day when I headed into the trail with the goal of only making it to a beach not too far in called Whale Cove I could hear this little voice saying, "Common! You've got to, it's the most beautiful place in the world." Alison encouraged me to overcome a fear and I am glad she did it because otherwise I never would have gotten amazing pictures like these: 

Couchsurfing is about meeting people. Making connections. Potentially making lifelong friends. And helping someone out that may never be able to repay you. Couchsurfing is kindness and selflessness embodied. I truly encourage each and every single one of you that reads this to check it out, consider hosting - not just because I need plenty more places to stay along this trip but because it's just good people doing good for no reason. And that inspires me.

Ready To Pull The Plug

One week ago I was just pulling up to the C'mon Inn Hostel in Moncton, New Brunswick. I had never stayed at a hostel before and I was a little bit nervous on what to expect. But when I pulled away from Saint John, New Brunswick hours earlier, the one thing that was encouraging my first hostel experience was knowing that I would have an actual bed to sleep in. For those of you that don't know, I do tend to sleep in the back seat of my car when I need. It's actually rather comfortable - with the six blanket, make shift mattress I whipped up back there. But a bed was what I was really looking forward to.

On Saturday afternoon I had planned out Sundays route. I was going to get up early and leave Saint John, head to the Fundy Park Trailway then make my way to The Hopewell Rocks, hopefully in enough time to get there for low tide. I knew I was trying to fit a lot into one day but I figured if I could it would give me more time to explore in Moncton and if not, well it's not like I was short on time.

Sunday morning I woke up to a thunder storm and torrential downpour pounding on my windshield. Of course I was a little bit discouraged that this rain was going to affect the outdoor activities I had planned for the day - two of the biggest tourist attractions in New Brunswick. But I said "oh well" (okay maybe there were two different choice words, but nonetheless) I pushed on. Filled up with gas and headed for the Trailway.

As I arrived at the Trailway it was pretty foggy out. For those that don't know there are about 14 different "stops" on the trailway where you can pull your vehicle over, park, and get out and walk the trails or take pictures, etc. I was still discouraged that the weather wasn't cooperating for me but as I pulled up to the first stop. Parked the car. Threw my hood up. Took my waterproof camera to the ledge of the viewing platform. This is what I saw:

I was in absolute awe. As I stood there admiring this eerily, mystical and breathtaking view I thought to myself how I had almost missed this because I almost didn't go to the Trailway because of the weather. I wonder how many other people had chosen not to go to the Trailway that day because it wasn't the perfect day for the view. Isn't it their loss. I made my way around the rest of the trail in about an hour or so and made sure to stop and go for a quick hike down to the salmon river and the suspension bridge.

 


As my time on the trailway came to an end I plugged my GPS back in and was on the road again in no time. It was only 11:00 and it was only supposed to take an hour and a half to get to the rocks (or something like that). NO PROBLEM.

Famous last words.

I cruised from one road to the next. Again, I watched as my GPS counted down kilometre after kilometre as I was, apparently, getting closer to my destination. Then something strange happened. The highway went from being a normal highway to gravel. No construction signs around, weird. But I pressed on. After about twenty minutes of being on a gravel road I pulled over to check my GPS and double check that I had the settings correct - yep, set to "avoid unpaved roads" and because I trust technology so much and it's never wrong the only rational answer to this dirt road was that it was going to end soon. As I looked up in my rear-view mirror from my GPS I noticed there was a car behind me. It was a friendly couple from Quebec (I regret not finding out their names) and they were headed to the rocks as well. "If you want, you can follow us!" They offered. Well, that was a little more reassuring because at this point I was almost in tears thinking that I could actually be lost AND with no cell service.

I proceeded to follow this little black Honda Civic down this dirt road. It said our next turn was in 15 km. Couldn't be that bad, I thought. Before we knew it this gravel road was shrinking in width and before we had time to do otherwise this "road" had turned into a complete off-roading trail. The kind meant for quads and dirt bikes. NOT CARS AND SUVS. In a few kilometres we met another vehicle. A family from New Brunswick. Oddly enough the dad was ex-military and they used to live in Shilo, Manitoba. Ex-military? "No way he's lost," I thought to myself. 

"Follow us!"

The three of us kept on our way. And just in case I may have downplayed the severity of these driving conditions let me paint you a nice little picture:

SUV loaded to the brim with camping gear and bikes leading the way. Honda civic next in the convoy. Hyundai Santa Fe last on the trail - lone ranger (me) driving solo, gripping the steering wheel as if my life depended on it. Inching along this trail at 10 km/hr over broken trees, gigantic boulders, swampy marshes - at times you couldn't tell how deep the puddle was you were entering or if there was a bigger rock to the left or to the right. But on the verge of tears I pressed on. There was no turning back - literally. This "road" was not big enough to turn around and I am no where near good enough to reverse out of that disaster. Push on.

Around 3 pm we exited my own personal hell. It was as if we were popping into reality from Narnia. We all pulled over and were hugging one another, relieved and shocked that we had made it out alive. I'm not over exaggerating. It was scary. As we pulled up to the entrance of the Fundy National Park and rampantly tried to explain to the lady working the gate what we had just been through my question was: what is the fastest way to Moncton and is the road paved? 

The park ranger pointed me on my way and within an hour I was pulling into Moncton. Got a car wash. Examined the car - no scratches or dents, amazingly. The driver side door was rubbing when I opened it but other than that no visual damage. After the long weekend I managed to get the car in for a check up, I wasn't travelling any further before making sure there was no damage underneath my car, and miraculously it was fine. To this day I am in complete shock that the undercarriage of my vehicle wasn't completely torn to shreds. At least the mechanic had no problem making light of the situation, "well, now you can off road all the way back to Winnipeg if you want!" he chuckled. 

I didn't laugh. 

Too soon my friend, too soon.

Aside from being alive, something really cool happened to me a week ago. I stayed at a hostel for the very first time. But that's not the cool part. The cool part is the people I met. Jaimi-Lee from Australia is just about the most fearless person I have ever met. This girl has travelled the world and still has a travel to-do list that amazes me. She's swam with the sharks, hiked to Mt. Everest base camp - to name a few things. Jaimi-lee is fearless. Akira is one of the most welcoming and compassionate people I have met. Akira is from Montreal and she's travelling right now too. We both had a sh!tty Sunday but within minutes of meeting she was suggesting me places to go for a drink, as I clearly needed one, and was actually listening to my story and comforting me. 

Sunday started rainy, surprised me with beauty through the fog, served me up the worst afternoon of my life, but the day ended better than I ever could have imagined, asked, or hoped for. To people that listen - actually listen, who welcome new people with acceptance, and for treating me like a friend they had always known, thank you Moncton, C'mon Inn, Jaimi-Lee, and Akira. 

Adopted

Two girls from England, a woman from New Zealand, a tour guide from Prince Edward Island, a performing arts student, a young man that crept in quietly and pulled up a chair, and two girls, new friends, from Canada (Edmonton and Winnipeg).

No, this isn't the start of one of those "walks into a bar" jokes. This is the conglomeration of strangers that gathered together last night in a room just large enough to fit us all comfortably. Eight people. Eight strangers. Eight new friends. After enduring a couple of rainy days and a night of karaoke on Wednesday, when Jana and I decided that we were going to have a quiet Thursday night and watch a movie we never thought it would turn into a family affair.

Pick a movie.

No, you pick a movie.

Fine.

Hold on a minute. This sounds familiar. Am I at home? 

Okay. I have some options for us.

I had narrowed it down to three choices realizing one was a remake it automatically got eliminated. Still none of the others would make a decision. So, I put the last two options behind my back and tell someone to pick a hand. Jane, from New Zealand, picks my left hand - always go with the left.

For the next two hours and twenty minutes eight people, eight strangers, eight new friends - our make shift family from around the globe sat and watched Shawshank Redemption ("the best movie EVA"). Although we were all thousands of miles from home, some of us missing friends, some missing family, and all missing any sense of normalcy, for two hours and twenty minutes we could have been sitting in our own bedroom or family rooms watching a movie like any other rainy Thursday night.