Chapter 19

Good Morning From Canada,

Finally, I am writing an update for anyone who might still be wanting to hear from me. Can't blame any of you if you have given up on me. It's been a long time! It has now been four months since we visited Japan. Very sorry that I didn't see everyone; the days simply got far too busy and time ran out. As for an update, the last one I wrote was over a year ago, last Autumn. 😮 I suppose that I will never be a writer!

First of all, I want to say "thank you very much" to all of those that I did manage to see in Japan. After four years of the pandemic and all of its travelling regulations, I was able to visit my second home country at last, in May and June. Everyone's hospitality was superb, so thank you for the wonderful friendships. I don't think that I told anyone, enough, just how appreciative I was of all of the kindness bestowed upon me. I cherish all of these relationships and realize that I do indeed have many friends in Japan. When things got too busy, I was able to take shelter at some of your places and have some privacy and relaxation. I could never have anticipated just how hectic my schedule would become. Thank you to all for understanding the situation and bearing with me throughout.

While in Japan, I was able to visit three of my diary exchange students and meet each for the first time in person. These personal exchanges were amazing. We traveled to Akita to meet my student who is a rice farmer and she opened her house to us and showed us all around the prefecture. We had our own personal tour guide. We met one of my students at Shinjuku Gyoen in central Tokyo, who is an accomplished and published writer. We had a walk, a talk, and a picnic beneath the shade of the trees during the dog days of summer. Near the beginning of our holiday, we met another of my students on the outskirts of Tokyo, enjoying an eel lunch at her favourite eel restaurant, tucked in the side streets of Tachikawa. Aside from these new encounters, I was able to meet another whole group of students whom I have been teaching since the pandemic befell upon us. We have been meeting every week for three years, and though I felt that I knew the ladies somewhat well, meeting them in person only enhanced the relationships. Lastly, catching up with my friends and previous students in person once again, after four years of absence only reaffirmed how much I had missed them. It was inspiring to see so many old and new faces, thank you to all!

Upon returning to Canada, Toronto specifically, things didn't get any less busy. In fact, we jumped right into a pet-sit in Toronto and a week later, my work for Oxford International began. Those weeks are just a whirlwind now to me, and I am not sure how I survived. During the six weeks of work, I walked every day to and from the university to teach my students, from wherever we were staying. We moved five times in that timeframe and the walking distances were anywhere from 2.0 km to 8.5 km each way, each day. I did like my work though, so I suppose that kept me going.

I had high school students from different countries such as Brazil, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Palestine, Ukraine, and Germany. The students shared so much of their lives with me and in the exchange, I hope that they learned and practiced some English skills. On some days, I thought that I was making a difference, and on other days I thought that I had failed miserably. I suppose these are just regular feelings any teacher feels. Overall, I was satisfied and content to have completed my contract, with the salary being a bonus.

I had a group of students from Palestine (Israel). On the last day that we were together, we just talked openly and they conveyed their frustrations of not being able to live freely in their own country and told me of the dangerous and restrictive aspects of their everyday life. Now, with the current situation, I find myself looking for them in the news clips and hoping that they are safe and alive. What a tragic situation! I wonder how they and their families are faring during these days. On both sides, tragedies, murders, killings, kidnappings, and injuries are being invoked upon the average citizen. The people are caught up in Hell on earth. I hope that through some diplomatic efforts, this insanity can stop!

Back in my little world, we had some fun pet-sits at scenic places in and around Toronto. One location just outside of the city had a beautiful inground swimming pool in the backyard. We found ourselves staying in a beautiful century home. The pet we were taking care of was a diabetic cat named Roger. He was the king of the house and wandered freely in and out as he wished. We had to give him insulin shots twice a day to keep him healthy given his diabetes. He was a grandfather cat and had a wise character to match his age. I used the heated swimming pool every day except for one rainy, stormy, day. Another location was a cottage on a private lake, about an hour from Toronto. We drove down a one-kilometre laneway road to find a gated community with about twenty houses built on that side of the lake. Justin Bieber is known to have a house there, which we viewed from a distance. The lake is famous for water skiing as it is placid and tranquil on most days. We could see the water and all of the activity from the windows on all sides of the cottage. Some nights we had a campfire, and other evenings, we played Cribbage by the dock. It was very quiet and serene at that location except for the barking of the two Australian Shepherd dogs that we were caring for. Every day, three times a day, we walked them around the grounds, for their two-kilometre outing. Since these pet-sits, we have been in Toronto in two other houses and a condo.

We did see a theatrical performance, Hamilton, in Toronto. It was great and a well-done musical which taught me some things about the American Revolution and American history. That entertainment was squeezed in one afternoon between my work responsibilities. We were so happy to have made the time to see it. Hadn't been to see a movie at all except for one fun movie, Barbie, that we took my sister to. I still haven't seen Oppenheimer which I do want to see. I never took in the double viewing of both movies in one shot that the media was abuzz about; no Barbenheimer for me.

Rolling into September now, I went on a cycling trip one day. We cycled forty kilometres on an old railbed route (the rails were taken up which left a leafy footing to cycle on) from one small city to another smaller city. We packed a picnic and after the first 20 km, rested and ate at the halfway point before we turned back home and cycled back to the starting point. It was comfortable to cycle in nature and not amongst traffic; no vehicles to maneuver around. We need to start training if we are to cycle in Japan next summer.

That brings me to our thoughts for the next trip to Japan. Rachel's friend is getting married at the end of April in Nagoya and she will have a week or so of wedding events to partake in. At the beginning of May, we want to start our cycling trip around Shikoku. That is what we are thinking of doing for six weeks. We would like to take it slow, stop along the way, take in the scenery, and enjoy the hot springs as we go; in short, stop and smell the roses along the way! If all goes well with another plan, we hope to do a six-week pet-sit in Naha, Okinawa. A teacher for gifted students living there with her son, and whom we have contacted are looking for pet-sitters for six weeks during July with an overlap in both June and August to make up the six weeks. If we get this one, I hope that some of you can come and visit us in Naha. What is there not to enjoy about a visit to Okinawa, referred to as Japan's Hawaii? The pet-sit has not been confirmed yet, so I am getting a little ahead of myself. She said that she was seriously considering us but was just too busy to review the applicants yet. We have to wait and see. Those are our tentative plans for returning to Japan.

One last image to leave you with is the contrasting weather that can co-exist in Canada. Last week, we left the bright and beautiful autumn colours of Toronto, with highs of 20 degrees. We landed in Saskatoon to start a new pet-sit for two lovable dogs; a Husky named Murphy and a Golden Retriever named Billie. We are in the prairie flatlands of central Canada and winter is upon us. With temperatures in the minuses and snow on the ground, we are lucky if we see a positive number in the weather forecast.

Happy Belated Thanksgiving (which was on October 9th in Canada). I am thankful to have all of you in my life and for being able to share our stories with each other.

Take care,

Love Rosemary🌹