It has been 7 years, 11 months since I was last in Vancouver, having made the trip out and back by Greyhound to visit my family and friends and spend time with Emily.
The last time I flew was also to Vancouver, back in 2007/08.
I had hoped to go back by bus this summer, not only to see Vancouver and dispose of the boxes with all my possessions which I put in a closet before moving to England in 2005, but also to take a trip to the Haida Gwaii to make up for the one that was cancelled when I dropped the Northern Gateway Pipeline as a PhD research subject. That proved impossible because of the urgent need to find a new supervisor by the end of August.
It’s not clear when I might find my way back. I need to go at least once over the rest of my life since there are materials (like all my old photo negatives) which are stored and which I really need to deal with myself. Perhaps when the PhD is done (target: fall 2019) there will be an opportunity for an overland trip. I doubt there will be a chance before then. During the times when I am not working every available extra TA job to stay comparatively solvent I will need to be working on research and writing up.
“I need to go at least once over the rest of my life since there are materials (like all my old photo negatives) which are stored and which I really need to deal with myself.”
You have a family there that misses you too. I’d say that’s a pretty valid reason. Especially considering those negatives are probably stored in our family home.
This is a tough statement Milan.
Mica,
I didn’t mean to imply that seeing family is unimportant. In fact, given how much you all travel seeing family has been one thing that being away from Vancouver hasn’t really blocked.
Since I don’t expect to resume routine flying or to relocate to Vancouver, thinking of the place in terms of at least one more visit to sort out the things I have left behind there makes sense to me at this point.
Negatives might seem like a generic object to take an interest in, but these are all of my photos from before 2005. The contents are personal and there are people other than me who would doubtless prefer that I handle them personally.
I hope you’ve been enjoying your time in Egypt with Mom.