My first days in Halifax were very similar to my last days there. Re-unions and  good-byes carry the same bitter-sweetness I suppose.

There was the excitement of arriving in the airport and being received by one of my mother’s dearest friends, aunt Gi is what I will call her here (not her real name). She  is a Haligonian legend, a survivor, a healer, an artist, and an ocean lover. I enjoyed spending some time with aunt Gi as soon as I arrived in Halifax and just before I left.

Aunt Gi invited me over for supper one evening. We spent the afternoon on her balcony overlooking the harbor from one side and the Atlantic ocean from the other. I basked in the sun while she barbecued our delicious meal. Dinner consisted of barbecued salmon, grilled vegetables, and buttered bread served on a round wooden table that once belonged in our Clayton Park living room. Aunt Gi had bought the table from us when we sold the last of our furniture so I was delighted to eat on that old piece of furniture again!

Her place was divine. There was the balcony with the double-view combined with the smell of salty ocean air that filled your lungs the moment you stepped outside. There were paintings she had painted herself and photos of her travels on the walls . Every corner was was filled with that personal touch. Before going to her lovely place we took a walk by the water front and passed by some local gift shops where I bought some souvenirs and jewelry. It was a lovely experience delivered with true Nova Scotian hospitality!

Rawan

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I’ve forgotten how much I love getting hand-written notes. When I first arrived in Halifax, my business-smart friend Penny generously offered to have me stay at her place for the duration of my trip. Penny was at work when I was scheduled to arrive and left me her keys in the mail-box. I had received a Facebook message earlier telling me where to find the keys and to go up the stairs to the guest-room.

Upon arriving, I found the most welcoming had-written note on my bed. It was like receiving a big warm hug from my university friend. It made feel really welcome in her space and so excited to see her! It finally hit me! I was here in Halifax!

Now back to a typical weekend at Penny’s! We usually wake up and start making coffee and  a big breakfast which contains eggs or pan-cakes. If pan-cakes are on the menu, it always gets inhaled with authentic maple syrup, Acadian maple butter, and fresh fruits! At times we add a Greek or Arabic touch to this feast with feta cheese and zaataar! Food is one of the most pleasurable experiences while traveling and I can’t promise this will be the last time I write about it.

On one of those weekends, I woke up and found a note on the kitchen table.

Don’t you think hand-written notes are so heart-warming! A text or a what-sap message would not have the same effect. It’s all about hand-picked/made/written for me this summer. We are constantly bombarded with texts and emails so a little hand-written note is the perfect thing to wake up to before making breakfast.

Above is a picture of my work station in the kitchen. I’ve always loved how kitchen’s are at the center of most houses in Canada, have big windows, and are connected to an out-door patio. When I lived in Halifax my family and friends always gathered in the kitchen for hours. It was our living room. We had a couch in the there, no TV, and a phone (the kind that was attached to the wall). As a teenager I would spend hours talking on the phone with my friends in the kitchen (before the birth of cell-phones).

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After breakfast, if the sun is out, me and Penny head out on some kind of adventure that involves driving out of Halifax to explore a new place.  This usually takes up the whole day and when it’s over we get back home at night ready for bed-time. If it’s a rainy day, we run errands or go to the mall.

One rainy night we went to watch Beauty and the Beast at Neptune theater. The show was amazing and the songs are still playing in my head! Be My guest! Be My guest! 🙂

Rawan

 

I want to start by honoring the past. Without our past experiences (which encompass all our actions/non-actions, choices, dark/light moments, and yes! even our stupid repeated mistakes!) we would not be where we are today.  We would not have arrived at this very precious moment called the present which if we are lucky enough to survive can also be reflected upon as a memory one day. Each person, place, and experience stays with us and shapes who we become.

I write this with mixed emotions as I am about to take a physical journey back to the home of my youth where I spent a good majority of those foundation years.  A beautiful city on the east coast of Canada called Halifax. A place that reminds me of my blessings, my family first of all, my mom & dad who paid the price to create us a home so far away from home. Timeless friendships. Fellow Haligonians. Mentors. Professors. Class-mates. Flat-mates. Heart-breaks. Coburg Coffee-House (a lovely cafe with the best breakfast) that was an extension of my kitchen as a hungry student). So I am a bit nostalgic…

I hope to share the highlights of my trip and include some pictures once I figure out how to do that! It’s been  a whole 12 years since I moved away and started several new lives in several new homes. As you can imagine a lot has changed in my little world, a lot has been out-grown, a lot has been let go of, a lot has been lost, and a lot has been born.

Moving there at the impressionable age of fourteen, it was a place of new beginnings, family, student life, and familiarity. Why not travel and see a new place? Well, not this time.  A soulful journey back to a place full of history or should I say her-story is on the horizon!  (To be continued in part 1)

Rawan