Post Card From Canada

Saturday, June 20th - Courtney took me to the Atlanta airport bright and early and I flew to Toronto. Tim, who has been visiting the University of Waterloo, picked me up and we drove to Niagara Village and Falls. Misty, cold, and breath-taking.

Side-note: Coffee at Tim Horton's, the Starbucks of Canada - fifty locations to a single street. Canadians should upsize their to-go cups. If you order an XL Coffee, it's equivalent to a "medium" in the States (what's the Starbuck's lingo? Tall? Grande? Venti?). A Canadian "small" is like drinking from a paper shot glass.

Sunday - Tim runs the 5k race at the Waterloo Park (beautiful green fields within walking distance to campus, a petting zoo with peacocks, and adorable aged homes whose back doors let out into the park itself). Afterwards, we visit a Mennonite village (um, no reason), and then we go to the home of Tim's group advisor for a mid-day cookout. Later still we relocate to William's, a restaurant at University Plaza with wireless and terrific coffee. Also a good spot to people-watch.

Side note: Waterloo Campus is full of wildlife: Canadian geese, jet-black squirrels, ground hogs, and rabbits. I don't think a University should keep geese. They poop everywhere and make odd hissing noises at people in passing.

Monday - Tim has research in the lab, and I spend the day working in the student center and our dorm room (we feel like college kids again, living in the men's hall with bathrooms just around the corner, toting book bags around campus, and using quarters for laundry). Later, I force Tim back into William's for a few hours. I love both Canada and William's, and would consider living in either or both if it weren't for their short short summers and long cold winters.

Side-note: Waterloo has a diverse population, including Canadians (obviously), Germans, Indians, Asians, Koreans, and the occasional American. The people are beautiful. I wish I brought my sketch book.

Tuesday: Research, work, long walks, and Chinese food with Annie and her husband (fun people. Annie even made fun of Tim's "chinese name" with me, earning instant points on my list. If I were keeping score, that is). And guess where we end up that night? Williams!

Side note: A boy gives me a green balloon in the student center which I carry around campus with me. The color green is for a political protest of sorts but as I'm not sure which, I decide to tie the balloon to an unsuspecting bike rack and move along before someone asks me questions I cannot logically answer.

Wednesday: Up at 5 a.m. for a long drive back to Toronto, where we say our (sad) goodbyes and I fly back to Atlanta. Tonight I am staying at my parent's house with my baby Isaac, and tomorrow we will go home.