As I think most of you know, I am currently back in North America on a little vacay. Prior to moving to The Hague, I hadn't completed my annual pilgrimage down to Palm Springs and a very dear friend is getting married in Calgary next weekend and I could not miss her wedding, so I decided to combine the two into a nice little Easter holiday - killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.
I had a bit of a moment on Friday, at the airport as I was leaving. Just like everyone else, I had to go through passport control, so I handed over my passport and watched as the agent flipped through it and just as she was about to land her stamp on a blank page, I said "I am a resident", as I realized that she hadn't seen my visa. She nicely asked for my residents card - which I don't have - see previous entry but I pointed out my visa, which she then stamped and I was on my way. That was the first time that I think I said to anyone, I live here.
Now add to that, when I go into Canada on Friday, I have to check off the little box that says visitor and to be honest, that one is going to hard. I get teary just thinking about it. It is weird to think that I am going to be a visitor in my own country. A country that I so proudly hold a passport for and a country that I will forever proudly call Home with a capitol H. But, I am no longer a resident, so that makes me a visitor. Good thing though, my Nexus card still works :-) and I can still avoid all of those line-ups that I hate!
For this trip I still used my Canadian address for everything because my credit cards are still tagged to that address, I haven't traded in my drivers license yet (on the To-Do list when I get back) and it is just easier that trying to spell out Bezuidenhoutsweg 65-130 (my current address) every time I rent something or check-in.
I am also using this trip to stock up on those things that either I can't get in The Netherlands, or I know I can get cheaper here - like ice cube trays. The Dutch aren't big fans of ice cubes, and none of the freezers I have looked in have ice cubes or ice cube trays, so I bought some. I also bought some dental floss - the thread that they have there, well it ain't dental floss in my books. I also bought some toilet cleaner - I know, odd purchase but I really like the Method toilet bowl cleaner, so I bought a couple of bottles. Let's put it this way, me and Target have been good friends on this trip and I packed an extra-large MEC duffel bag so I could load it up with stuff to bring home. Now in my defence, I have also agreed to pick up a new winter jacket in Calgary for my friend Lindsey and that will take up a fair bit of space in my bag. Thankfully I have a 3 bag baggage allowance so I can cart all of my "stuff" home. I also bought a really nice 10 piece set of All-Clad pots and pans, as I Goodwilled all of my pots before I left and if I want to feed my mom, I am going to need some pots. At least the pots are in a nice sturdy and albeit large box.
It's true what they say, Home is where the heart is, but home is where also where I live now.
I had a bit of a moment on Friday, at the airport as I was leaving. Just like everyone else, I had to go through passport control, so I handed over my passport and watched as the agent flipped through it and just as she was about to land her stamp on a blank page, I said "I am a resident", as I realized that she hadn't seen my visa. She nicely asked for my residents card - which I don't have - see previous entry but I pointed out my visa, which she then stamped and I was on my way. That was the first time that I think I said to anyone, I live here.
Now add to that, when I go into Canada on Friday, I have to check off the little box that says visitor and to be honest, that one is going to hard. I get teary just thinking about it. It is weird to think that I am going to be a visitor in my own country. A country that I so proudly hold a passport for and a country that I will forever proudly call Home with a capitol H. But, I am no longer a resident, so that makes me a visitor. Good thing though, my Nexus card still works :-) and I can still avoid all of those line-ups that I hate!
For this trip I still used my Canadian address for everything because my credit cards are still tagged to that address, I haven't traded in my drivers license yet (on the To-Do list when I get back) and it is just easier that trying to spell out Bezuidenhoutsweg 65-130 (my current address) every time I rent something or check-in.
I am also using this trip to stock up on those things that either I can't get in The Netherlands, or I know I can get cheaper here - like ice cube trays. The Dutch aren't big fans of ice cubes, and none of the freezers I have looked in have ice cubes or ice cube trays, so I bought some. I also bought some dental floss - the thread that they have there, well it ain't dental floss in my books. I also bought some toilet cleaner - I know, odd purchase but I really like the Method toilet bowl cleaner, so I bought a couple of bottles. Let's put it this way, me and Target have been good friends on this trip and I packed an extra-large MEC duffel bag so I could load it up with stuff to bring home. Now in my defence, I have also agreed to pick up a new winter jacket in Calgary for my friend Lindsey and that will take up a fair bit of space in my bag. Thankfully I have a 3 bag baggage allowance so I can cart all of my "stuff" home. I also bought a really nice 10 piece set of All-Clad pots and pans, as I Goodwilled all of my pots before I left and if I want to feed my mom, I am going to need some pots. At least the pots are in a nice sturdy and albeit large box.
It's true what they say, Home is where the heart is, but home is where also where I live now.
No comments:
Post a Comment