I went for a morning run yesterday and it was quite refreshing so I will go for another one this morning. Tat is, after my 2 morning coffees. I also video chat twice a day with Thavorn and Jaidan. Jaidan has been asking where Poppa a couple of times a day. Pulls at my heart strings, but I know he is happy in the village with so many children to play with.
Today, my sister Elaine, Jaime, and I will head over to Quebec to have dinner and some drinks at my sister's cabin in the woods. Cabin is a bit of a misnomer as the log house is quite beautiful and is equipped with the best of everything. My sister Ann always puts on a great dinner. I hope my son Jordan is able to attend as well, if he is not too busy :-)
Life in Ottawa is quite laid back. Here, I am a retiree and lead the life of a usual retiree (boring at times) whereas in Thailand, I am an expat and that has some connotations that evoke images of exploration and excitement, something out of the ordinary, which indeed, life in Thailand is.
I find myself without much to write or comment about. Not much has changed since I last visited Canada except we have a liberal government with a young flamboyant prime minister who has yet to implement anything of great change, but perhaps that is what defines Canada. What you see is what you get.
I have yet to stop into Tim Hortons which is the mainstay of meeting spots in Canada. If I visit the closest one to my sister's house, it will feature a multicultural staff and a multicultural clientele, because of the area of town. If I visit a Timmy's in older Nepean, it will feature a more traditional (read white) clientele and staff, with a bunch of retirees (read old farts) sitting around discussing politics and whatever. Not a group I wish to join as I would find it deadly boring as they discuss how rough it was in Florida this year with the Canadian dollar being so low. I would simply say, 'Get out of your comfort zone!'.
The US is often described as a melting pot of society where immigrants arrived and embraced the American dream. I think that has changed. Canada, in contrast was described as a country where you could embrace your heritage and at the same time become a Canadian. I fear, the future for both countries is the development of silos and special interest groups defined by their ethnicity. The old say, 'Like likes like' is driving this.
In Bangkok, what I enjoy most in the expat community is its diversity. I meet people form all over the world for whom the only thing in common is an adventuresome spirit and thirst for different and exciting experiences. Florida for 10 winters in a row, would just not do it for me :-) I don't think I am weird and in olden times I would have been an explorer or trader with a desire to see what is over the next hill.
On my flight to Canada I watched Robert De Nero in Dirty Grandpa, a very funny movie with a message similar to what I express above. The critics hated the movie, must be why I liked it.
TTYL
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