Who Says You Can't Go Home

"Just a hometown boy, born a rolling stone,
Who says you can't go home."
                                            - Who Says You Can't Go Home by Bon Jovi and Sugarland

I'm sad I couldn't be there for this community photo

Tonight I wrote a little story that I submitted to nominate Wolfe Island for the Kraft Hockeyville 2011. In the story you are supposed to show how your community demonstrates a passion for hockey, a sense of community, as well as originality. I was happy to write something to help better the chances for Wolfe Island to win the contest because I truly love that place. I struggled to stay within the word limit because I had a lot to say about my beloved community. A little bit of homesickness kicked in as I thought about all the memories I had about playing hockey on our farm rink as well as the rink in the village. I never got to use my skates this winter.
As I wrote about the strong sense of community that the island maintains I began to think about how great that place really is. This feeling only got stronger as I skimmed through the many other stories submitted by other islanders listed on the website. It's the people that make that place so awesome. I consider myself extremely lucky to have grown up in a community that stresses such a prominent emphasis on lending a helping hand and supporting one another.
So I chose this song to represent my loyalty to Wolfe Island and how I will always be happy to call it my home. I love how the song says "I'm just a hometown boy born a rolling stone" as well as, "You can take the home from the boy but not the boy from his home." I really feel like that describes me. I have a strong sense of where I came from and I will always stay true to my islander roots but I also have such a grave desire to travel and keep moving. I'm a hometown girl out in the big world!
I also love the line in the song that says,

"There's only one place they call me one of their own."

This is Wolfe Island alright! Anyone born and raised on the island knows that you are only an islander - or "one of them" - if you too were born and raised there. I am proud to say that I fit the criteria.
Although I am keen on traveling and I am not ready to settle down any time soon, there is a good chance that when I do make the decision to stay in one spot it will be either on Wolfe Island or very close to it. After all, I wouldn't want to prove my graduating yearbook wrong by not being the one "Most Likely to Live on Wolfe Island for the Rest of Her Life." There is something to be said about the feeling of belonging that that island gives its residents. You know when someone asks you to list who you are? Well, I'd say "an islander" would be in my top five answers. I think it's because the island has such an influential community that we all have strong recognition that we are part of it. I doubt people from bigger cities would so readily claim that they are from their hometown as one of their top descriptions of who they are. But, that's just my theory. All I know is that I will always be an islander!

Just in case you're interested, here is the little story I submitted.


Kraft HockeyIsland 2011

I submitted this picture of our farm along with my story

I grew up in a large family on a farm on Wolfe Island. It wouldn’t take much to convince anyone that being raised alongside ten siblings on a big dairy farm was anything other than a never-ending stream of recreational fun. Whether it was spring, summer, fall or winter that countryside life always provided for great outdoor adventures.

There was one perfect spot, just behind the milkhouse, no matter what the weather was like, you’d be sure to find us having a ball. That spot was “The Rink” and that’s what it was called all year round. Sure, it came in handy during the off-season, especially for tadpole hunting and frog catching but we all knew what it was really there for. Every winter, the anticipation would end. Once the water froze over, we got out our hand-me-down skates, brought up the barrel of hockey sticks and headed down to The Rink.

We would roll over four tractor tires, using two for the sides of each “hockey net”. I remember when I was younger, having seven older siblings, five of them boys, these hockey games were riveting – as you can only imagine. As my three younger siblings grew into each pair of passed down skates, it was a great privilege to teach them how to get around on that ice with stick in hand so they too could join in the games.

Luckily, if the ice on our rink wasn’t up to good hockey-playing standards, our passion for hockey could also come alive when we took the short drive down to the village. We would love to go to the community rink to play along with all our friends. Even when there was an intense hockey game going on, others who just wanted to skate and watch could keep to the outside and circle around. As such a small tight-knit community, Wolfe Island has, and always will, cherish the game of hockey as a reason for everyone to get together and have a great time. And there are so many people that contribute to making the game so readily available for everyone by maintaining the condition of the rink, organizing community events, and setting up a daily schedule for playing times.

Maintaining the hockey rink is just one example of the strong sense of community bond that Wolfe Island shares. Personally, I have seen countless, unbelievable acts of kindness by the members of this great place I am happy to call home. Whether it entails numerous men pitching in to bring in a fellow farmer’s harvest after he has fallen ill or a group of women putting on a community-wide baby shower for a couple expecting triplets – Wolfe Island never fails to step up to the plate when the neighbourly duty calls.

Wolfe Island is such a wonderful community for so many reasons and I can say, without a doubt, that we would be so honoured and extremely humbled to receive the title of Kraft Hockeyville 2011.

Takin' Care of Business

"Taking care of business (every day)
Taking care of business (every way)
I've been taking care of business (it's all mine)
Taking care of business and working overtime
Work out"

                   - Takin' Care of Business by Bachman-Turner Overdrive (BTO)

I haven't written a blog post in about a week and a half because I have been so busy taking care of business!

There is a lot of business to be taken care of when you are trying to start a new life in a new country!

In the last week or so I succeeded in setting up a bank account. Well, almost. I'm still waiting for my all the information to come in the mail but at I got that out of the way so I can get direct deposit payments from one of my jobs (the other one pays cash). Having a bank account will also make it easier for me to pay my rent online instead of having to walk to the far east side of the town to bring it to the right bank branch. 

I also accomplished the task of applying for my National Insurance Number. Everyone who works in the UK has to have a National Insurance Number and if you are not from the UK you have to register and attend an interview to verify that you are eligible to work in the UK. So I went to my interview that seemed kind of pointless because the man just interrogated me about my life; asking questions that didn't seem to be of any relevance to my eligibility to work. But nonetheless, that is another piece of business that is out of the way. Now I am officially allowed to work in the UK.

Which I have been doing for about a week now. But before I could do that I had to finish my training at both of the places, which is much like the Smart Serve training in Ontario. But I had to sit and fill out a 6 page written test about the alcohol licensing law of Scotland, the effects of alcohol on people, and how to deal with people in a licensed establishment. The training had to last 2 hours and it was exactly the same at both places but each bar has to have proof of every staff member's training. So, I am now able to check that off the list and officially be allowed to work in the bars I am employed at. 

All of this business that I have been taking care of has really got in the way of my social life! Well, actually, the business alongside the fact that money is getting pretty tight. The Becca that I am right now is someone that people back home would not recognize! Because I have been so focused on getting everything set up for my new life and I have been very cautious with my money-spending, I haven't really gone out and met many people or done many exciting things. My nights mostly consist of staying at home, making friendship bracelets and watching movies - trying to get to bed early to be prepared for whatever I have to do the next day. I have kind of shocked myself with all my responsible-ness! But it suits me just fine. I am completely content with spending most of my time by myself at this point because I know the time will come for getting out there and building up the more social part of my new life here. That will be a different kind of business to take care of - not so much stuff I want to get out of the way - more exciting and Becca-like business. 

Don't worry people, I will live up to my social butterfly reputation soon enough! I just gotta focusing on T.C.B for right now!

Whistle While You Work

"Just whistle while you work
Put on that grin and start right in to whistle loud and long
Just hum a merry tune
Just do your best and take a rest and sing yourself a song"
                                            - Whistle While You Work from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

So I now officially have two jobs! I have been without work for over a month now and as much as it was refreshing and fun it was also taking quite a toll on my wallet. So I am relieved to be able to get back to the grind and make some more money. The only hindering feeling I have about these new job opportunities is that they aren't really new. I think this feeling may have been sparked by something a regular customer at one of my jobs said to me a couple months back. I won't name any names, and some of you who are reading this already know this story but this is roughly how the conversation went:

Customer: "Have you ever had any other job besides waitressing and bartending"
Me: "Well, I've been doing this for about 6 or 7 years now. So, no I guess not. This is really the only real job I've had"
Customer: "It's quite a rut you can get into isn't it?"

I'll get back to that comment in a minute.
I've decided to use this Disney song for my post today because it is a useful message in the situation I have found myself in (and it also goes perfectly with the theme of this blog).
I like working at restaurants and pubs. I like meeting people and hearing their stories. I like making people laugh - or at least smile, showing that they are having a good time. I like building a relationship with the staff. I like the fast-paced, high-pressure type environment. But I know that this is not the career I want to have for the rest of my life. I know that at some point I am going to leave this type of work and never look back. So, it is hard for me to get too excited about these new jobs because it isn't a step forward in my work life. But...

"When hearts are high the time will fly so whistle while you work."


In accordance with this line in the song, I am keeping my spirits up. Because I know in the future when I am busy working the fabulous career that I decide to pursue I will look back on the years that I worked behind a bar and think, 'wow, where did those years go?'
Besides, as I said, taking work in a licensed establishment again is only unproductive in the 'work' aspect of my life. Taking these jobs, starting a life in Scotland - that is totally productive to my overall life! I am learning to make things work without the help of anyone else. I am making friends. I am living in freakin' Scotland! Not to mention the fact that I am going to be making money to fund more adventures in the future.
Therefore I say to heck with the theory that I am in a rut! I am not in a rut. I chose to pursue employment at these places! Not because I am incapable of finding work elsewhere, or because it's the only thing I think I am good at. Because I enjoy this line of work and I know that someday I will make the choice not to pursue a job in a restaurant, bar or pub. But until that day comes, these jobs suit me just fine thank you very much!
So I will be doing just what the song says, I will go into work with a smile on my face...

"And whistle while you work
Come on get smart, tune up and start
To whistle while you work"

Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open

"We can do some living
Or spend our whole life hopin´
In the end we´re left with
The one we chose
So I´ll do my dreaming with my eyes wide open"
                                     - Dreaming With My Eyes Wide Open by Clay Walker

It certainly feels like I'm dreaming with my eyes open these days!
I have settled in to my new place quite nicely - it would be hard not to with such a great flat! Check out the pictures of my beautifully spacious room!

Things are really starting to look up! I printed off 20 resumes yesterday and spent a couple hours in the afternoon walking around my neighbourhood handing them in to different pubs and restaurants. A few places seemed very promising, especially a place called Lebowski's just around the block. Some places informed me that it wasn't a great time of year for business and they might be hiring in a month. And others simply wouldn't take my resume, saying they would not be hiring any time soon. I brushed those kinds of places off and kept on trucking. I stopped after handing out resume number 13 because it was starting to get dark and I figured that was enough for one day. At the last place that I visited I stopped to have a refreshment before heading back to my place. I talked to the bartender there at Maggie Dickinson's Pub in Grassmarket and he solemnly informed me that he wasn't convinced I would be able to find employment in any licensed establishment. He said it had taken him a long time to find a job and advised me to be patient in looking for a vacancy this line of work. Well, needless to say, that was unsettling news. But, knowing that I had a pretty solid resume and loads of experience, I felt that maybe this wouldn't be the case for me.
And wouldn't you know it! Upon arriving home, I received a phone call from a lady at a sports bar/pub just a little more than 2 blocks away called Footlights. She asked if I could come in for an interview at 12:30 ("half twelve") the following day. Yes!
Just a few hours later my mobile phone rang again. This time it was a man from a pub just about a block away called Thomas Bar (I think). He asked if I could come in for an interview on Wednesday at 4:15. Woohoo!
So, today I went to my interview at Footlights and I think it went very well because I literally JUST got a call from Lee (the manager that interviewed me) and he wants me to come in for a training shift on Thursday!
I also got another call today from the manager at a bar that is actually 3 doors down from my house called The Cloisters. It's a pub that is connected to a church! He wants me to come in for "a chat" tomorrow and I think he said he was going to give me some shifts next week!
Geez Louise! One day I am listening to a guy telling me that I won't find a job and the next I am handed offers left, right and center!

"Come the morning light - forever from now on
Gonna do my dreaming with my eyes wide open!"

But, I gotta keep my head on straight and keep in mind the wise words of Mr. Walker in this song,

"Until I learned that one step forward
Will take you further on
Than a thousand back or a million that ain´t
Your own"

Consequently, I will take each job offer at a time, always remembering to stay true to who I am and what I desire in a place of employment.

I'm on a roll here people! Stay tuned to find out where this young hopeful will disembark from this jobsearching journey!

PS: Isn't my room sooo cool!?

Feeling Good

"Birds flying high, you know how I feel
Sun in the sky, you know how I feel
Breeze driftin’ on by, you know how I feel
It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, it’s a new life for me
And I’m feeling good!"
-    Feeling Good by Michael Buble

Today I found a home. At last.
All day yesterday, after seeing approximately 10 flats across the city of Edinburgh, I was getting rather discouraged and exhausted in this endeavour. Granted, I had only looked for 2 days but it’s really tiring! I went back on www.gumtree.com and www.spareroom.co.uk, contacted about 7 more people and scheduled more viewings for the next day. I went to bed, repeatedly telling myself to keep my spirits high and reassuring myself that something will come up. But it was difficult believing this after what had happened last night. I had found a really nice place with a large window – access to the roof, another fireplace and very pleasant potential flatmates. They had a few more people coming for viewings but I did my best to convince them that I was the best candidate for the room. Later on in the evening I got a text saying that they had told their landlady about me but she would not allow me to take the room since I did not yet have a job. My plan was to get a home then a job. Now I was beginning to think that I had planned it all out backwards. I really wanted the room so I asked for the landlady’s number so I could assure her that I had the money to get me by in the first few months and that I had full intentions on seeking employment immediately. But – no dice. The girl leaving the room wanted to get the searching for a replacement over with last night and wouldn’t waste anymore of her time with me. So, upon receiving that strongly-worded text I felt the oh-too-familiar waft of feeling homeless thrust itself upon me once again. But tomorrow is a new day!

“Sleep in peace when day is done that’s what I mean,
And this old world is a new world and a full world for me.”

This morning, feeling a renewal of spirits, I woke up in time to get ready for my 9:30am viewing just down the road from where I am currently couchsurfing. To spare you the boring details, I showed up, saw the room and the whole flat (spacious and clean), liked it a lot, met the landlady, hurried across the street to take out some deposit money, handed her 50 pounds to hold the room for me, and tomorrow morning at 11:30am I move in! While she was busy informing the 5 other people she had scheduled viewings with that the room had been taken, I was down the street in a Costa coffee shop sipping on a mocha informing the 6 other people I had scheduled viewings with that I found a home!
Walking back to my temporary home, this song was playing in my head.

“Oh freedom is mine and I know how I feel,
It’s a new dawn it’s a new day it’s a new life,
And I’m feeling good!”

Now to print off about a gazillion resumes and start looking for a job!
(I will post pictures of the inside of the place tomorrow after I have moved in!)

The Littlest Birds

A pendant I wear to remind me to keep singing

"The littlest birds sing the prettiest songs..."
                            - The Littlest Birds by The Be Good Tanyas

When I was in my undergrad this was a kind of theme song between me and my four closest friends who all lived together. We loved the idea behind it; maybe then taking it in as a reflection of us being little chicklets in the big wide world - going to university to learn how to sing our song! But now, when I listen closely to the lyrics, it takes on a whole new meaning to me. It speaks of exactly how I am feeling at this point in my 'adventurous' travels. The song starts off:

"Well I feel like an old hobo, I'm sad lonesome and blue
I was fair as the summer day, now the summer days are through
You pass through places, and places pass through you
But you carry 'em with you on the souls of your travelin' shoes."

Now, don't start thinking that I am regretting leaving or that I am feeling sorry for my lonesome self. I am just putting my life in perspective (again - what else is new). I recently had a revelation that as soon as I get back to Edinburgh I am completely alone and I have only myself to depend on to get the ball rolling in making a life for myself. I have to start from square one - I am like an old hobo getting back on my feet.
This past summer was perfect for me. I went traveling across Canada and came back to two jobs basically handed to me; giving me the opportunity to instantly begin making money to fund this trip. But things are going to be quite the opposite when I return to Edinburgh from this two-week trip I've been on. I am well aware that now the summer days are through and I'm going to have to work a lot harder to get what I want.
And the last part of this verse is just a really nice way to think about traveling. I'd like to think that all the experiences I have will stay with me and I'll carry them along in order make well-informed decisions in the future.

"I got the wanderin' blues
And I'm gonna quit these ramblin' ways one of these days soon"

These 'blues' that I have are more of a realization of the calm before the storm. As I am in Dublin for a couple more days I am just eager to get back to Edinburgh and get started in trying to find a flat and a job. I have made arrangements for approximately ten room viewings for when I get back on Thursday and I am just lamenting the fact that I can't just go right now. But, alas, I am stuck in Dublin - Natalie has left me and the friends I meant to visit are all busy.
And as for quitting 'these ramblin' ways', well I am just as eager for that chapter of my life to begin as I am for my traveling to continue. The whole idea behind me going on this adventure was based on my presumption that at some point I am going to want to settle down and be subject to responsibilities that will hold me down in one place. Hence, why I wanted to get all this traveling out of my system before all that takes control of my life. So, yes, I know for a fact that one of these days I will quit these rambling ways!

"Well it's times like these I feel so small and wild
Like the ramblin' footsteps of a wanderin' child"

After having this revelation about my loneliness (well, lets go ahead and change that to indepedence instead), I have been thinking about how I am venturing off to begin this new life and I have little-to-no preparation or direction. Just throwing myself into this whirlwind of firsts all over again. First home in Scotland. First job in Scotland. First friend in Scotland. It's like I am a kid again, getting ready to experience all these new things! It's exciting to be a 'wanderin' child'! But also kinda scary! That's why I keep in mind this quote that I really enjoy,
"Courage is doing what you're afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you're scared."
 - Eddie Rickenbacker
 And so, as the song goes,

"I am not too blue to fly, no I'm not to blue to fly 'cause the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs!"

The Beauty of Uncertainty

Due to a lack of access to the internet I have not been able to keep up to date with my blogging but I intend on catching up with the next few blogs that I write.

"I need no protection from my bullet-proof plan."
                                 - The Beauty of Uncertainty by KT Tunstall

I have been a fan of KT Tunstall's music for several years now and I have especially loved this particular song. As most of my friends know, I have the habit of being obsessed with knowing lyrics and placing more importance on what songs are actually saying than anything else about them. But in the case of this song, I have always loved listening to it without even thinking about what it means. That is, until I decided to move to another country and start a new life by myself on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Coincidentally, KT Tunstall hails from the same country I am moving to - Scotland!
As I walked around Edinburgh, checking out the city that I am about to move to I realised how much uncertainty there is in my future; and how excited I am that I am completely unsure of what is about to happen in my life.
This song rang true even more after I had found the most perfect flat and called the search off only to find out a few days later that the letting agency wanted me to give them way too much money up front. So, although for a moment I was certain I was going to stay at the most beautiful, spacious flat with a great location and a fireplace, I was wrong. And now, the search continues.

"I've got a ticket for all that I lack.
You might think that I'm always gone but I know that I'm coming back."

This verse comes to mind when I look at all the criteria and requirements that each flat listing entails. When Tunstall talks about having a ticket for all that she lacks, I think that it means that she acknowledges her imperfections and failings and is taking full ownership for these limitations. In my case, I hold a ticket for all the money I lack! This makes it less easy to find a nice flat to move in to. However, there are several places that are within a reasonable price range, I just have to spend more time looking and sending emails. The second half of this verse is kind of funny when placed in my case because everyone knows that whenever I go away on these little travels I always end up coming home. That won't change this time around. I know I'm coming back - and so does everyone else!
But nobody knows when!
Oh the Beauty of Uncertainty!

Blackbird

“You were only waiting for this moment to arrive”
                                                      - Blackbird by The Beatles

I haven’t written a post in a while because I have been so busy.
I was in London for 5 days last week and I got to walk across the Abbey Road crossing outside the Beatles’ Abbey Road Studios. So I decided it was only fitting that I use a Beatles song for my post on my London visit.
I am not quite sure what the actually context of this song is or what it is supposed to mean but I tend to hear songs the way I want and relate them my own life. This tune speaks to me as a song about freedom and new horizons. Hence, another reason why I chose to use it for this post.
Being the first stop of my trip, London was the beginning of my

“Blackbird singing in the dead of night.”

To me, singing in the dead of night means entering into something that is lifeless and taking on the responsibility of adding life to it. In other words, this trip to Europe and my life hereon is only as exciting and interesting as I make it. I have the intentions of making the most of my travels and I think I am doing a pretty good job at doing so.
While I was in London with Calla and Natalie I got to see so many beautiful and interesting things: Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, Big Ben and the Parliament Buildings, St. Paul’s Cathedral, all the funky bridges, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, Abbey Road, and the walk along Southbank was especially delightful. Check out my pictures of some of these pretty sights.

“Take these broken wings and learn to fly.”
                                    

Now I’m not going to take this part to be all melodramatic and say that I was broken and this trip is mending me or something. However, I do see this line to be a bit metaphorical of my situation before boarding that plane to Europe. I wasn’t “broken” whatsoever. I was happy being home and keeping a busy life working two jobs. But I had a goal in mind when I moved back to the farm: To stay there for only a few months – enough time to save up some money to buy a flight to a new adventure. So, to relate this verse to my life, living my normal, same old same old life back home was in a sense being grounded with broken wings. And so, learning to fly would be gathering up the courage to eventually venture out once I had the means to do so. Consequently, here I am no longer “waiting for this moment to arise” for I am in said moment now.

And off "into the light of the dark black night" I go!