And That's a Wrap...
Our trip back to Canada, and what comes next!
Welcome to “The Journey”, a newsletter from my little corner of the internet on Substack!
In this bi-weekly newsletter, I share experiences and observations from day-to-day life, bigger projects I’m working on, details I think you might find interesting about my recent photography or writing efforts, and the occasional broader life lessons.
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Life at Large
This week Michal and I returned home to Porto after a longer visit back to Canada. People regularly asked us about the experience of returning to Canada after being away for a year. During the first week back, my answer tended toward appreciating the beauty of spring in British Columbia. The trees are never more vibrant green, the flowers brighter, or the birdsongs more beautiful than they are in spring in BC. Toward the end of the trip, I was still certainly appreciating the beauty of spring, but the quality of the connections with family and friends became the center of my attention. Being a “visitor” with little else on my mind, and more time than I have had in the past to really just “be” with people was a gift.
It prompted me to revisit a blog post I wrote back in January 2023, as Michal and I were in the final months of preparing for our move to Porto. In the post, “Staying Connected Over Time and Distance”, I mused about the ways we could stay connected after we moved.
Looking back, I would have to say we have been successful in finding ways to maintain relationships over the last year, and the chance to spend quality time together again in person was the icing on the cake. We had a terrific visit back to Canada.
When we arrived home in Porto, we were surprised to see a carnival-like collection of food booths and attractions set up across the street from our apartment. We joked they were set up to celebrate our return. They are ACTUALLY there in preparation for the upcoming Festas de São João do Porto. This year marks our first time attending the festival.
The story goes that the festival started as a pagan celebration linked to summer solstice and revellers sought good fortune in fertility and abundant harvests during medieval times. At some point, perhaps in the 14th century, the Catholic church moved the celebration slightly to align it with the birthday of Saint John, and declared him to be the patron saint of the festival.
Prior to 1970, festival traditions included food - particularly roasted goat - music, and hitting people on the head with leeks, or slightly more delicately, putting lemon balm flowers in front of people’s faces for good fortune and/or fertility, depending which history you honour. In the 1970’s, the leeks and lemon balm flowers were traded for plastic hammers (who says you can’t commercialize a good whack on the head). These days, the Festas de São João do Porto is celebrated over June 23-25 in three main areas of the city, Fontainhas, Miragaia, and Massarelos. There are bands and other live music, roasted goat, sardines, and carnival-like attractions. Fireworks are launched from a platform on the Rio Douro at midnight, and of course, everyone has a plastic hammer, used to bonk each other on the head for good luck!
Last year we were travelling, and missed the São João festival, but this year we live directly across the street from the events and attractions that have been set up in Fontainhas. We will have front row seats to the shenanigans this year, and we are looking forward to it!
Projects
Although my attention has moved to new projects, I’m still finding opportunities to promote “Resilience in the Rubble: A True Tale of Aid and Survival in Kashmir”. While I was visiting my parents, a trend developed where every morning when I went out to help Dad work in the garden, I would sell a book on Amazon. A funny coincidence, but made the weeding a little less daunting!
I also enjoyed a few “random sales” opportunities. The most entertaining one was when Michal and I stopped at Otter Books on our way to dinner at a nearby restaurant. We thought we would get a quick photo of me pointing at the book, as it was featured in their window display. The store was closed, it was evening. I pointed to the book, and looked back at Michal for the shot. It turns out angles matter! Michal had to take several images before he had one where I was actually pointing at MY book, not someone else’s. During that time, a group of people who were passing by stopped, enquired what we were doing, and congratulated me on having the book in the shop. They then made a strategic error, stating they would have bought the book, had the shop been open. Well, wouldn’t you know it, I had a copy in my purse, and they had no further excuse, a sale made on the way to dinner, can’t beat that!
I also had a great experience in the wee hours of the morning last week, joining as the guest author with the Groove Cat book club in New Westminster. The members had selected my book as their monthly read, and invited me to join in their discussion about it. What a fabulous experience!
In the early stages of my next project, I have started the interviews with former colleagues who were involved in a deployment to Bangladesh in 2007 with me. I still don’t know exactly how that project will shape up, but it’s been a wonderful experience connecting with old friends and colleagues. I’m looking forward to seeing where the story from that experience decides it wants to go.
Photography
Michal and I both took our cameras to Canada, anticipating getting out to all our favourite locations for photowalks. That just didn’t happen. Our days were filled with other experiences and connections.
That said, I did spend a few hours in my parents backyard poking around. I didn’t create anything wall worthy, but it was a nice way to spend a bit of time outdoors.
Writing
While I was staying with my parents, my mum and I worked on a project to capture the story of her youth, her spontaneous decision to enter nurses training, and the events that followed. We are well into the project, and over the coming months I’ll release completed sections here on Substack, likely as a serial. It has been a very good experience, teasing more detail from mum about her life, and then putting it together in a structure that flows well. There is so much to learn, and I’m here for it!
Last Thoughts
Thank you for following along, on this sometimes nutty journey!
Just like last time, if you are still with me, please do let me know what you find interesting and want more of, and what you skipped over!
Until next time!
Kathy
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