In closing

Oh hey! It has been AGES since I last wrote something.

Today is a big ol' snow storm, so it's the perfect time to write. I didn't initially plan on having such a gap with my posts, but as you can imagine, my life post-Botswana has been a little crayyyyy. I went through a considerable adjustment period. Botswana -> Canada = CHANGE. It wasn't so much the cultural reintegration, but more so the drastic lifestyle change I experienced. To go from living off the grid where everything was laiddddd back to constant socializing, texting, emails, and phone calls?! PHEW it was a lot to get used to! It does feel amazing to be back in Canada though. Especially to be in Halifax. It's beautiful to see the people I care about in the flesh!

First, let's get some things out of the way (which happen to be things that a lot of people have been asking):

1. No, I do not have a life plan. Yes, this is stressful! But I'm working on it.
2. Yes, I miss Botswana all the time.
3. No, the winter isn't awful, it's AMAZING!
4. Yes, I was wandering around the country for a while, but I'm back in Halifax now I promise.
5. Yes, I'm thankfully still on the yoga train.
6. Yes, I'm still working on the fatherhood research.

Things I'm hoping to do: find legit employment, finish my masters, get yoga certified. Otherwise, it's all up in the air.

I wasn't really sure how to structure this last post, so I've decided to simply give a play by play of what has happened since I got back. A whole bunch of random/possibly interesting things have happened. Read along if you feel inclined!

Our debrief at the Coady was a mere two weeks long, and I have to admit that I was more than a little sad to leave the amazing comfort and love of our group. I miss the other interns! Although I was originally skeptical of how useful debrief would be, I'm now INSANELY thankful that we had that time. It was the perfect buffer period between our six months abroad and our previous Canadian lives. I learned a lot, and got to hear some pretty amazing stories.

Here are some pictures from our last week of debrief.

One of the countless flip charts we put together during various activities. I really like this one, it's funny but also true!

We're cute!

I honestly think that this is the BEST way to describe what it's like to come back to Canadian society. Everything is the same, but we're now seeing our old world through a very new lens. It's all green to me these days!

A lovely visit to the Halifax seaport market. I love it here!

I loved when the interns got to meet my baby brother. He's the best!

YAYYY the Tall and Small in Antigonish. I had a turkey pesto sammie and almost died!

Look at us smiley Coady graduates :)

A stop at my favorite beach, Malignant Cove <3

A fun time with open mic (I luckily redeemed myself from my Botswana open mic nightmare!)

Featuring Adele on guitar :)

The three best pals <3

I seriously love this picture SO much.

Teddy bear stands because why not?

Macbook partyyyyyyy! 

We had a precious pin ceremony where we formally inserted our pins into the already heavily pinned Coady intern map

I went there!

We graduated. I got a Coady X pin!

The aftaa partayyyyy with the special guest Adam, our amazing coordinator

A certificate in Development Leadership- not bad at all

Emily I stole this pic from you- this is us at our super lovely Coady secret santa. All the gifts were from our various countries. SO much fun, SO much intern love!

Waiting to give our brief speeches

If you happen to be interested in hearing the thoughts of all the amazing interns, click here to see a Youtube video of our graduation ceremony (wow, getting more tech savvy errday)!

After debrief was over, it was a crazy week or so, and then it was Christmas. I also randomly did an interview with Global TV Halifax to talk about my experience. It was an EARLYYYYYYY morning, I had to be there at 515am, but luckily I had enough adrenaline to jolt me awake. The staff was super friendly and welcoming and overall I was happy with the whole thing. Fortunately I don't get too phased by public speaking.

To see me talk about things on live television, click here.

Getting ready to go on.

Wooooo!

It was fantastic to be home for the holidays, but I also think it made the adjustment a little more intense. That time of year usually means a lot of craziness and materialism! The plus was that a lot of people were around and feeling festive, so I was definitely soaking up the energy. Here are some Chritmas-related pics:

Maura stayed with us for a little bit after debrief. My wonderful mother made us this tray from heaven. Maura and I tackled that brie wheel like nobody's business. Mmmmm BRIE!

We got to see Kaytlyn, another lovely intern, for a short while in Halifax. Mint chocolate- yummmm!

We made a gingerbread village!

A snowstorm!

Christmas dinner for the winnnnn! SUCH A MASSIVE TURKEY! So so so delish.

The LeBlanc Christmas tree- my momma has great decorating abilities!

A truly beautiful Christmas dinner with 12 of us enjoying the feast <3

 Of course a visit to Lawrencetown beach was in order. I LOVE that beach.

I'd say Christmas was a 10/10.

Then, Neek and I got adventurous. My mom happens to work for Westjet, so my brother and I get really, really amazing flight deals. Because of this, we spontaneously decided that we'd finally see the one province we hadn't visited, and hit the road for a New Years in Newfoundland. WHAT an experience that was! Maura was our amazing host and our five days there were a TOTAL blast. Let me just say that hearing a Newfie accent in real life the most out of control thing on the planet! Sometimes I honestly had NO idea what was being said!!! We learned all kinds of things, like what mummering is (SO creepy), that taking shots of screech is a bad idea, and that asking for directions in Newfoundland can take LOTS of time (true, hilarious story). Here are some pics from our visit:

Reunitedddd!

Gorgeous or what!

Up on Signal Hill

Climbing over SO MUCH SNOW

Cape Speer, the furthest Eastern point in North America. I've never seen such big waves!

Oh hai.

Our before picture for NYE.

Our after shot. We sure know how to clean up when we wanna!

A really memorable accordion concert in Maura's living room.

Quidi Vidi, a PRECIOUS little spot.

Colorzzzz

Saying goodbye to the rock.

So, it was suddenly 2014. Weird!

One thing I've been wanting to do for AGES is the polar dip. Last year was my first Christmas on the East coast in AGES so I was AMPED to jump in the icy waters of the Atlantic, but I got a concussion a few days before NYE and my doctor gave me a firm no on doing the dip. Womp womp. This year, I wanted to do it in Newfoundland, but that place was COLDDDDDD, like hypothermia cold, so I compromised. Although it didn't happen until January 5th, I finallyyyyyyy did it, and even managed to convince Neek to come along. We got ready, ran in, dove under the waves, splashed and screamed, and ran like the wind out of the water. I don't remember the last time I had so much adrenaline. I felt so alive! Another dip may be in order before the winter is over.

Stripped down, read to go

RUN!

Getting ready for the big dive in! 

Retreat! Retreat!

PHEW WE DID IT!

Getting our limbs back.

The polar dip crew.

I then decided that since I had literally no plans, and the freedom to fly for basically nothing, I did a trek out to Saskatchewan and Toronto to see a few people who are very important to me. It felt beyond strange to come back to Canada and NOT see my people, so it was therapeutic to actually hug the folks I'd been missing for months and months. I had a really beautiful welcome, and even got to see two of the Coady interns! The week was a lot of fun, and despite the cold, I was happy to be back for a short visit. Justice, David, Sarah, Kath, Novakowskis, I love you guys! Here are some pics from Sask:

You two!!! Such a great reunion. <3

Karaoke starzzzzz at the gay bar- it was the best karaoke I'd ever seen!

Maybe not the best photo but I love you both so much (and stay away from frozen lemonade plz)!

Oh haiiiiii lads and company! David and Justice, I love you both! The dynamic felt amaaaazinggggggggg.

Coady reunite! YAY!

Volunteering a bit with my soul sister Sarah <3

Here is my time in Oakville and Niagara. Tay, it was a perfect visit!

The falls!

We're cute and rode the ferris wheel. 

Pretty!

Rainbow!

Also, back in Hali,

FREE skating at the Emera Oval in Halifax- everyone should do this!

Figure skates are NOT a thing.

Skate skate skate skate!

Snow storms are so lovely!

I got back almost a week ago, and now here I am. One of the best things has been rejoining the INSANELY TALENTED AND MARVELLOUS Xara Choral Theatre ensemble, which was named the top women's choir in Canada this year! Go us! To feel the Xara love again has healed my soul. I'm serious, this group is the best thing I've ever been a part of.

I love Xaraaaaaa!!! 

We have a show coming up at the end of this month, and you do NOT want to miss it! It's called Constellations, and it's going to be incredible. Although I'm not able to sing in this performance, I'll be doing a movement piece for one of the intense songs of the show. Here's the poster!

See you there!

So.
After a copious amount of gallivanting, it's time to really dig in and get my life sorted. It's scary to not have solid life plans. This is the first time I haven't had a next step laid out for me. But with this uncertainty comes great potential for new and exciting changes!

I think of Botswana and the kids I love there each and every day. I navigate through my life with a much different perspective than I had eight months ago. But this change is definitely for the better! In Botswana I found strength I didn't know I had, and it feels good to come back here equipped with that.

Blogging has been an unexpectedly enjoyable thing. I really appreciated just how many people reached out to write me while I was over there. If I find myself on an international adventure again, perhaps I will resume this trend? But now that the wild adventure come to a pause, I think it will be nice to live my life quietly for a while and figure things out.

If you ever have ANY questions about the Coady International Institute, Stepping Stones International, our research on fatherhood, the village of Mochudi, or even Botswana, please feel free to contact me!

shilaleblanc@gmail.com

Thank you so much for reading along, it has been a true pleasure to share this experience with you.

Lots of peace and extra love,

Shila