It was challenging to say goodbye to my kids in Korea (and I still miss them a lot), but luckily I had some people I was missing in Halifax. First order of business was getting a burger, which happened within the first 24 hours. If you followed along during my time overseas, you would know how desperate I was for Canadian food. I still get Korean meal hall flashbacks... ick.
I certainly hoped for a seamless return to my Halifax life but I'd be full of it if I said that it was an easy transition back home. The biggest, most stressful challenge was finding a job. I was sending applications to Halifax a month before I was even back in the country. Each time I opened my resume folder (or my savings account) my inner stress jumped slightly higher. I was hustling with little success.
In the end, I sent out FORTY FOUR applications. I spent a nail-biting period from June to mid-July hoping to all the dieties that something would come through. It got to a point where I was considering a door-to-door sales job when I finally had a stroke of luck. I was hired by Community Justice Society! I am now a caseworker for the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Program. I work with youth aged 12-20 who are on probation and support them in completing court-ordered community service hours. I also facilitate restorative justice circles. It's a challenging role but I love it very much. Working in the justice system has been incredibly educational and I believe with every fibre of my body that restorative justice is the future of justice in Canada.
(Fun fact: as of November 2016, Nova Scotia became the first province in Canada to offer restorative justice to both youth and adults! WE ARE GROUNDBREAKING! If you ever want to discuss or learn more about restorative justice, I'm your gal. My enthusiasm about it is HIGH.)
Once this piece fell into place, some stability returned to my life and it has only improved since then. Here are 20 highlights to my year back home.
1. I moved in with Rory. I was reeeeeal nervous about living with a partner since a) I hadn't done it before and b) I am a commitment-phobe in general. But I am happy to report that Rory is the best human, and that moving in together was a really great turn of events! Plus, Rory found us a winner. Our view is a dream!
2. Soon after returning, I had lots of fun company! Adam (a colleague in Korea and guitar extraordinaire) came to Haliwood for a visit. We made some fun music and saw the east coast sights. It was great to see you Adam!
I also had a lovely catch up with Dani and her partner Kaelan who stopped by from Ottawa! It was great to see these cuties!
3. My pal David got married to Dana in beautiful Cape Breton, so we spent a few nights there reuniting with my friends from the prairies.
4. I spent pretty much all free time swimming in the ocean.
5. Rory's twin Ann-Marie got married to Kent and it was a totally stunning and beautiful event.
6. Rory made me the best birthday cake in the world- a chocolate mousse masterpiece from heaven:
7. I jumped back into Xara Choral Theatre Ensemble as a facilitator for our girls leadership program, a member of the board, and of course as a singer. We created two beautiful shows this year. One was a whimsical holiday show (photos by the talented Sydney MacLennan):
Another was about the role of midwives in the Halifax explosion:
8. I also did a bit of music on the side (both on my YouTube account and at gigs in the city)
9. The girls I work with made this in one of my sessions:
10. I SAW JAMES BLAKE IN CONCERT IN TORONTO AND ALMOST DIED OF HAPPINESS.
11. My beloved friend Corey got me supplies to paint along with Bob Ross- this is one of the best gifts I've ever received! Painting continues to be a great source of joy for me.
12. I had a really, really restful Christmas holiday which involved being lazy, drinking wine, creating lovely cheese boards and then devouring them. We got a real live Christmas tree! I also dog-sat my precious baby Boo. You can see her putting on her best "give me bacon" face below. It was a treat.
13. The annual January 1st polar dip is most definitely still a tradition!!!!! Shoutout to Kallie for joining me this year!
14. I made my first GIF (of the perfect interaction):
15. My nephew has somehow gotten even cuter:
16. It took me a while to find a weekly groove, but yoga is still something that I lean on for mental and physical health.
17. Rory made me this perfect mug:
18. Through all the ups and downs, my friendships have deepened a lot this year. To my Haliwood pals (and long distance ones), I love you so, so much.
19. My jade is doing beautifully:
20. Last but not least, MY BESTIE SARAH CAME FOR A VISIT! She was here for a week and it was the beeeeeeeest!!!! She left a couple weeks ago and I already miss her so much.
So all in all, it has been a good year in Halifax. I'm grateful that my Korean kids are so connected. It has been a breeze to keep in touch with them compared to the kids in Botswana. My newsfeed now has random Korean text here and there which was been a fun thing.
Blake is currently in India doing an internship, so clearly I was the only one to kick the travel bug (for now anyway). I do miss traveling but I think you could call my current phase of life "adulting." Now that things are WAY less interesting, I am happier to have a life that is less on the grid.
In closing, thank you to everyone who has followed along, written me snail mail, and kept in touch. If you ever want to connect, my email is shilaleblanc@gmail.com. And I promise to start this up again if/when another adventure strikes!
Much love!!
