Untukmu Para Pengunjung

Happy Canada day for yesterday. Of course, it was a surprise for us to be in Canada for this day, but we proudly wore red and white and ate burgers and corn on the cob to celebrate our nation.
Some things I like about Canada:

- Freedom of speech, freedom of thought, freedom of religion, etc.
- We have lots of food here. I mean, LOTS... (have I told you I'm averaging 6 meals a day since being home??)
- No one knows what a Canadian "looks" like - we're a very diverse people
- Pedestrians have the right of way
- There are lots of trees and green space
- Being nationalistic in Canada means that you're tolerant of all people
- I don't feel afraid - even when walking alone in the innercity at night
- Canada borders two oceans and there are lots of lakes
- You can drink water straight from the tap
- You don't have to mix your milk from a powder - they sell it fresh everywhere
- There is lots of electricity
- Women can wear pants without being labeled as prostitutes
- We're not a military state; you don't see soldiers walking around the streets
- There are dogs, but they're not wild nor desperately underfed and vicious
- With your cell phone, you can make a call that will actually go through immediately
- Politics are boring, not life threatening
- etc.

Those are some of the things I'm appreciating about the true, north strong and free this year. As for adjusting... well, it's an emotional roller coaster. I feel new things every day. Grieving for Zimbabwe is a complicated grief, because in a way I loved Zimbabwe (the people, the way I was growing there and being part of something significant and meaningful, the adventure, my friends and family...) and in a way I hated Zimbabwe (watching people suffer, self-censoring all of my speech, feeling stressed constantly about what could happen next, living in a place that continually gets worse and knowing that it is because of poor leadership, ethical challenges...) My family is all so relieved that we're back - they can stop worrying about us. But now I have a whole host of people to worry about, and yet I'm not supposed to stress. Of course there's stress in Canada too. Because we have so much choice here. What cell phone do I buy? Where should I live? How much is reasonable to pay for rent? What type of ice cream do I want? What should I do with my life? The burden of choice - the burden of wealth...