Taking the bad with the good...

Current location: Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia
Current activity: Chilling
Current favourite thing: Canadian beer

So I've had a really up and down week. I'm not even sure why, but I guess it's the way of travelling - the good parts are amazing, but the harder parts can be really difficult.

I spent Saturday til Thursday in Halifax, which is the biggest city in Nova Scotia. I was couchsurfing, but unfortunately my host was ill, meaning I had to entertain myself almost entirely during my stay (originally we were going to a festival over the weekend, but had to cancel due to his illness). It was a bit of an adjustment after travelling with someone else for 5 days, to suddenly being on my own a lot. I think it was a combination of this, with being in a city where everything is spread out and unfamiliar, and a bit too much time on my hands. I had my first moments of missing home - nothing serious and I got through it pretty quickly, but it was my first few pangs for Bristol and my friends and family.

The Eastern Shore beaches

There were some really awesome bits though - a lovely drive out to the eastern shore beaches with another couchsurfer, the best croissant in the world, a really fun couchsurfing social (where I got to demonstrate how bad I am at pool), good burgers and cheap beer, lovely people... I also had a chance to visit some local community projects - a co-working space, a community art night, an urban farm - all of which have given me things to think about.

There was two really stand out things that I did during my stay there. The first was a weekly open mic night that happens in a local house. It's been running for four years, and they've opened pretty much every Monday night during this time. Each musician plays 3 songs, and they usually have around 12 people playing. It was a magical atmosphere, partly due to the way it was equally welcoming and accessible to first timers as it was to accomplished musicians. I stumbled home at 1.30am with a massive grin on face.

The second thing was meeting Sophia, who is one of the people who runs Placemaking and Co*Lab, two really inspirational projects that are happening in Halifax. Despite being super busy, she offered to let me come along with her wherever she was going that evening. As a result, I ended up on a university radio station having my hair braided (her friend runs a show called "Braidio", where she braids people's hair whilst interviewing them), talking about origami cranes and wassailing. I was then fortunate to be able to sit in on a meeting she was having with a few other people about a local urban design/community engagement project. It was amazing to be able to hear some of their vision for Halifax, and also watch a team of people work so efficiently together. I'm aiming to go back to Halifax to get involved in the next Placemaking project, hopefully doing some origami bombing and maybe a bit of hobnob baking...

I guess I'm just ready to spend a bit longer in the same place, with a constant group of people. Five days isn't long enough to get to know people and a place especially in a city - I've met some great people and gone to some great places, but timing means that I haven't had a chance to really cement those relationships.

I've spent the last couple of days up in Tatamagouche, visiting Petro, a friend of one of my good friends in Bristol. She's living up on a farm here while working for an environmental consultancy that is run by one of the guys on the farm. Despite some slight issues in finding a way for me to get here (the closest bus stop is an hour away...), I've had a really amazing time here. It's really reminded me that what I came to Canada for was to live a simple, sustainable life, and that's certainly what they're doing up here. There are 10 adults and 5 children currently living on the farm, living in community, often cooking and eating together. I'm staying with Petro in "The Pod", a strawbale building with no running water or electricity. I've been relaxing, helping out a bit on the farm, going to folk concerts and farmers markets... It's been a wonderfully chilled and enjoyably couple of days and it's a shame my visit is so short.

"The Pod"

Sunrise after being woken up at 6am by a woodpecker...

However, tomorrow I go to my first proper farm. Let the wwoofing adventure commence...