Monday, January 5, 2026

My time in Canada: an assessment

I have been in Canada since July 21 or so: five months and not enough days to make six months.  Close enough to make an assessment or sorts, although I dare not format it.  I need to put my thoughts on paper and see if they can coalesce or are just a bunch of ramblings with no connecting theme other than I don't know what to do with my time.

My time in Canada has been a mixed bag.  Some good things have happened, but there has been much disappointment and many things that I imagined would happen, haven’t, and I don’t know if I should be sad or glad about these non-things. 

Here are some other thoughts that I will jot down and tinker with as they occur to me:

The RCIA program has been fine and I very much like going to Mass.  If it wasn’t for the program and the mass, my "return" would have been a total bust.  Being able to take proper part in the eucharist is a goal would going for.  All else shouldn't matter, whether it be this blog or fitting in or my video making.

I miss my Jenny.  Women: you can't live with them or live without them.

The price of things is horrific, and so there are many aspects of Canada that are closed off to me.  I have nothing to say about tipping because going to a restaurant with table service is beyond my budget.

The amount of immigrants in Brandon has seemingly nullified my being able to say I have returned.  It isn’t the same place.  Is it better for it?  A difficult question.  The faith they exhibit in Church is something to be said for them.  Their taking over entire industries is not.

As for those things that I hoped would happen: it is just as well they didn't, that they were non-things.  I don't need them. It may be a cliche to say, but they wouldn't help in my quest or even define my quest.

This crazy woman living in my brother's house has stopped me from going to Winnipeg, I hate to say.

The used car I took a chance on has worked out well in that it has been reliable.

My son has not yet blossomed into maturity.  He still prefers to live a settled life, sitting in his room playing on his devices.

I do have good neighbors.

It is nice to not have to use a VPN to access things.  The great firewall of China sucks.

My job hunt has been a bust.  I do on-line stuff and my fund raising job is a solitary thing and isolating, much as I like driving out to the small towns.

Trump hatred is a crazy thing, and I have to avoid those who have it.

I am very much the outsider in Canada, and I have been asked why I have come back.

But I have had some good encounters with friendly strangers.

Letter grade for my return: D minus.

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Pictures I snagged off the Interweb

 Any guesses as to who is the fellow in the bottom photo?