I completed a year here in Canada.....a few days back! Time sure flies! 21st of Feb 2015 around 7pm I land at the Toronto Pearson International Airport. It was cold......I had flown straight from Dubai via Paris. After living in the Middle East for the past 13 years.... Brrr! It was freezing here!!
The first 2 months passed by searching, connecting, applying to quite a few companies for a job. It was a bit frustrating as days passed by not knowing when I would find a job or if I would get a job in my own field. An advise that I was getting from well-wishers ......"pick any job"...."don't be choosy"..."get some Canadian experience".....was freaking me out! Why should I pick any job? If the job was to play a movie star...sure! But that was not what they were hinting at.......being in retail...they were pointing at me applying for a "shop girl's" position.
Am glad things worked out my way....got a job in my own industry and I couldn't have asked for a better Company! It was a cold call that I had made. First day...interview with 2 AVPs. Next day interview with the VP for Planning! A week / ten days later, a voice mail on my phone (had missed the call) from the VP updating me that they were still interested....just that the process was taking long since the company was a part of a big Conglomerate, the Corporate HR procedures were being followed. In just over 2 months here I was with a job in a Company that I really like.....and my Bosses are all so nice! People say I'm lucky!
In April of 2015 I did a bit of travelling inside Canada. I visited Niagara-on-the-Lake in Southern Ontario where you have the Niagara Falls. It was a beautiful day and it was awesome to see the Niagara Falls which I had seen in books/magazines/movies.
Niagara Falls....awesome sight to see.
Here's a church that I passed by as I walked down to the Niagara Falls. Nestled between the leafless trees just at the bend of the road....it looked quaint and beautiful.
I also got to explore a bit of downtown and midtown Toronto. To walk around with no hurried agenda is something that I really enjoy. Love the old houses, the architecture....it's so rich.
Casa Loma in Toronto. This is a Gothic style house and the history about the man who owned this is equally fascinating.
CN Tower (on the right looming from the trees) visible from Lady Mary's bedroom in Casa Loma.
Spadina House was another old house that I visited. This is now a museum.
It was again in April that I flew to Calgary a small city in the province of Alberta.....a city that is beginning to grow on me.
Calgary Skyline
Another small town I got to visit was Banff, located in Alberta's Rockies. This is a resort town and is a popular touristic destination.
8th August 2015 - Chuffed to bits! My first challenging hike....2300 feet vertical gain / 17 km / about 6 hrs!! National Geographic describes this hike as one of the World's 20 Most Thrilling Trails!
Crypt Lake, at last! Worth the long hike!
8th September 2015 - Weekend Trip to the Okanagan Valley, BC. Walking from one vineyard to another in Kelowna and Penticton tasting wines and buying bottles of most of what we tasted!
The Buck that Sal and I chased away! (Sal, owner of the vineyard where we stayed. Sal in the above photo pouring me some wine...."just a splash"!)
4th October 2015 - Another great hike that I did, Rawson Lake Hike. Rawson Lake is a beautiful alpine lake buried in the mountains above the south side of Upper Kananaskis Lake in the shadow of 10,414 ft Mount Sarrail. The trailhead is at the farthest end of the Upper Kananaskis Lake parking lot which offers amazing views across the Upper Kananaskis Lake.
Upper Kananaskis Lake from where we started the Hike.
None of us expected snow when we started! And here we were....but it was really a good hike!
Rawson Lake
2015....it was an exciting year! Coming to live in a brand new country, new job, new company, new colleagues, new friends! It's all worked out so well. Am grateful for that!
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