Summer Days

It's less than a month until my last summer in Winnipeg comes to a close and I thought it was high time that I take a moment to reflect on what these Winnipeg summers have meant, and especially to share some about the current one.

I have been back to Winnipeg for summer work 3 times since I started at EMU in 2009 and each summer has been completely different. My first summer was filled with loneliness, during my second I crushed my pinkie and built relationships with church folk, and this last summer has been about family. 

Maybe it's that I have been gone two years this time, or maybe it's that I have no plans of coming back, or possibly it is just that I have family in town, but I have not felt the need to connect much to Winnipeg over the past 2 months. I have seen a few other people, and of course I am going to church, but knowing that Winnipeg will not continue to be home for me has encouraged me not to build too many new relationships or connections. 

My work (hulling boxes, driving two, three and five ton trucks, and operating forklift for Winnipeg Harvest - a surplus food redistribution center  for Winnipeg food banks and soup kitchens) has kept me occupied, in shape, and mostly content; I feel like I am doing good, necessary work and usually enjoying it.

And my family has been a built in social network for me. It was great to be together with all of us for almost two whole months. Sure we drove each other somewhat bonkers, but we had fun and got to know each other again as well. Plus there has been all the stress of packing up my parents house and shipping their stuff off, with my brother, to the new family home in Kitchener, Ontario. That took a surprising amount of time.  

Almost two weeks ago, we took a last dash camping trip together for old times sake. It was great to be the 5 of us, pilled into two 3 person tents, and cooking dinner on the camping stove overlooking the lake. I can't believe that us three 20-something-year old siblings still agree to cram into a tent together, but it was wonderful. 

Now that the older three (the 'rents and the brother) have left town, Hannah and myself are living it up during our free time. A night on the town for sushi, a boatload of glee episodes, weeding and lawn moving at the house we were watching, and a Doc Walker concert on Friday. Plus I've been adding evening walks to my routine.  And there are still the circa-daily talks with the boyfriend. 

All in all I am content to let this summer happen. Nothing too big, nothing too memorable, but good and well. And in 28 days I fly to Virginia. 


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