9 months in: reality bites!

It's been 9 months since I entered the so-called ~real world~ after coming back from my internship in Haiti. I am not quite sure whether the timeframe is a coincidence OR life's clever way of telling me that my youth has died and I have been reborn as a 9-to-5 replicant. Either way, allow me to paraphrase the 90's best young adult angst film, and proclaim: post-graduation blues (PGB) bites!

As I have expressed in previous posts, I was able to delay my PGB blues by leaving Toronto as soon as I finished my degree in May 2012 to go chill and work abroad. Much like death PGB finally caught up to me, as soon as I got back to Canada on December 2013.

Unlike death, though, PGB is not forever. Most of my friends and acquaintances seem to be very much over it or doing a great job at pretending they are. And after all, what is reality but our perception of it?

To clarify, my PGB has less to do with missing university as the institution and more with missing university as a space to meet like-minded people to befriend, date, casually chat, hate on, or network. I have yet to miss studying for exams or writing essays that would please my professors.

It is not uncommon for recent and not-so-recent graduates in my network and outside of it (new york times, buzzfeed, twitter, facebook, etc.) to complain about how hard it is to meet new people or keep in touch with old friends and acquaintances once you finish University. And this rings very true to me.

At university, I met most of my friends in residence, at house parties, and events or clubs on campus. I also met some of my friends in class.

After university I lived in New York for a summer and I was in intense travel mode all throughout. I met most people through couchsurfing, which made it easy to meet other people who were travelling, working there for the summer, or visiting. I actually made some really good friends on that trip but I can't exactly hang out with them, unless I am willing to drop upwards 500$ in flights and accommodation per visit.

I then went to live in France through a government-funded "Language Assistant" exchange program to teach English. Besides being in travel mode again, I was in a rural town of southwest france devoid of (cool) young people so everyone in the program, or at least most of us, became instant friends. There were people from all over the world and we somewhat keep in touch, I believe those who are still in the same general area in Europe see each other quite often. I will definitely go visit them!

In my last stop in Haiti, it was difficult to make friends because of security guidelines BUT because of the same guidelines, I would hang out with the same expats every week. Eventually we became friends. Maybe not lifelong friends but friends.

These 4 experiences (University, New York, France, and Haiti) have one thing in common in terms of socialization. The context almost forced me to hang out with people in a similar situation as me on a regular basis - whether they were students in Toronto, travellers in New York, language assistants in France, or expatriates in Haiti. This made it more likely to find friends and the occasional cute guys.

Now that I'm back here, it's different. I am often too tired to go out after work. I also live in a suburb far away enough from Toronto that it's inconvenient to go "downtown" unless I have solid plans. I do go out on the weekend but I tend to just hang out with my friends and I already know them! I guess I could make friends at work, and I have, I am lucky to have a great work environment with lots of people my age (note: LOL as if anyone would say otherwise online but I swear it's true). I am also outgoing enough that I get along well with most people at the office. However, I rather keep my work life separate from my weekend life.

Rebeca in Haiti: Volume I

After a speedy recovery from my ankle fracture, I have managed to abandon Canada, once again. This time, for Haiti! I am doing a 10 mont internship in World Vision Canada (WVC), although I am actually working in the World Vision Haiti (WVH) office in Port-au-Prince for more than half of that time. My trip there was delayed by about a month and a half due to my broken ankle but that time was not lost! I got to learn a lot of what goes on in the WVC office and I had a lot of time to read a lot about Haiti and the development initiatives & challenges in place. 

Why am I doing this?

I have always been interested in people and how we relate to our environment and so I am constantly looking for work and academic opportunities that allow me to explore these relationships. This time is not different. I am working in Humanitarian Emergency Affairs & Disaster Risk Reduction, which involves helping communities cope with risks associated with their environment. It's a mixture of community development and disaster preparedness. It’s very exciting work for me.

I also think this is a great way for me to start (or at least try out) a career in international development. Not to mention that I'm getting paid for it! In these sour times for recent grads, that's a major bonus...

First Impressions…

Honestly, I feel really good about everything so far. Port-au-Prince reminds me a lot of San Salvador, where I was born and raised. In both places you have an omnipresence of mango trees, economic inequality, and terrifying traffic. I haven't had the chance to go to the field very much but I did hit up some touristic spots in Jacmel and the Côte-des-Arcadins. 

Work

Work is going well. My field manager and I are getting along and truly working together, it helps that we have a similar background in environmental studies. I'm still getting the hang of things but I am already collaborating on cool DRR projects. At times it can be a challenge to figure out how my responsibilities fit in with other initiatives in place, especially since the office is going through a lot of changes -- from a post earthquake focus on relief to long-term programming. A good thing is that my colleagues (including my field manager) seem to understand the Haitien context very well and will often give me a hand with things...

Daily life

Our accommodations are quite comfortable. I share a flat close to the office with a fellow intern, which is good for company, and we each get our own space. 

I must say I was surprised by how the food is a bit too expensive -- by how everything is a bit too expensive. Well, at least I can find everything I want in the supermarket (Port-au-prince 1-0 Périgueux). $4 for bbq pringles? Why not? #yolo. And I have re-discovered a lot of food that I used to enjoy in El Salvador, except for green mangoes. I am still on the hunt for those! 

The only difficult issue is transportation. Because of security concerns, we can't ride on tap-taps (the main means of public transportation) so we must rely on office cars or other people to get around. On weekends, it can be a bit of a hassle but so far we haven't had much trouble finding a ride. Hopefully that won't pose any problems in the future. 

Tap taps 

Entertainment

Well it ain't berlin you know, but there is fun stuff to do. I can't say I am disappointed because I wasn't expecting Port-au-prince to be crazy party central anyways (maybe it is and I'm just a loser, though). There are plenty of beautiful beaches, which more than make up for the lack of nightlife, and also the occasional awkward house party/networking opportunity. Oh, and Netflix here is better than in Canada so on that front, Haiti 1-0 Canada. 

Finally, I thought that I would be able to get by with my french but most people here speak (or prefer to speak) creole so I'm trying to get some creole lessons! 

**Keep in mind that I have only been here for about a week so there’s definitely more to see and to experience. Scroll down for some pictures**

Kenep or "mamones"

Jacmel

Kabic beach in Jacmel

Kabic beach in Jacmel

DRR game during a community event hosted by the Department of Public Protection

Kibby or Kibbi -- what I thought was a Haitian dish it's also Lebanese!

The view from my rooftop

Indigo Club, Cote des Arcadins

Found Peruleros! Whattup

Montreal Revisited

I went to Montreal last weekend on a spontaneous family trip, which is always fun (no sarcasm here, I really do love my family). I have been there many times before, mostly to visit friends, and once at the tender age of 18 to take advantage of Quebec's lower drinking age. I have always thought that Montreal is to Toronto what Solange is to Beyoncé: quirkier, more fashionable, and cooler but less powerful, and with less money (probably). And even though Solange is amazing and beautiful, would you dump Beyoncé for her? Probably not, right? 

Well this time I really saw Montreal with different eyes. There is no need to compare it to Toronto or Solange or Beyoncé; it is amazing in its own right and I desperately want to move there! Why I am only realizing this now? Keep reading...

1. I am over Toronto. It's the first place I lived in after I immigrated to Canada so it obviously holds a special place in my otherwise cruel heart. However, I did go to High School and University there so as I am starting my career, I am also yearning for something new.

2. I have had the chance to go to many places since the last time I was in Montreal. I had brief but significant stints in Buenos Aires, New York, and a small town in France called Périgueux. I also visited Santiago, Brussels, Milan, Berlin, Budapest, Krakow, etc. Those experiences helped me form an idea of the kind of city and lifestyle I want. For example, I would prefere a place with a strong and varied cultural scene; a mix of old and new architecture and brownstones; a rich history; good food; plenty of green public space; a large body of water nearby; mixed-used zoning; good public transit and a biking culture; an ethnically, culturally, and economically diverse population; and the very scientifically proven presence of a "chill vibe". In this trip, I found that Montreal is perfectly able to fulfill those needs, more so than Toronto, which is rapidly handing its soul over to "economic growth".

3. As a North American port city, some areas in Montreal mimic my beloved New York but unlike Toronto, it doesn't try to be New York, which is awesome. Its vague European flare also reminds of two of my favourite places, Berlin and Brussels. 

4. Finally, after going through quite a few immigration procedures, I realize that moving to Montreal is more reasonable than moving to any of the cities cited above because, you know, VISAS and shit. 

So there you have it. I love Toronto but long live Solange. 

Here are some random pictures of MTL, most of which I did not take:

Park Jean Drapeau - by me

"Chill vibe" - by me

With my brother in Park St. Louis