I was born and raised in Calgary. I used to know the streets like the back of my hand, with a mitten on. I was able to get things done in the city, because I knew how it worked.
Not a lot has changed, but it’s different enough now. It doesn’t really feel like the same city, but, then, I don’t really feel like the same guy who left.
We’re coming up on four years that I’ve been away. When I’m in Toronto, I’m from Calgary; when I’m in Calgary, I live in Toronto. I haven’t been away long enough to belong to just one city. I guess, that’s just a matter of time.
I haven’t seen any of my friends yet. I came in on Christmas Eve, dropped my parents off at a family gathering, drove myself home, ordered a pizza, ate some pizza with my sister, then we picked my parents up. I saw some of my extended family for about 15 minutes. When we got home, we sat around and chatted for a couple of hours. It was kind of nice.
Christmas Day is rather boring. Everything is closed, except for what’s open. There’s not much to do, unless you have something to do.
Today, Boxing Day, my sister and I drove to a mall, then drove passed it when we saw how busy the parking lot was. We then went to a SportChek closer to my folks’ place, but my sister didn’t find any sneakers and I just sat on a bench. I was able to plan some get-togethers today, so it was productive.
This evening, my sister and I made a trip to Higher Ground for a tea (me) and a hot cider (her). While waiting in line, we both remarked on how the atmosphere of the place hasn’t changed, only the people. Our drinks felt hotter than we remembered them ever being.
For the last few months, I’ve been compiling a list of things that I want to bring back with me. Other than that, there are two pictures of the city that I want to take. I’m really just visiting Calgary for a few days.
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