Leaving, on a jet plane

A jet plane disguised as a turbo prop flying from Victoria to Vancouver. At least that is as far as my ticket is booked at the moment. In true roll-with-the-punches VSO volunteer style, I am not panicking about the fact that I have no confirmed ticket from Vancouver to London, or London to Lusaka. I have been told it will be taken care of, and at this point I still trust it will be. If not, it will be a tour of Stanley Park and then back home...

It's a strange feeling to be leaving Victoria. Not only because of the excitement (and fear) about what lies ahead, but because of what I feel for this place and the people here. I have not actually lived in Victoria for seven years now, and for many years I have managed to distance myself from my roots here. But after an extended stay this summer, and a chance to reconnect with this place and my friends and family here, I feel once again that it really is "home". And, to paraphrase what another VSO volunteer recently wrote, it's good to know what your answer is when someone asks you where home is.

So thank you to everyone here for a wonderful summer. Especially to my parents, for making me feel at home, and to all my friends for taking the time to visit with me. And to all those elsewhere, my roots may lie in Victoria but they still extend all over the world to be with you.