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Yippee!!! I'm home. Not that I don't enjoy our summers near Hearst but being away for almost six weeks is enough for me.
Strange as it might sound coming from someone who summers in the great outdoors, after a few weeks, I get claustrophobia. A trailer is small, yes, but it's more than that.
Northern Ontario has LOTS of bush. Even the roads are just narrow ribbons laid between miles of bush. Claustrophobic. Add to that the fact that there are things that go bump in the bush - like bears - that keep me bound to the trailer deck. No walking, no biking, no hiking. Claustrophobic.
The town of Hearst itself, with a population of about 6,000, is a nice town. But it takes 70 minutes of driving eastward to reach Kapuskasing - the next town of any size. Heading west is worse - it takes 5 hours to reach a town bigger than Hearst. Claustrophobic for this Southern Ontario girl, used to driving mere minutes to see the sights and sounds the next town has to offer.
Hearst's primary language is French. While I can stumble along in my second native tongue, I am far from fluent enough to hold easy or in-depth conversations. With anyone. Trailer neighbours or store clerks. For this girl with a gift for gab - very claustrophobic.
And so, I am glad to be home. Definitely, I'll be ready to head back up next summer, but for now, home and my favourite knitting chair feel great.
4 comments:
I see what you mean, although I would love the opportunity to immerse myself in French-speaking surroundings! For five minutes, at least! One of my favorite memories of Paris is dining out with my husband, closing my eyes and not being able to understand a WORD of the conversations around us! That was really nice.
Welcome back! When we go to the cottage, I do everything I can to avoid going into town, but we are only there for a week or so. Six weeks? yeah, I'd feel claustrophobic, too. Sometimes, you just need to get out.
Cabin Fever in a modern cabin! Good to know you are home again.
Glad you're home! Your reference to Northern Ontario has given me a major Gordon Lightfoot earworm...."and still I'd like to tell her that I miss her so, in North Ontario..." :-)
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