A month of surprises!

APRIL

On the 16th, I (Wonda) flew to Canada. I went to Newfoundland to surprise my Mum for her 70th birthday. All of my brothers and sisters flew in from all over Canada plus a few of Mum’s grand-daughters, nieces and a nephew, sisters. It was all a big surprise to her - she just thought her local friends and a couple sisters would be there. There were 16 surprise guests in all. It was great fun, and we spent the next 4 days hanging out with each other and doing some site-seeing while looking for ice-bergs. I got to see a couple friends while I was there too, which I was very thankful for.

I then flew to Nova Scotia to go to our old homestead and see how it is holding up. I had arranged to see some friends and was thrilled to get a bit of time with a precious few.
There was so much for me to do that I didn’t get much time at home. Being at the old house is isolated because we don’t have a phone there. I did find a few things that I wanted here with us, but I didn’t even have the time to light a fire in the kitchen woodstove and sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the quiet. I did get a few nice visits with my grandmother though, so it was a good trade-off.

I never had time to call friends except one who I never got to see. This friend calls me ‘whirlwind Wonda’ and I certainly lived up to the name on this trip home! Obviously I need more time at home… or need to go home more often… or both! I enjoyed it all, and it was over way too soon. Then, for me, back to Switzerland to start the new month with a new French course, and to start back to work. Get into the groove.

Ken… on the other hand, has just been bounced out of his groove.

Ken’s job exists as agreed by Northwood University and the Swiss partner. The entire partnership was re-negotiated in March and April. Ken expected some changes, but nothing as drastic as what turned out. The MBA administration will be re-organized, which eliminates Ken’s position… It was a shock.

He will finish at the end of June and take his vacation days in July. We are staying here and Ken will continue with his doctorate program. He is already looking for the next position, so hopefully something will happen for him soon. Some uncertainty in his life, but he has a positive attitude (now that the initial shock is past) and sees this as an opportunity for something new and better!

early MAY

I just got back from Canada on May 1st in the A.M. after a sleepless night flight across the Atlantic. I fell into bed for a few hours sleep before getting up to enjoy the Friday afternoon and evening with Ken. We had a lot of news to catch each other up with. We had a leisurely walk along the promenade and enjoyed the warmth (22C), the sun, and all the beautiful spring flowers and trees. I am happy to be back with the man I love.

Saturday we had a nice brunch at home and then spent the whole afternoon at a wine festival. It was warm and sunny which made it even more enjoyable, we got our glasses and went from stall to stall, cellar to cellar. Towards the end of the afternoon, we bumped into 3 MBA students and spent the last hour with them. We had invited them to a wine fest in the fall, so it was nice to see them there, sipping and learning.

This weekend May 9th, we will go to another wine fest in the next town just east of us. We enjoyed that one last year, there were more food options, more music entertainment and there was more stuff for the kids to do (that means less whiny/bored kids). It is nice that these events are such family affairs and all ages attend. These festivals are the ‘first spring event’, so neighbours are out talking to each other and the atmosphere is friendly and laid-back.