Finding Europe in Ottawa

"How would Canada compare to Europe?"

This was my greatest concern upon coming back. Would I be disappointed? Would Canada seem boring after I had finished visiting everyone? Would I become disillusioned and dare I say it, discontented with my home country? These were some of my fears upon returning, yes I'm being slightly dramatic, but they were some of my concerns.
Clearly Northwest Ontario does not compare to Europe, that much is obvious, but what about Winnipeg? After living there for the first 12 years of my life and after numerous visits all I can say is not really. Upon flying into the city I realized that many things, especially the buildings are not European. *Sigh*
And then suddenly I was off to Ottawa where I knew I would get obvious glimpses of Europe.

I was excited.

Eyes wide open I searched for the continent I had left a mere three weeks before and... I found it.
Ottawa in winter is a pretty exciting city - I was surprised at how many adventures I had there and how closely they compared to some of the others in Europe. Okay, well the experience wasn't exactly the same - most obvious was the fact that almost everything was in English with a little bit of French sprinkled here and there - but the same level of wonder was there.

Music: The National Arts Center. Probably my favorite spot in the entire city. This massive architecturally amazing building houses the capital's theater and... their symphony.
I had to go.
So I bought a ticket to their next performance: Sibelius, Haydn and my favorite: Beethoven. The evening of the concert arrived, and I dressed up because I knew it was going to be grand. Little did I know just how grand...
The atmosphere in the building was magnificent; men and women strode around holding wine glasses that shone under the golden lights. Chandeliers hung down the middle of the spiraling hexagonal staircases illuminated the lounge chairs full of dignified people. All of the staff were dressed in tuxedos or blazers and graciously guarded the entrance until the time came for the performance to begin. I was already dazzled, and then the music began: this was where I wanted to be.
I cherished every bit of music and thoroughly enjoyed myself - I was even able to speak French with the couple city beside me! It was wonderful. And after looking at the 2015-2016 concert schedule and seeing there $12 ticket deal I knew that I would be spending many more evenings there in the fall.
As for vocal performances, I found out about the Cantata Choir, a group of forty talented individuals who sing classical (baroque, classical, romantic and 20-21st century) music. I was able to go to their Springtime Romance concert that was almost entirely based on songs from Song of Solomon, with other love songs sung in between. They sang in English, Italian, German and even Hebrew, filling the cathedral with music so perfect and I almost cried. Ahhhhh, music.

Festivals: Winterlude! Grandeur and class can be found in the concert halls but also in the crystal sculptures that crown the parks downtown. These pieces of art seem to defy science and weather in order to stay intact, posing for the tourists that come to behold them. I had never been so affected by ice.
But things get a little ridiculous across the border in Quebec where snow slides and dance parties raged - that's what happen when people try to keep active in the -30 weather. It was a festival and everyone, except for the odd screaming child, was having an awesome time.
And then there's the canal: 7.8 kilometers one way, or pure enjoyment - especially when it's lightly snowing. My favorite quote came from a young man skating past with his friends: "This is Narnia like weather!" because I was thinking the exactly same thing.
The winter festival was absolutely charming and had the same flair that many of the European marketplaces and celebrations have. Absolutely delightful, I was literally just walking around eyes and smile as wide as possible, drinking in my surroundings. Sometimes I think I'm still six years old in the sense that the world just astounds me - it holds so much wonder and I can't get enough of it.

Architecture: The buildings! Finally I found a Canadian city with European buildings!  Okay, I know Montreal and Quebec City have them too, but I haven't been there - at least not yet. But just walking through Parliament and the Chateau Laurier and the Notre Dame Cathedral - with all of their European influences - revived me, I was thrilled to "go back." At least this is as close as I can get to that intriguing continent for now, but I can tell you it is calling me and I'm just saving up and waiting for the right moment to return. Another factor to Ottawa's intrigue it's age, another reason why I love my neighbourhood there. It's old and sophisticated and full of history and adventures - my favorite.

Society: Connected. In Europe you are always connected. Always. Whether its by train, or by bus to different cities or countries, or whether its just media and information that hits all sectors of society. I suppose most cities are like this, but seeing as I haven't really lived in one for a while, Ottawa revealed to me what networking is and how it works. Buses everywhere, people and politics all mixing together, everyone knowing everyone in some way, and the collaboration between companies and also churches was fabulous. Once you get into Ottawa and engage in your workplace or church, you immediately get connected.
And the people are so happy to help. As soon as I mentioned I would be learning Spanish in university people would say hey, I have Spanish friends or relatives that I can connect you with. And this was literally after knowing them for 15 minutes. Nobody is shy here, at least not at public events because its all about the connections which is something Europe also encourages. This really makes the city vibrant and life gets full, so I'll have to watch that when I start my studies. But it really makes you feel alive.

Food?! For the most part I made my own food, but the restaurants I went to were excellent. Over the month I had some Thai, Italian, Chinese, and of course some real poutine. Great food, wonderful atmosphere -classy: Europe. Food and more networking, what could be better? Well maybe if the prices were just a bit lower... I'll have to watch that as well!

So there you have it, a quick overview of the music, festivals and culture, architecture, society and food found in Ottawa. Personally, I would have to say I had adventures that were "Europe worthy." Of course its not the same and Europe still holds my gaze, but Ottawa is going to be a fabulous home for the next four years! Adventure is out there!

A Capital Adventure

Ottawa.
Everyone says its a beautiful city, either from personal experience or because they know somebody who lives there - it would seem almost every Canadian knows someone who lives or lived in Ottawa at some point. Well everyone reading this blog post will soon know one more, because I'll be living there for the next four years starting in September.
As God would have it, I was able to scout out the city during my time there last month - February 8th - March 9th 2015 to be exact - and I am certain I am going to enjoy my time there come fall. There were three components to my time in Ottawa, my internship at the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, getting myself situated for the university in the fall, and then my favorite: just having fun. But in all truth, I was extremely blessed throughout all of it and thoroughly savored my time in the capital.
Let's just say that Canada proved to be more exciting that I thought.

Part 1: The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada
Being an Intern at the EFC allowed me to see what really goes on in Christians ministry organizations and how hard they work in order to further the Kingdom! I was astounded at the vast array of projects and immense networks they have and by their wisdom. Just they way they connect people, ideas and plans... Wow. I transcribed interviews for the current research projects on Global Missions, a topic that interests me greatly especially after my time in Europe. After listening to the interviews I was asked to write my reflections  in a research paper, something I (as a writer) very much enjoyed! I was very thankful to be of service to the EFC and help do some of their more time-consuming tasks (e.g. a 60 minute interview takes three hours to transcribe and edit, lets just say I am now a ninja typist!) They have asked me to continue working with them in the fall and I am excited to see what that looks like. It has been very encouraging to see what is going on in the world of this Christian ministry and how it is impacting Canada for the kingdom.

2. Getting settled in the Capital
So through some emails and networking I ended up getting a place to stay for $100 for the month I was there. I had never met the people, never even heard of them, they didn't know me, so it was up to God to see how this all worked itself out. After landing in the city, I got into a taxi and we worked together to find the address. In the process we turned down a street and went through some kind of a time portal because we began driving through an upper-class neighbourhood from the early 1900's.
It was beautiful.
Gently falling snow graced brick walls and wooden porches, perching on the grand trees lining the sidewalks and wrapping the car in a storybook silence. The taxi driver looked at me and said "You must have some good connections." Now that I think about it, I should have just smiled and pointed up.
This neighbourhood with its huge mansions, walls covered in vines waiting for spring, and grand pianos that peak through sun room windows definitely inspired the writer in me and teased my romantic side - we shall see what becomes of it...
We drove up to what was to be my new home and I was soon welcomed into a lively house filled with small chandeliers, numerous fire places, and a newly renovated basement with a fish tank in the wall. Of course the most interesting and entertaining part of the place was the two children, six year old Elizabeth and two year old Matthew. They are absolutely adorable and hilarious. Some of my favorite moments include being locked in the kitchen by two foot high chairs (because clearly I can't get out of that) and participating in a Frozen themed birthday party. The daily good morning smile and friendly wordless phrase from Matthew always made my morning while playing Playmobil with Elizabeth brought back some serious flashbacks! I got to know the parents, and the other two tenants in the house - we all got along wonderfully. So many funny moments, a few games nights, and even a Disney sing along in the basement with their curious piano. I was just so thankful to fit right in and have such a good time with the family. I guess it all went so well that I will be boarding with them during my time in university! I wasn't too keen on living in residence, and after seeing this neighbourhood, living with the family, and exploring the location God decided this would be the best place for me to stay for my first year at Carleton. The university is a thirty minute walk away and there is also a bus stop at the end of the block that will get me there in less than ten minutes I think.

Speaking of the university, I was able to get a campus tour and talked to three people from my program - everyone had great things to say. The campus is lovely: bordered by the river and the Rideau canal which means skating is definitely going to become a new habit (more on that later). There is also a park nearby which is going to be absolutely zauberhaft in the fall - I am already anticipating the fall colours! Lots of interesting things on campus including tunnels and a train, 8 coffee shops (good thing I only drink tea!), as well as a huge newly renovated library. The Sprott School of Business where most of my International Business courses are going to take place is in the Duncan Tower that is rumoured to be taller than parliament... But maybe that's just a Carleton legend. Either way, I'm sure this university is training up some of the capital's next leaders and I am looking forward to meeting then next year!

So, the housing situation is perfect, Carleton is where I'm supposed to be, but what about church? Little did I know that Ottawa has an amazingly vibrant Christian young adult population that I get to be apart of! And they have some super solid churches, God is working everywhere and now I get to see Him in different parts of Canada. Love it! My dad did some research and found Celebration! Church, not only was it solid theologically but they picked up new people, sounded perfect! So I emailed them and asked if I could have a ride which provided me with my first friend and a social connection in the church. That helped out before and after the service and next thing you know I was invited for their weekly lunch outings after church. I basically felt adopted into the group and it was awesome. Being an extrovert and extremely curious about other people (I believe every person has something to extremely interesting to share that I can admire and/or learn from) soon made friends and found my place in the group. These relationships continued to develop at the Friday night small groups when we studied the book of James and talked about practical applications in our lives. I was so blessed by the honesty and the transparency of the group and how serious everyone was about their faith and living it out at work or school! And because most of the ladies were a couple years older than me I could really learn from and appreciate what they had to say. We also had some great laughs - not everything in Bible study is serious.
But the teaching and sermons were great, and the worship especially. Mostly new songs, but with very scriptural sounding lyrics, almost like contemporary hymns. Lots of harmony and a definite city hipster feel to the band, but it didn't distract don't worry. It was just so refreshing and encouraging to see another church full of the Holy Spirit and striving to live out the Bible and follow Jesus. And most of the people are under thirty. Awesome. However this does mean I'm going to have to find a senior home to visit!

It doesn't end there. There is also this thing called Church on Wednesday that is put on by Celebration! and two other churches in the middle of University of Ottawa. Basically its a church service in the center of the student building for university students, UofO or Carleton or anyone walking by. I was able to go to two services there, one was finishing up Philippians and they are now going through 1 John, and about 70 students come to this. And get this, this is the first year they've put this on. Super exciting!

Side note: One of my favorite things is that everything is so multi-cultural and international and diverse, especially the churches. I love it. I told my parents I wanted my friend group to look like the United Nations and it is on its way!!!

Now part three is about all the fun touristy things I did during my time in Ottawa but I will save that for another blog post! Figured I wouldn't make this one too long.

As to where I am right now: I spent March Break with my family in good old North Western Ontario and am now moving to Winnipeg where I will be working over the summer. I will finally be in one place for over three months! YES! Truthfully I'm a little tired of packing up and flying around and not knowing where I'm staying. So aside from a few visits home here and there on the weekends I'll be staying put. Until I go back to Ottawa that is.

But hey, at least I'm staying on the same continent!