Month: March 2021

Daejeong, le 31 mars 2021

All my professional life I have been in positions where I wrote a lot, memoirs, memos, reports, speeches, minutes, press releases, letters, e-mails… When I left Canada to come to Korea almost two years ago, many of my family and friends said: “Hey Alain, you write so well, you should write a blog about your new adventures.” Easier said than done. Professional writing and personal writing are two different things. Maybe the spelling and the grammar are the same but the words don’t come from the same place.

The last time I wrote personal stuff, about myself, my feelings, my life, I was a young man from Québec madly in love with a young woman from Saskatchewan. We had over 3,200 kilometers between us. Most of my money went to Bell Canada, Canada Post and Air Canada. We wrote a lot of letters, almost every day. I couldn’t wait to get home to look in my mail box for a letter from Steph. They were the best. Every free moment I had I spent with a pen and paper. I wanted to tell her everything, I wanted her to know everything. These letters were very personal.

Even after Steph moved to Québec, I carried her letters with me in my briefcase to read in the métro or while eating lunch by myself in a Café. Unfortunately my briefcase was stolen from my car many years ago and Steph’s letters were lost. I do carry the memories though.

I have been thinking about writing for a little while. How does one start? What to write about? How to make it interesting? I have also always been interested in reading but I’ve often complained that my professional life did not allow me enough time to read. Oh, I was always reading for my work, about architecture, urban planning, social development and politics. I wanted to read novels, biographies, the classics. I decided that my time in the métro, to go to and come back from work would be my personal reading time. I carried a “métro novel”. I got out of my head and into my novel fifty minutes every work day. Now that I’m retired, I’ve been reading a little more. I even joined a Book Club. We meet about every six weeks. There is not a lot of talk about the book itself but we do have fun.

During my volunteering at the school library, I met a local writer. After publishing four books she was giving writing lessons to some parent volunteers. I approached her and eventually started semi private lessons. So far, I have seen her three times. I heard about the Slice of Life challenge on February 26th, three days before it started. I thought OK, no time to think about it, let’s just do it.

Writing on a daily basis is certainly challenging. There is no time to think too much, no time to revise but I did it. This is Slice 31 and I’m happy to be done. It was demanding but I’m also happy I did it. Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!

Daejeong, le 30 mars 2021

I’m fighting to take off my bow tie.  It’s winning.  I am by myself in my house getting ready to go judge a mock murder trial organized by my wife’s ninth grade students.  Since my retirement not quite two years ago, I rarely need to dress up but in a few minutes, I will be a judge and I feel the need to look the part.

The last time I wore this bow tie was during the summer of 2019.  I was a member of Michel Brousseau’s International Choir from Montréal and Ottawa in Canada.  I am a bass singer in this 153 members choir.  We rehearsed one song for more than six months.  The fifty-one minute long Mozartz’ Requiem is to be sung in its original Latin in Saltzburg and Vienna in Austria and in Prague in the Czech Republic.  We are giving nine concerts in six different churches.  The required attire for the choristers is all black including the bow tie.

I have always struggled with this non clip-on bow tie.  It’s a good thing my wife accompanied me on this tour.  I always needed her help to do me up.  Stephanie had to learn the trick from Jeanne, Raymond’s wife.  He also can’t do his bow tie by himself.

Our first concert was in this beautiful church, they were all fabulously exceptional, in downtown Saltzburg.  We had just arrived in our hotel on the outskirts of the city the previous evening.  After breakfast, Stephanie and I noticed, from our room, the gathering of many of my choir members outside, in front of the hotel.  “I wonder what they are doing there so early?” I say.  “Our bus does not leave for another half hour”.  “Yes and we all know you don’t want to be too early” replies Stephanie.  Anyway, we slowly start to move to join the group.  Well, we were too slow.  It turns out there was a change in the schedule that I had not noticed.  When we got to the parking lot, the bus had just left… without us.

Stephanie and I did find our way on a city bus.  Because it was our first concert that late afternoon, we had a long repetition.  I was expecting our bus to take us back to the hotel for us to change into our concert attire but there was not enough time for that.  All my colleagues had brought their proper clothes to change in on site.  It’s the middle of July and here I am wearing shorts and a T-shirt.  Again, as I so often do when I’m in a jam, I turn to Stephanie.  There she goes off on the city bus to get my clothes and bring them back to the church as I go for a quick bite before the concert.

Classical music is not Stephanie’s thing but she has as she says:  “I feel so lucky to be admitted to the back rooms of these historical churches”.  She accompanied me into these back rooms to do up my bow tie because I’m too clumsy to do it myself.

These nine concerts were great successes.  Churches were always full of people who adore Mozart.  I sang in the church in Vienna where Mozart was married and in another where the Requiem was sung for the first time ever at Mozart’s funeral.  I got goosebumps.  Stephanie was always there to give encouragement, take pictures, make some short videos and, of course, help with my bow tie.  She would help putting it on and also taking it off.

Last Friday, Stephanie was at school.  I was to join her and her teenage students to play a role.  I’m a little nervous so I want to look my best.  I wear a suit.  When I come to the bow tie, I remember it’s not a clip-on.  I’m a grown man, I should be able to handle this small piece of clothing by myself.  I lift my shirt collar up and slip the belt of the bow tie around the collar.  So far so good.  It becomes quite tricky to buckle it up.  I’m in front of the mirror and, even though my fingers are not that big, I feel very clumsy with this tiny little buckle.  After a few minutes of looking at my fingers through the mirror, success, the bow tie is finally attached to my neck.  Now to tighten it.  If you can think of a few swear words of your own, I probably said them out loud and others too.  How difficult can it be to tighten a bow tie?  It is very difficult.  I am incapable to do it.  After a few minutes and more swear words, I’ve had enough of this bow tie.  Let’s forget about it and just wear an ordinary tie.

As hard as it was to buckle this bow tie, it was nothing compared to trying to unbuckle it.  Swear, swear, swear… and now I’m getting late.  I can’t be late.  I’m the judge.  They can’t start without me.  Swear, swear, swear…  I have another session in front of the mirror with my not so big fingers and this tiny, tiny buckle.  It has to come off but it doesn’t.  I consider cutting it off but how dumb is that?  I might want to wear this thing some other time when Stephanie is here to help.  I’m getting sweaty.  OK, let’s pull the whole thing over my head.  First try gets me up to my nose.  It’s too tight, my nose is too big, my head is too big.  Can I loosen the belt?  Can I shrink my head?  I try again and I get over my nose but my glasses are in the way.  The belt is over my eyes, I cant’t see a thing.  It’s too tight, very uncomfortable.  I succeed in taking my glasses off but I cannot get the belt past my eyes.  My head is too big.  And now I cannot get it back down, my nose is in the way.  I still see nothing.  I’m getting more and more frustrated.

I take a deep breath and go very slowly and… finally, I get the thing over my head.

To whoever invented clip-on bow ties, thank you!

Daejeong, le 29 mars 2021

Bob Mitchell was my wife’s dad! Bob Mitchell was my daughters’ Bapa! Bob Mitchell was my father-in-law! Bob Mitchell was my friend! He was born 85 years ago today. He passed away four and a half years ago.

Bob and I had a lot in common but three things were of the upmost importance to both of us. The first is family, starting with Stephanie. She is Bob’s daughter, she is my wife. Both of them were very close. She would often go to him for advice on anything and on everything. Bob had six children, six daughters, I have five children, five daughters. We exchanged often about family events, crisis, dramas, joys, what to do next, how to react or not to react.

We had politics in common. Both of us were left wingers, both of us were elected. He was elected four times in the Saskatchewan legislature. He occupied cabinet positions of minister of human resources, minister of labour, minister of justice, and minister of post secondary education. He was also a strong defender of Aboriginal Rights for years after his political retirement. I was elected three times as city councillor in the city of Montréal. I became member of the executive committee with responsibilities for housing, urban development, economic development, water and democracy. Boy did we talk politics, certainly enough to change the world if only in our way.

And then there are sports. Both of us loved sports. Except for a few golf rounds, we didn’t have the chance to practice sports together but we sure were good fans together. Bob and I would plan when Sandra and he would come visit us in Montréal around the National Hockey League schedule. Which weeks are the Montréal Canadiens playing three home games? Same for our visits to Saskatchewan around football season in the summer and fall. When are the RoughRiders in town?

Bob Mitchell, you are not forgotten!

Daejeong, le 28 mars 2021

Stephanie and I had just arrive in Colombo late the previous evening. From the airport we hired a cab to go directly to the train station to buy tickets for the next morning. I was told that tickets would go on sale only in the morning. The idea was to leave early to travel to Ella.

We have a very shabby room in an even more shabby hotel, minutes away from the train station so it is easy to get up early to get out of there. We walk to the train station to see a large crowd in several lines in front of the ticket office. It’s not obvious which line we should join so I go to the wicket where I was last night. A few men in uniform are traveling through the crowd looking like they know what’s going on. We stand out in this crowd. One of them spots us and comes to us. In a very good English he asks how he can help. His recommandation is: “You go in room 7 for your tickets and I will take your wife to the train to secure some seats”.

In room 7, there is another lineup but it goes fast enough. When I am next in line a man wearing a very fancy white robe steps in front of me. Of course I react: “Hey, there is a queue!” He turns around and looks at me with a smile without saying a word. I notice that every one else is also looking at me. I later find out that he is a Monk and is pretty much allowed to do whatever he wants and… he allows himself this privilege. My turn comes at the wicket in room 7 just to be told that I have to go back in the line I just came from. That first line is also quick and I finally get two tickets on the 05:55 to Ella, leaving in a few minutes, for a little less than 4,000 Roupies, less than 20.$.

I then walk to the train tracks. The crowd is very dense. There are many trains that all seem ready to go “Where is Stephanie?” I think. “Where should I go? How will I find her?” I don’t have time to think about those questions that the uniforme man finds me and guides me to Stephanie already seated in the Ella train. The train is already packed but she has a window seat. I stand in the isle. I later learned that, without Stephanie realizing what was going on, the uniform man kicked a woman and her child out for not having the proper ticket to make place for her.

Soon after departure, it starts to rain and it rains hard and almost all the way. Even though it’s December, it is HOT in Sri Lanka. There is no air conditioning on the train, only fans on the roof. The windows do open but they are all shut and fogged up do to the heavy rain. The train gets more and more packed with passengers at every stop. Soon I feel like a sardine in can. Coming to another stop, I think: “No way more people can come on, there is absolutely no room here.” Well, you guest it, the place gets more crowded and so on and so on at every stop. I am now touching and being touched, almost intimately, by people I have never met before.

Stephanie and I have travelled quite a bit before and usually know how to prepare. This trip is no different than others. We have a lovely “container hotel” waiting for us in Ella, in the middle of the jungle. We are to roam around monkeys, elephants, peacocks and other exotic animals and birds, we are to spend time at the beach on the Indian ocean, visit centuries old relics and temples. If only we had planned the train ride. It takes ten hours to get to Ella through beautiful mountain sights and remote villages but there is nothing to see through these fogged windows. We have no food, no water. Local people have come prepared. There are entire families spread in different areas of the car. Food and drinks are passed around mostly by the children crawling between the standing passengers.

The 05:55 to Ella turns out to be quite a ride!

Daejeong, le 27 mars 2021

I was reminded today about train rides. I’ve taken beautiful train rides in Canada, in the United States, in France, in Sri Lanka, in Vietnam. Some are more memorable than others. How about an eventful one in France in 2001 for today’s Slice?

I need to remind the readers that I have five daughters. Since we have had those kids, we have always taken serious summer vacations, most of the time ending up in the Canadian Prairies where Stephanie’s family is. In the summer of 2001, our daughters were 17, 16, 15, 11 and 4 years old. Stephanie suggested something a little more serious for that year’s family summer vacation. Her reasoning was: “Jaya will be 18 next year. For sure she will have a summer job and probably won’t want to vacation with her parents anymore.”

We ended up exchanging houses and cars with a French family from Tours, about 250 kilometers South-West of Paris. It takes 53 minutes by TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse). Some people live in Tours and work in Paris. They transit by TGV every day. We spent five weeks in France and went to Paris often, most of the times by train. Our passes were for the economy section of the train, which, I think should have been good enough. Not good enough for our teenagers though. All three of them always found a way to travel in First Class.

The first time we travel to Paris is a cloudy grey day. It’s our girls’ very first time there. Everybody is very excited. There was some talk about this journey before hand but once we get there it gets more serious. Our three teenagers want to wander on their own and meet us later. After some debate, and the setting of some rules, Stephanie and I agree that they are mature enough, they already know how to manoeuvre in a large city, they know the métro system which is similar to Montréal’s, and all three of them are smart. Also, both Stephanie and I were already quite independent at their age. One non negotiable rule: “All three of you have to stay together at all times”. So OK, let’s meet at 09:00 PM at the train station. Our train is to leave at 09:30.

Our two youngest, Alexandra, 11, and Simone, 4, stay with their mother and I. In mid afternoon it starts to rain. We go into a Café, have something to eat and both the kids fall asleep. Stephanie and I then order some wine and just enjoy each other and the surroundings. When the young ones wake up, the rain has stopped so we continue our touring.

A little before 09:00, we find our way to the train station. Nine o’clock comes, no teenagers of ours in sight, 09:10, 09:15, 09:20, they still are not here. Our train leaves in ten minutes. It’s the last TGV of the day. What should we do? Now Stephanie and I are worried. Our two young ones are getting tired but we can’t leave without our three teenagers. I am certainly not going home and leaving my three daughters on their own in Paris. Our decision is for Stephanie and the two little ones to go home on the TGV. I will stay back and wait for our teenagers and see how to get home then.

This is 2001, my cell phone is as big as a brick and I know nothing about SIM cards. Thus, it stayed in Montréal, so we don’t have cell phones with us. I am to call home a few minutes after the train arrives to give a report on our girls’ whereabouts. After Stephanie leaves, I wait, and wait, and wait and … I find where the closest police station is.

Almost two hours have passed since the arranged rendez-vous and there is still no sign of them. I reach Stephanie on the phone prepared to tell her that I’m going to the police. I’m expecting quite a reaction. What I get is: “Don’t get too upset, but they’re here. They got cold in the rain and decided to take an earlier train home.” My reaction: “%(#$%&@, $?%#)&(*.”

I took the milk run train home which left a little after midnight. Steph had made sure that those girls knew to be quiet in bed at my arrival.

Daejeong, le 26 mars 2021

On this last Friday of writing in another language than English here are some of Québec’s so many local expressions. My anglo friends rarely get their meaning. I give you them with literal translations and what, I think, they mean.

“S’enfarger dans les fleurs du tapis”

To trip over the flowers in the carpet = To look for problems where there are no problems

“À cause tu fais simple de même?”

Because, you are so simple like this? = Why are you acting so stupidly?

“Ça prend tout mon p’tit change”

It takes me all my little change = It’s really difficult

“Je suis aux petits oiseaux”

I am at the little birds = I’m really happy

“C’est don ben broche à foin”

It’s all so like a hay fence = It’s really badly done

“Ça prend pas la tête à Papineau”

It doesn’t take Papineau’s head = It’s not that difficult

“Il cogne des clous”

He’s hammering nails = He can’t stay awake

“Calme toé le pompon”

Calm your pompom = Calm down

“Je me suis fait passer un sapin”

I was given a fir tree = I got a bad deal

“Niaise pas avec le puck”

Don’t fool around with the puck = Get with it, get started

“T’as les yeux dans la graisse de beans”

Your eyes are in bean grease = You look tired

“Mets-en”

Put some = You are so right, I totally agree

“Attache ta tuque avec d’la broche”

Do up your tuque with wire = Get ready, it’s going to be a ride

“Avoir de l’eau dans cave”

To have water in the basement = To have too short pants

“Y a l’air d’la chienne à Jacques”

He looks like Jacques dog = He really badly dressed

“Pelleter d’la boucane”

To shovel smoke = To dream the impossible dream

“T’as des croûtes à manger”

You have crust to eat = You need much more experience

“C’est un deux de pique”

He’s a two of spade = He’s incompetent

“Un Jos connaissant”

A Joe know it all = He thinks he knows everything

“Ne pas vendre la peau de l’ours avant de l’avoir tué”

Don’t sell the bear’s skin before having killed the bear = Don’t get ahead of yourself

“Tu ne peux avoir le beurre et l’argent du beurre”

You can’t have the butter and the money for the butter = You can’t have your cake and eat it too / You just can’t have it all, make a choice

Hope you had fun with these!

Daejeong, le 25 mars 2021

I was born, raised and lived in the same community for the first 62 years of my life. Most of my friends I have known for over 30 years, some for more than 50 years.

My fairly new friend, Terri, lost her mother a couple of weeks ago. The required quarantine conditions due to COVID-19 prevented Terri from attending her mother’s funeral in person. So she has not been in a very good place recently. Stephanie and I accompanied Terri and Peter last night for cocktails in a hotel lounge. We had a good time. Hopefully we contributed in their grieving and feeling a little better.

Terri decided that this year would be her last as an international teacher, it’s time to retire. She and Peter will be going back home in Australia at the end of the school year.

The first few months in Korea were for discovery of my new environment. Quickly, I started attending social events and met new people. With new people came new friendships. I still miss my old friends but I know they will always be there. These new friendships made in the international traveling context can be short lasting. People leave to travel elsewhere, to make new discoveries, to go back home.

Rosalinde went back to Great Britain when Harry retired. Lottie went back to Australia to help prepare for the arrival of a first grand-child. Rhonda soon followed. Ellen and Kevin were to leave for a new adventure in Saudi Arabia but had problems with getting visas in the COVID-19 context. They are now home in Nevada but will be off to Bangkok for the new school year. Same kind of story with Nadine and Jeremy. They could not get into Vietnam so they ended up in Albania. Heidi and Stu retired, almost, to chosen New-Zealand. Bianca and Mark went back home to Australia to start a family. Nick, Cecilia and Ella are now in Beijing with new jobs. Noeline and Ray retired to their homeland of New-Zealand after eight years on Jeju-do. Tony has just accepted an offer for a great new job in Washington DC. Carla is back in Thunder Bay, Ontario and Ahlya is going back to Canada at the end of this year. These are only some of my new friends that have moved on. Hopefully, we will stay in touch and even see some of them again.

New friends will arrive.

Daejeong, le 24 mars 2021

I have just ended a video call with our good friends Chantal and Mario. They’re in Montréal discussing their summer plans. Normally, while on vacation, we would be spending some time together. We would be traveling to Québec and to Saskatchewan to see our people;

Normally…

This virus thing is lasting too long. Last summer, even though we had to quarantine two weeks arriving in Canada AND two weeks when coming back to Korea, we still went. While respecting the social distancing, we did see our daughters, our grand-children, Stephanie’s mother, brother and sisters, nieces and some of our friends. After deciding to sell our house, we also decided to go back to Montréal during the Christmas holidays to start the process.

Being there last summer, we reserved a chalet for the summer of 2021 for almost four weeks. This place is in the country facing a narrow river where we may play in the water and hop in the kayaks. The surrounding land is large enough for our family to visit. The house is large enough to receive our friends for meals and laughter.

Normally…

Of course, we never imagined that, in the summer of 2021, we would still be under COVID-19 restrictions. Most probably, we will not have the vaccine in time. It seems more than probable that quarantine will still be mandatory there and here. Limitations will still be in effect to the number of people able to meet.

Chantal and Mario need to schedule their vacation weeks. They would also like to rent a chalet but because travel is still off, availability is scarce and prices have rocketed. They would also like to come visit us here in Korea.

Normally…

We still don’t know what we will do during the summer of 2021. Will we go or will we stay? Four more weeks of quarantine? Is it possible to bring some of our people here for part of the summer? Conditions are very strict, time is lost in quarantine. What to do?

What is the “normal” now?

Daejeong, le 23 mars 2021

One of the perks of living on Jeju-do is the walking trails. There are so many, I know I will never walk them all. Many, many take us up and/or around Hallasan, the extinct volcano responsible for the creation of Jeju-do and a series of smaller islands surrounding it hundreds of thousand of years ago. Other trails take us through forests. Then, there are the Olle Trails.

I read about the Olle Trails but can’t recall all the details. Mostly, I’ve walked many of the 26 Olle Trails. Most of them go around the island close to the ocean shore. Three of them are off Jeju-do on smaller islands. Even if it was the most difficult Olle Trail to walk, one of my favorites is on Chuja-do, an island one hour north-west of Jeju-do.

I travelled to Chuja-do with Stephanie and three friends in the fall of 2020. The ferry to go is a large catamaran leaving from the Jeju City port. The catamaran can carry about 200 passengers. The winds were quite strong that day. The boat was moving up and down so much that looking out the window, you would see the water and seconds later, the sky and the sea, the sky, sea, sky, sea, sky, sea, sky… Well, within fifteen minutes, Stephanie exchanged her seat for the toilet. I concentrated looking in front and not out the window. I lasted another 20 minutes or so. Stephanie had not come back but I then felt so nauseous I had to join her in the back of the boat. I had a lot of trouble walking there as the catamaran rocked from left to right quite a bit. Fortunately, there still was an empty stall where I proceeded to lose my breakfast. I’m afraid to say I was far from the only one in the same situation.

The effects of that rocking left us rather quickly after our feet hit the ground on Chuja-do. We slept on the island and came back to Jeju-do the next day on a calm sea. The walk consists of going up and down six oreums. In the guides, it is qualified as difficult and it is, but worthwhile because also soooooo beautiful. The people of Chuja-do take such good care of their island. That, combined with the natural sights of hills, shores, fishing enclaves, the ocean, and nearby uninhabited islands make Chuja-do a real wonder.

I’m looking forward to go back. Maybe not the ferry …

Daejeong, le 22 mars 2021

Meals have always been part of entertaining and entertaining has always been a part of friendships. There are many ways to keep friendships alive. Gathering around a table with a good meal is certainly a good way.

Stephanie and I have always enjoyed having people over. We like for our home to be active. There are down sides to traveling the world. Leaving our people behind is probably the worst. When arriving in South Korea, we needed new people. We found it fairly easy to make acquaintances. Like us, most expats are looking to make new friends. After almost two years, what we have in common with some people becomes more obvious.

I like to move. I have friends to walk trails with, climb oreums (small mountains), ride the bike, play badminton. I like to read. I joined a Book Club, I volunteer in the school library. I like to eat. I joined “Les Gourmands”.

“Les Gourmands” is formed of three couples, one Australian, one Scottish and one Canadian. “Les Gourmands” meet every four to six weeks for a gastronomic dinner. The couple hosting is responsible for the main dish, the two others split for the entrées and dessert and we rotate. After limiting our meetings du to COVID-19 restrictions, this week was our turn to host. On the menu, grilled salmon with cilantro, capers and lime, roasted potatoes and asparagus, small multicolor tomato salad with fresh mozzarella. Entrées were raw vegetables with two dips, one with beets and one with artichokes served in the living room followed by a steak salad at the dining table. Dessert was a delicious Baileys Cream pie. All of these foods were of course accompanied by all sorts of liquids including Prosecco, white and red wines, beer, and for the hardcore, Port and Pineau des Charentes.

Without describing all our past meals, we have enjoyed Mediterranean featuring lasagna, a cheese fondue with Appenzeller Surchoix and Gruyère des Grottes from Switzerland and French Comté, and many other delicious meals.

As you may imagine, foods and drinks from “Les Gourmands” are always great but the best part is, of course, the outstanding company of new friends.