Bitter Sweet...

9 am, I spring out of bed...I’m chirpy, excited, have a million plans in my head.
-I want to visit my kids at school.
-Say goodbye to my teacher.
-Do some shopping.
-Re-visit every inch of the Plateau that I have ever stepped foot on...
...and all this before 1:15pm.

I’m feeling lucky, T’s mom is driving to work in the Plateau...I hitch a ride...ziinngg

By 10 am I am walking down Mont Royal, everything so familiar as if I am once again walking to work. Timmies is packed as per usual, not that I want Timmies anyways, but for some reason I always look in...Theres snow on the ground, not a lot, only really at the edges of the side walk making it super easy to walk and look around at the same time...thats probably the worst part of winter in my mind...having to constantly look down to make sure you don’t slip or step into an unpleasant slush puddle...

The kiddies greet me by running out of the classroom. I feel the ground shake under me as my used to be little grade two-ers, now in grade 4, pile around...only two or three of them actually hugging me...the rest are hugging the person in front of them...I find it funny when children do that...

My mentor and I chat a little while the kids play some plural game on the Smart Board...then my lesson begins. “Ms. Veronika is going to teach in England!”...
“What!? you are a real teacher now?!”, “That means you can teach here!”
No I say, sadly shaking my head...there is no space for me to teach here...
“Sure there is..” says a little guy who strangely/strongly resembles Kevin Bacon as he points directly beside his desk “There is space right here!”...

An hour and a bit later, I have gone over time zones, lines of latitude and longitude and I am unfortunately running out of time. The recess bell rings and I slip out...

Now the self proclaimed torture begins...

I’m in high spirits, the weather is perfect, people are walking past me and smiling, the sun is shinning and all I want is for this to last forever...so what do I do...the only reasonable thing anyone would do...I go and buy a disposable camera....yes they still exist and yes people still buy them...all the time apparently since there was only two left at Pharmaprix!
Disposable camera in hand I start walking...perma smile on my face as I acknowledge every store window I pass...gaaadd I must have looked ridiculous...Either way my goal is to snap a photo of every apartment I have lived in since 2006...seven apartments, 5 years of school...Ok...so I like moving.

Mont Royal to St. Denis, down St. Denis...get coffee...cafe au lait...yum. St. Denis to Duluth...walk by the flower shop where I bought my first plant in 2006. Walk past the hair salon where I was saved...restaurants, deppaneurs, video stores...memories of 1st year. Tears...St. Denis and St. Hubert. picture. St. Andre...picture...854 Napoleon...picture. picture. picture...tears streaming down my face...I’m starting to make those terrible slurping noises as I gasp for air. I walk away, down the street to Mantena...the crying is getting serious, can’t stop, wont stop at this point. picture picture...I stand staring at the super steep stair case with one foot print in snow on each step...just like it was when I found it so many years ago...waaaaaa...I do a 180...Parc La  Fontaine...heaving now, I look in a car window reflection and realize that I should probably wipe the black makeup streaks from my face...quite scary...I get to the park. picture. picture...There are people skating. picture. sob. get closer. picture. Look lots of trees...picture. This is getting ridiculous. As I walk to the little bridge a group of rowdy teen age boys pass me...I’m still crying...they look sad for me. I get to the bridge and I swear, as if on purpose, church bells start chiming in the distance. Perfect time to cry some more. Ahhmmaazziingg. I walk around the whole park...I am tired of walking, but mostly from crying...oh and its not over yet. A couple more pictures later I am back on St. Denis and ready to go home. I simply can not cry anymore...I need a nap.

So why bitter sweet...well simply because I just adore Montreal. And as I have so wonderfully explained to myself...it has been my growing up city, my independent city, my discovery of me city...It has been so good to me...and I’m going to miss it. My next adventure I can not really call my own since I am so happily sharing it with T... is going to be amazing so I really can’t complain. Excited, nervous, not packed...our flights are booked and we are moving to the UK. (T has an awesome camera so there will be no need for disposable anymore...)...

So thank you MTL...you will always be my city.

A bientot.


V.