Mean Streets

Day 61: Mean Streets, originally uploaded by Fanboy30.

While I sat on the couch watching CSI: Miami last night minding my own business I heard a loud voice say "Show me your hands and get face down on the floor!". I rushed to the window of the apartment and looked down at the street below only to be faced with four police cars. I couldn't see who they were directing their attention to so I walked out to the balcony to get a better look.

Directly below the entrance to my building there were five kids (1 girl and 4 guys) all aged from 16-18 stood holding Tim Horton coffee cups. The armed police swarmed carefully in blocking any route of escape for the youths. After some bemusement the kids got down on the ground with their arms stretched in front of them. One guy shouted out "I just got off work I haven't done anything!" they searched him first looking at his wallet and cell phone.

One officer cuffed a tall nerdy looking kid and took him to a police car, he then walked back to assist his team. A stern looking officer stood in the middle and called over the radio "We have the item and situation under control". I could only assume the nerdy kid was the one they were after as he was taken to the car straight away while his friends lay on the street.

The girl on the floor shouted out "We haven't done anything" to which the stern officer replied "Well maybe you shouldn't hang out with kids with guns!". That's when it all fell into place, the nerdy kid had obviously been packing heat and probably bragged about it and was overheard. This was alerted to the police who responded quickly, they knew exactly what they were looking for and the kids never knew what hit them.

The remaining kids were put into different cars and the officers dispersed leaving the street to return to normal. All that was left were the Tim Horton cups on the sidewalk which the superintendent of the apartment poured into the drain.

I wanted to snap a shot of the incident but felt incredibly self conscious and wasn't clear on laws in Canada regarding the police. Back in the UK it seems to be a crime to photograph officers of the law without their permission so I wasn't sure if Canada holds the same laws.

Walking back into the apartment I looked at the TV and thought what cheesy line would Horatio Caine say at a time like this?

"You lie down with the Devil, you wake up in Hell" Horatio Caine

Things Have Gone This Far

Consumption, originally uploaded by Fanboy30.

A year ago I had just returned home after a wonderful 14 day trip to Canada. My feelings at that time were extremely mixed, the not knowing when and how I was going to be able to return there was agonizing. My family had been to Ottawa the previous year to visit relatives but I couldn't afford to go with them. Seeing Canada had been a life long dream and now there was the possibility to move there.

I explored many ideas but only found results in the Work Canada program (BUNAC). Initially I was told the program for that year was full which meant I had missed out because by the following year I wouldn't qualify because of my age. When August came along I received an email saying that some places were available so I rushed to get my application submitted.
After a few weeks of worry I was notified of my acceptance into the program. The next month was a whirlwind as I sold nearly all of my possessions on eBay, amazon and at local car boot sales. I left my job at Sainsburys grocery store a month before leaving the country so I had time to visit friends and family to say my goodbyes. It all seemed so easy for me, leaving it all behind at the time didn't really compute until I was sitting in the departures lounge at Heathrow. Overwhelmed with emotions I bordered the plane and took my seat.

A year has passed and I am living/working in Canada, some days I feel like a tourist and then I look at myself and think is this me now? Its scary how comfortable I have become considering a few years ago I had no desire to live abroad. The culture shock has worn off but going to Walmart is still an event to me and I don't think that will ever wear off.