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| Daily sketches from my travel journal |
Blog 9
When I came to Canada, I had not thought about what would await me in the new country. I hadn’t even taken the time to read any books about the landscape, the people, traditions and customs of the country I was possibly making my new home. I was a careful planner, and I still cannot believe that I didn’t even quiz Ingo about the country he was taking me to.
It would be much easier today to get informed, as people can find lots of facts on the Internet, watch documentaries on YouTube, or ask AI bots for a summary of the essential facts about Canada.
When we came to Canada at the end of April 1995, one problem that made the transition so difficult for me was my lack of curiosity. Curiosity is a powerful mindset when adjusting to a new environment as it opens doors to learning, connection, and resilience. It encourages flexibility and is one of my five core values nowadays.
With a curious approach, you can change your opinion by reframing it and turning something frustrating or unfamiliar into an exciting opportunity.
To help me make my decision about living in Canada, we drove from Toronto to Vancouver, exploring the landscape. While I enjoyed our trip immensely, it was from the perspective of a tourist. I had only a few thoughts about the life I wanted to live. I was not curious about a new start of an exciting change. Adjusting means facing challenges, and I was not looking to change my life drastically. I was not ready to start over in all areas of my life, especially not without a network of family and friends. However, I didn’t want to lose Ingo.
I was not looking for adventure and was skeptical about trying new things. When we couldn’t find German-style bread with a crunchy crust or sparkling water, I became moody and resentful instead of seeing it as an opportunity to try new things. Once you have eaten some of the many varieties of German bread, you will probably understand my rejection of any typically Canadian soft bread. I should have realized that this was only my outward expression of a feeling of resentment toward the changes I didn’t want.
Even though I turned to art and bear making, I became depressed because I still didn’t connect with others and spent most of my time alone. My situation improved when I joined clubs and organizations for activities with others aside from Ingo. I joined the Orleans Newscomers Club, church, the Gloucester Crafts Guild, Arteast, the Grizzly Gang, a weekly live drawing group, a gym and Women Moving Forward.
The more time I spent with other women, the more I learned about local customs and traditions and felt encouraged by their stories. With every step, I felt more energized.
Nevertheless, all these activities were just a bandage for a festering wound. Even though I made time for my activities, I was often still unsatisfied, looking for outside sources of happiness. I still felt like I didn’t fit in, because I didn’t share memories of my life in German with the new people in my life. They knew hardly anything about my traditions and values.
Only when I changed my mindset, made myself a priority and accepted my life in Canada did I start to feel content. I valued the enrichment of sharing traditions and adding them to our family’s.
When I finally focused on building a happy life here in Canada, I started thriving. Winning an award for my painting, Jessie Forever in My Heart, was what first sparked my curiosity about how far I could take my creative skills and ambitions. I will dive deeper into the following chapters between this event and the changes that followed my unfortunate accident in December 2021 in my October blog about collaborations.
When a double pelvis fracture left me home-bound and dependent on my husband for months, it caused me to re-evaluate my priorities and look at what I still want to achieve in my life. At this point in my life, spending time with loved ones, creating art and seeing the world are high priorities. While I love to share my art, the fulfillment of creating art prevails over the need to sell and my definition of success.
I am satisfied with what I have. That doesn’t mean I don’t have new goals, but I feel grounded and I am ready to keep exploring and being open to new adventures. Fostering a sense of wonder helps me cherish new experiences and brings me joy while limiting my feelings of loss.
Instead of focusing on what’s missing, I focus on what I am creating. New technologies make it easier than ever to stay connected and to share new experiences with others in Germany, Canada and through social media and video calls worldwide.
It doesn’t mean that I don’t miss my parents, sister, and friends in Germany, but I don’t miss them constantly. I have made space and time for new friends and experiences to create happy memories.
My latest adventure was a 12-day trip to Prince Edward Island with my husband of almost 30 years, a belated honeymoon. Here are collages of the paintings I created during our vacation. There is one more at the top of this blog.
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| Daily sketches from my travel journal |
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| Unfinished plein air watercolour sketches |
You can read more about my trip in my Kerstin Peters Painting News, which I published this week. Please email me, and I will send you a copy.
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