Secrets of My Nomadic Heart

After many weeks of living out of a suitcase, traveling from Singapore to Indonesia, to Australia, and then back to Singapore, I was finally on my way to Canada. It took me about 30 hours to travel from Singapore to Montreal, and then from Montreal, we took a car ride of 7 hours to reach Rimouski. Someone said that 7 hours drive from Montreal is as remote as one can get in Canada.

To be honest, I never thought I would ever live in Canada. The word itself sounded too big, as vast as its land. Within my vocabulary in my world of travels, Canada held little associations for me, except that it is very cold and ‘up there’. I only knew the names of the few big cities in Canada like Toronto and Vancouver.

So my journey to little town of Rimouski in the province of Quebec opened up another world for me.

Rimouski, by its name in original Amerindian language, means the meeting point of rivers. The drive towards Rimouski meandered along the St. Lawrence river, dotted with little beautiful houses overlooking the waters. I was promised the sighting of moose, but was greeted with flocks and flocks of white birds migrating to find their new home. I read about migrating birds flying in V-formation, so that those who follow the leader would benefit from the lift created in front. But to see flocks of birds flying in unison and in perfect teamwork was an emotional sight for me. I cannot help but be impressed by how they use the sun as their guiding light and magnetism of the earth to help them find the right direction. I cannot help but be moved by the fact that they have to fly many thousand miles away from what they are used to in order to survive.

The Bas St Laurent region is blessed with wide rolling green fields, farms, colored country houses and vast blue sky. I feel I could breathe in deep, and suck in as much clean oxygen as my lungs could hold. In the quiet sanctuary of nature around me, I let Mother Nature guide me in my inspiration.