Home is where my home is

I just got back from visiting family in Ontario. I got to see some awesome relatives, mostly notably my very old and very fragile grandmother. I got to hang out with my bestest friends; Nancy, Nataline, Michelle and Marg. I got to show off my gorgeous daughter to my parents, my sister and her family. I got to play with my nieces and nephews. I got to fly for the first time in over 10 years totally sober. It was so nice and just what the doctor ordered.
Brampton and Kamloops are over 4000km apart. They are extremely different in every way shape and form. I sat one night and thought about what I missed while being there and what I would miss once I got back home.

6 things I'll never miss about Brampton:

1. The traffic. Why does it take 45 mins to go 6km. Why is there constant construction and nothing looks like it ever gets done. When will the 410 be finished for crying out loud!
2. The crime. My first night there I watched the local news and the first 15 minutes were of horrific car accidents, shootings on public transport, random assaults including one on a 93 year old woman. WTF?
3. The dirtiness. I have never been more disgusted with all the trash all over the city. Its all over the highways, parks, roads, literally everywhere. It appalls me how much everyone liters. Have some pride people!
4. The uniform houses. Every house looks exactly the same. They all look the same on the outside and inside. I have 3 friends and their houses are totally the same. Why can't there be a mixtures of styles within one street; perhaps something other than brick maybe.
5. The aggressive drivers. What part of red light don't these people understand. While I'm at it, the speed limit is 100km/h, not 130km/h! Why you eyeballing me when you zoom past me doing 115 in the slow lane. Where are the cops here? Slow down. People die because of speeding.
6. The ugliness. Gosh its flat. I find it odd now that I can see the CN Tower from my friend's balcony. It doesn't seem right. Maybe its cuz I'm used to hills and mountains when I look out every window of my home. I'm used to going up and down these hills everyday. The landscape in Brampton consists of concrete and asphalt. It is not pretty in Brampton. Step outside of Southern Ontario and you'll know what I mean.

That being said....

6 things I hate about being in Kamloops:

1. The lack of shopping. I must have visited 4 Old Navy's while in Brampton. The shopping here totally blows. When I was pregnant, I had to drive 4 hours to get some decent maternity clothes.
2. The lack of decent restaurants. Who doesn't like good food?! Swiss Chalet, Kelsey's, Applebees are all missing here. We have White Spot, but nothing compares to the dipping sauce at Swiss Chalet...nothing.
3. I have no family here. I have my inlaws, which are all great people, but it isn't the same as having my dad make her laugh and my mom feed her food. I couldn't help smile every time they played with her. The joy was obvious. I miss my parents and my family everyday.
4. I have very few friends. My newest friend that I made was over 10 years ago. I miss my girls and chatting all night. I miss going for coffee and karaoke. I miss dropping in and visiting with their parents instead of them.
5. I miss the selection. There is so much of everything in Brampton. If you want something, you can find it there, no problems. For example, here, I have to schlep around town to the one of three stores that carry Miranda's formula. Everything shuts down early here too and Sunday the town disappears entirely!
6. The proximity to a major city. Toronto is about 20 mins (if that...its less if you are speeding!)away. Vancouver is about 4 hours away. A quick trip downtown Toronto is totally possible on a whim and takes little planning. Goodness, I pretty much have to stay the night if I want to go to Vancouver...or plan on spending 8-9 hours in a car in one day.

The grass is not green on either side. Home is where my heart is. Its sad because it always belonged to Brampton, where I was born and raised. With this visit, I now know that Brampton will now just be a place I visit. Home is where my home is.