catch a fire

For some reason, whenever I get homesick, I always get all masochistic and make it even worse by trolling through facebook or watching videos like this, or a hundred other things.

When I tell people here where I’m from, I always just say Vancouver - as opposed to Victoria, or Vancouver Island - because they’re way more likely to know where that is. And even then, so many (especially continental Europeans, it seems, but some Brits too) ask me “why? Why would you leave there to move here?” and I always say “For a change, to try something new; I can always go back.” And I can, and I know this, but on days like this I can’t help but wonder why myself. (Weirdly, whenever I’m homesick for Victoria these days, I find myself homesick for Vancouver, too. The two are far from interchangeable, but for some reason I end up wanting both. Maybe because Vancouver is big and dirty enough to satisfy, on some levels, both my love for London and for Victoria?)

And I know it’ll pass, especially once I’ve found work and meet some more people again, and probably a proper night’s sleep wouldn’t hurt. But all the same, even when it’s not a I-want-to-go-back-right-now desperation, and especially I think now that summer’s in swing, I really miss my home sometimes. I’m from one of the most beautiful, wonderful places in the world as far as I’m concerned. Which is not to say that I don’t love London, too: most of the time, I really, really do. I love my little bedroom in this haunted house, I love Camden and Brick Lane and Portobello, I love dubstep nights and intimate folk gigs, I love the parks and the streets and how huge and all-encompassing the city is, how it feels important, and how you’re only ever bored here when you let yourself be. Which is funny because what I love about Victoria is the exact opposite: the nature, the beaches, the west coast hippy vibe, the friendliness, how intimate a city it - small, but important in that it holds everyone I love. The thing is, I’ve never met Vince Vaccaro (only seen him play), but I recognise everywhere that is in this video. I that, and the beauty of it all, almost as much as I miss my friends and family.