RETURN to the ROCK

With Lina on the Eastern Atlantic Coast of Newfoundland,
on the edge of St. John's, the Capitol City. July 30, 2023.

A little over 13 years ago, my wife received a work transfer to St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada.  We were living in Houston, Texas, at the time. My wife was a cost and scheduling engineer for ExxonMobil and I was a 9th grade English teacher at a large public high school (Cypress-Ridge).

We received the news in December 2009. Lina relocated to St. John's in March 2010. I finished out my year teaching and then joined her in June 2010. Childless at the time, we enjoyed three wonderful and romantic road trips to see each other during the three months we spent apart. These trip destinations included Boston, Chicago, and Toronto. 

Lina and the kids near "Signal Hill" at the mouth
of St. John's Harbour in Newfoundland.

It was the second time I had lived in Canada, the first being my 2-year full-time missionary service in Alberta from 1999-2001. Like my time in Alberta, the two years we spent in Newfoundland produced many wonderful friendships and memories. We also learned and grew a great deal, both personally and professionally. I made tremendous strides in completing my Doctoral degree in education, and Lina gained valuable professional experience as an ExxonMobil expatriate.

Recently, we had a chance to return to "The Rock" as Newfoundlanders affectionately call their beautiful Island Home. It has been more than a decade since we had been there together. We now have three (3) children, all of whom accompanied us on our return trip. It was a joy to introduce them to the picturesque scenery and friendly people of that remote Maritime Province. Our kids—aged 10, 8, and almost 5—are at ages where climbing rocks is a thrilling novelty, and they got their fill of it on this aptly nicknamed locale!

The kids climbed so many rocks during
the time we spent on "The Rock"!

It is a tribute to Newfoundland and its friendly, kind, and big-hearted citizens that we felt such a strong desire to go back after all these years. After all, we could have picked any number of different destinations for our summer vacation. Moreover, it's not cheap for a family of five (5) to fly to St. John's. Despite having many different (and more affordable) options at our disposal, we yearned to return to "The Rock," and we are so glad we did.  

It was a WONDERFUL trip!

We got to revisit our old addresses (all three of them) and other memorable locations like Lina's work and the church where we attended and served. In addition, we were able to see some new country we didn't visit our first time around. This included a road trip to the west coast of Newfoundland, where some of the most beautiful scenery of all can be found in Gros Morne National Park and its surrounding environs.

Lina—a master planner and efficient travel logistician—ensured our days were filled up with wonderful activities, including a great deal of hiking in the outdoors. From stunning ocean vistas to extraordinary hilltop panoramas, we took in as much of "The Rock" as we could fit in to our 10-day schedule.  

Waterfall on the north shore of
Western Brook Pond, which is
in fact, a large and deep lake
in Gros Morne National Park

One of the best perks of the trip was escaping the midsummer heat and humidity of South Florida. From the moment we got off the plane until the moment we boarded our homeward-bound flight, the temperatures were blissfully cooler than what we had temporarily left behind in the oft-oppressive July and August weather in Palm Beach Gardens.

It was so nice!  

Perhaps the best part of all was reuniting with old friends from church and work. We also made some new friends as well. Relationships are what life is really all about in the end, and we were blessed to associate with many wonderful people during the two-year stint we spent in Newfoundland. All of our expatriate friends are now back in the United States or elsewhere in the world, but there were still a number of our native Newfoundlander friends with whom we were able to catch up in person, making for several sweet and joyful reunions.

On the other hand, a few old friends from church had passed away in intervening years. Another is very old, feeble, and shut-in; unfortunately his caretaking son was not accepting visitors on his behalf. But we cherish our memories with such friends, with whom we anticipate future reunions in another realm.    

Eastern edge of Western Brook Pond in
Gros Morne National Park in western Newfoundland

We had a ball introducing our kids to Canadian candy, chocolate bars, and other food brands to which they are not accustomed. I enjoyed some lovely dishes unique to the island, such as moose stew, moose burger, and fish'n'chips. 

We swam in lakes and the ocean, which was very refreshing! The water was much colder than Florida beaches, but being early August, it was warmer than I had ever experienced that far north. We also went on two boat tours, one on the open Atlantic Ocean and one on a 500-plus foot deep lake in Gros Morne National Park. We also got to see a couple of humpback whales and tens of thousands of puffins and other birds on an Island in Trinity Bay where hordes of them congregate. Throughout all our adventures, we put 1,994 kilometers on our rental car and dozens of nautical miles on our two boat tours.  

The trip required a lot of planning (thank you Lina) and money (again, thank you Lina), but proved to be worth every cent and effort. It was a palpable reminder of the worth and value of the adventure we embarked upon over ten years ago now. 

If you ever get a chance to take such an adventure, I urge you to do so. Such extended experiences in a new locale will broaden your horizons, create wonderful memories, and encourage growth in ways that staying at home may not provide. And if you ever get a chance to visit or vacation in the Maritime Provinces in Eastern Canada, go! You will be mesmerized by the the eye candy in nature, and genuinely touched by the hospitality of the locals.        

—Dr. JJ

Monday, August 21, 2023

Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, USA

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