Dear Nelson,
I cannot believe that we are already in our third month here.
On November 1, my husband and I hopped on a plane from Ottawa to Calgary, where we expected to board another plane for Castlegar. Like many other travellers, we were stranded in Calgary and spent two nights there before deciding to take a plane to Cranbrook, where we boarded a bus for Nelson.
At 6:35 p.m. on November 3, loaded with ski equipment, three suitcases and backpacks, we climbed the stairs of Lotus House, our home away from home for four months. It felt safe and warm as soon as we walked in and the feeling is still with us. Moreover, Nelson has given us a sense of belonging from that very first week when we walked down to Baker Street for a coffee and met Josette. Soon afterwards, we bought tickets to four performances at the Capitol Theatre, became members of the Francophone Association, the Nelson Library and the Nelson and District Community Complex and attended three Christmas concerts. My husband commented that we are more active culturally here than we are in Ottawa. Go figure! And all this took place even before the ski season began.
We came to Nelson for two reasons: to scratch off an activity on my husband’s bucket list (a season of skiing somewhere in the Rockies); and to see our son and his wife (they moved to Kootenay Bay in 2011).
All four of us were a bit nervous as to how we would integrate into the community — our son’s concerns were a tad different from ours, as you can imagine. But to everyone’s surprise, my husband and I feel quite at home here. Everyone we have met is so friendly and welcoming. And even more surprising, I have been fortunate to have met interesting and fun loving women at Zumba, at 50-plus, at concerts, and quite a few Francophones with whom conversations take place on the street or in coffee shops.
So I say, thank you Nelson for your hospitality, your energy, your warmth and your smiles. We will definitely be back, the question is when and for how long?
Denise Seguin
Ottawa, living in Nelson until the end of February