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Power Trip
Travelling The World Helped Me Realize How Much I Appreciate My Home in Canada
By Alana Best | Author of Around the World in Black and White
My husband and I are self-proclaimed adventurers with an insatiable desire to live life to the fullest. True to our spirited nature, in 2018 we embarked on a year-long travel quest around the world with our newborn son and 10-year-old daughter. We armed ourselves with passports, diapers, heavily researched itineraries and heads filled with hopes and dreams. We were living out our family love story after four years of saving and planning.
Travelling is an escape that I am prone to experiencing with rose-coloured glasses in a euphoric, honeymoon-like state. My husband and I knew from moving across Canada, living in the prairies, Québec, Toronto and the West Coast, that being swept off our feet and moving to a new place was a distinct possibility. After all, we were feasting our senses on some of the most wondrous places in the world from the temples of Southeast Asia to the Pyramids of Egypt, the rolling hills of Tuscany and the African plains.
Friends and family frequently ask us “What is your favourite travel destination?” It’s like asking, “Which is your favourite kid?” The answer is, that we loved them all (okay, most of them) for different reasons. However, to visit and to live are not the same, and even more so for our blended, biracial family.
The Catalyst
Our travels taught me a lot about white privilege and how differently I am allowed to move in this world compared to my husband. It was this awareness that fuelled the writing of Around the World in Black and White: Traveling with a Biracial Blended Family. This memoir is a tale of self-discovery, racial awakening, resilience and deeper understanding that is as true travelling as it is living in Canada.
China was fascinating; we loved the rich history and marvelled at visiting the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta Warriors. However, we couldn’t imagine living there after the racism my Black husband was exposed to including people pointing and laughing at him while we were visiting some of the great sites.
Back Home
When we returned to live in Canada, I was reminded of the wonder of our West Coast city of Victoria. I fell back in love with home. Canada has access to some of the most gorgeous landscapes to explore. And I appreciate Canada’s work-life culture that allows us the time to really enjoy it.
Lesson Learned
We can’t think of a better place to dedicate our time while enjoying all the incredible things this country has to offer. We have never felt so deeply rooted, knowing that we have travelled the world, and this is exactly where we want to work, raise our kids and enjoy our lives. We will never stop exploring, but we will always return to our true love, Canada.
