There are exactly twenty days until I leave YVR for what I imagine to be a number of years.

There are also a ton of posts about Vancouver that I have not yet published (or written, lol), which I’ll probably do when I’m not in Vancouver, really. I’ve learned to be realistic.

And while there’s a lot lying ahead in the very near future, I realize that I’m going to miss this city and the wonderful people I’ve met.

My heart’s starting to hurt a bit.

One full year is just barely enough, I think, to get to know a city. The more I step out of my comfort zone, the more I’ve realized that there are so many things to love about people and so many people to know. As I’m counting down the days to saying goodbye to people (and writing sappy little farewell notes because I can’t express my love of them in any other way), I can only hope the last whiles dwindle as long as are perceptibly possible.

I moved here believing that God wanted me to be a teacher but I didn’t realize that I wasn’t yet suited for the task. This past year has altered me profoundly in the sense that I feel as if I am now a little more compassionate and open-minded in the ways that I see people. Classmates, students, co-workers, professors; all are people to be respected and loved deeply. I’ve maintained for quite a while that there is certainly something to love about everyone, but this year’s past experiences have taught me that not only is there something to love but there is something to adore about each and every being. I am learning not to flinch from a person at the first sign of trouble but to stay and listen in love.

This past week I celebrated my birthday at the beach with friends, and it struck me that not only have I never celebrated my birthday at a beach (Calgary is sadly lacking in this department) but I realized that I had the privilege of growing close to these people in the span of months. We stayed out late into the night eating ice cream and talking with each other, ignoring the differences in our age and experience and encouraging without bounds.

Being able to befriend strangers is so precious in itself; being able to carry on a conversation or sit in comfortable silence with others is treasure that will always dwell here at this point of time. There are so many more people to love now and it’s a little saddening to think that maybe we could have been even better friends with just a little bit more time.

So the days are counting down (20 is not such a large number) and the nights are passing on and I will write to you again with a little heart left behind in Vancouver.

Thank you for being my friends.