Summer Joys

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Growing up in Kenya, the sun was never this ‘big’ thing…it was just there. Omnipresent, always available, hardly a topic for conversation.The thing is, having lived this long in Canada, I’ve come to understand why the obsession with the sun! You don’t get that much sunshine here most of the time, or rather, it is not evenly distributed so the winter months feel so dark and gloomy (in Montreal some winter days would get dark by 4pm- depressing!). When summer comes it is like a whole new country! Everybody and their dog is out and about, everyone is friendly and smiling, everything tastes better, the office is empty most Fridays, and generally this warm lulled feeling comes over you. I don’t worship the sun so summer isn’t about sun-bathing, it is not even my favourite season- spring is. It’s about everything else that makes you really feel like every day is a holiday.

I first came to Canada at the height of summer. I spent a glorious month enjoying Halifax, Nova Scotia with my sister (If you ever go there- check out the Economy Shoe Shop) following which I moved to yummy Montreal where the first few weeks of school were bathed in that golden, fall sunshine (when it’s not too hot or humid, or cold). When the first snow finally fell that November my Canadian room mates woke me up and dragged me to the window- I think their (well meant) intentions were: to share the beauty of the newly fallen snow and to see my face when I laid eyes on the snow-covered roofs, paths and trees (maybe they even hoped for a joyous, childlike desire on my part to go outside to see/touch/taste the snow a la ‘Coming to America’). I definitely delivered on the first, but on the latter I must have disappointed. I remarked on the beauty of the snow and turned to return to bed…realizing that this “see the Snow” moment was their way of being helpful (the same way I would have waved at Kenyan wildlife with a flourish, had we been in Kenya). They followed me into my room and asked what I thought, and whether I’d like to go outside and make snow angels (yeah, snow angels…like we were FIVE years old!!!). I really don’t ‘do’ childlike rapture. I thanked them for waking me up, asked whether it would last (“no, gone by lunchtime!”) then, seeing crestfallen looks, suggested that they could take me shopping for winter boots after school (“cool! Can’t wait”)…peace restored.

Digression: I knew this Kenyan guy in Montreal who told the funniest stories ever. He told me about his first Montreal winter gear shopping. The thing is, winter in Montreal can be brutal: 40C; harsh wind chills that freeze tears to your cheeks and mucus in your nose (which promptly melt when you get into a warm place leaving you sniffling) or leave your forehead feeling like it will split in two; having to do the ‘Montreal shuffle’ along icy sidewalks to get from point A to B; stepping into wet, slushy puddles on street corners; waiting for the bus driver to let you on (while he takes a break and you all freeze); burst pipes; frozen door looks; snow piles the size of the Himalayas (one neighbour’s car disappeared all winter under a pile of snow- in the spring it was a rusty shadow of its former self). Brutal. I didn’t mind winter too much when I was warmly dressed or indoors. The snow can be pretty (particularly from the inside of the double glazed toasty warm interior of your apartment). Anyway, back to the story, my friend R_______ and his fellow newly arrived African immigrants went shopping for winter clothes as the nip in the wind became too much for their thin coats. Walking into a random store, the owner turned out to be a former resident of East African of Indian origin. He was really helpful, he laid out brightly coloured items of clothing: long johns, scarves, mittens, gloves, hats (even a balaclava), jackets and best of all, a one-piece snowsuit like what toddlers wear in the winter. Not to take chances against the harsh cold, the men bought enough clothing to outfit a small military battalion. They were ready. For the first snowfall. When the first dusting of snow fell, the Africans (who all lived near each other or together) bundled themselves up for the ‘Big One’! The bus driver probably stopped out of incredulity. The bus passengers (who appeared to be definitely underdressed for the cold) all smiled indulgently as the Africans walked onto the bus, one by one by one. It was such a sight that all the children onboard were speechless: Grown, black, balaclava-clad men in bulky wintercoats worn over dayglo coloured snowsuits making their awkward way down the aisle to the back!!! The bus made its way downtown where there was no snow on the ground! By evening when the men returned home, they were dressed in fewer layers, finally understanding that the first snow rarely lasts that long and that unless working outdoors for extended periods, it is not necessary to bundle up so heavily- definitely not in a balaclava!

Now that it’s here and well underway, I realized that I do enjoy and look forward to summer as much as my fellow Canadian-born Canadians. I don’t scoff when I see someone don shorts at the first sign of sunshine in April. Instead I head home and take stock of my summer clothes- it wouldn’t do to be caught unprepared for warmer weather! Pedicures mean more, skirts are in, less black, more colour! Summer’s here! In no particular order, my favourite things about summer are:

Restaurant/bar patios- I spend at least one day of the weekend sitting under an umbrella or near an open window, sipping a cool drink, people-watching, having lazy conversations. It is such a rite of summer. In Montreal, the patios come alive as soon as the first signs of sun come out. In Vancouver it’s the same, except that the view is likely the open water, boats, the mountains rather than people.

Digression: this weekend my friend M_______ and I went out to North Vancouver and decided to have lunch there. We spotted a restaurant with a patio and made our way there. I asked a waitress if we could sit anywhere and she said yes, so we chose a spot that was unoccupied over on a quieter side of the patio. No sooner had we leaned back in our seats than a snotty teenaged waiter loped over to demand that we move as there was a ‘lineup’ for patio tables. I felt my hackles rise: a.) there was no line at the entrance we used or a sign asking us to wait to be seated b.) we’d been told to sit anywhere and c.) we didn’t wake up with the express intention of ‘crashing’ a patio somewhere! We just wanted to chill! Irritated, we chose to sit inside but let’s say that given a choice I won’t be going back there…except that the food was good: particularly their chips (yes, not shoestring/reconstituted potato but fat, pudgy real-potato chips like in Kenya!). By the time we left there weren’t too many people being seated outside, neither was there a lineup at the door so I wondered what he was so ‘het up’ about anyway. Silly boy!

The beach- Vancouver is blessed with many beaches so you can go and feel real sand in your toes (and other places) if the mood strikes you without having to go too far or even out of the city.

Barbecues- do I need to say more? Try roasting some beef (simply rubbed with a pepper & salt mixture), garlic & lemon-marinated chicken and veggies (sweet peppers and mushrooms!) to go on a crisp green salad served with large potato wedges…that, to me is perfection. If you make nothing else next time you are invited to a barbecue, make Kachumbari- I’m yet to meet anyone who doesn’t like the pairing of kachumbari with barbecued meats! My version:
 
Chop* and toss together:
- Tomatoes
- White onions
- Sweet peppers
- Hot peppers (Serrano or to your taste)
- Cucumber
- Cilantro (aka dhania)
- A splash of a plain vinaigrette or lemon juice, pinch of salt to dress
- Optional additions: Toasted coconut flakes, chopped fresh pineapple
*finely and evenly- nobody wants to have to eat kachumbari full of vegetable chunks! Slivers please!

Drinks- Sangria makes me think of summer…and sun! I’m now looking at Magaritas (no salt please) in a new light after trying them out at a workmate’s party recently…I’ve always avoided them because I don’t like drinks that are too extreme in taste, as in too sweet/salty and I generally avoid all fancy cocktails for that reason. Then there are the kawaida (usual) summer standbys: Yummy wine, and beer in chilled pitchers make the occasional appearance- I love trying the local breweries’ offerings when I can.  The best summer drink by far though: A Gin and Tonic with a little bit of lime. It cools you down, loosens the tongue for summer gossip or flirtations…

The park- the trees give enough shade to stop sunburn, and there is plenty of grass to lie down and loll about on. Doing nothing at the park takes on a new meaning.

The books- getting a good read going over the summer is on everyone’s mind. I mix it up- ‘serious’ fiction with ‘fun’ fiction! So far this summer I have read (or I’m reading):
Bringing Home The Birkin, Michael Tonello
The Debt to Pleasure, John Lanchester
On Beauty- Zadie Smith
Lush Life, Richard Price
The Unquiet Ghost: Russians Remember Stalin, Adam Hochschild
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, Michael Chabon
Life’s a Beach, Claire Cook
Hindi Bindi Club, Monica Pradhan
Numerous murder mysteries (by among others: Tess Geritsen, Harlan Cobben, Ruth Rendell, Barbara Vine and Henning Mankell- one of my favourite mystery authors!)
Numerous magazines (Numero uno is Vanity Fair, but I also like Elle- they have ‘real’ stories mixed in with the ‘frivolous’ fashion and lifestyle pieces).

Music- my walkman playlists are in constant flux because I keep creating new ones to play only upbeat/light music that keeps me smiling on the hot train as I commute to and from work. I’m always looking for more stuff but so far I have my reliable standbys including selections by Mary J. Blige, Queen Latifah (her jazz standards), Lizz Wright, Robin Thicke (he is really good), Eric Wainaina, Sarah Harmer (one of my favourite Canadian musicians), Beyonce/Destiny’s Child, Aretha Franklin and some Alicia Keys (I find her too earnest, but I like some of her writing)…I’ve currently got Dionne Farris’ “Hopeless” on repeat.

Travel- this week I’m off to Seattle for a girlfriend’s birthday! I am very excited for the company, seeing a new city, but also because I love traveling…the actual getting on the bus/plane/train and the people you encounter. I love airports, reading maps, finding local sights, all the fun stuff! It’s funny- you could travel during other months, but summer recreational travel always feels different somehow…can’t quite explain why- it’s just more fun visiting in the summer.

There are only a few more weeks left before the breeze will bring with it the chilly warning of impending cooler weather. So we in the Northern hemisphere continue our frantic attempts to cram in all the fun we can into the little sunny time left. Personally, the cooler weather won’t deter me, I’ll just find other things that are not sun-dependent to enjoy. (like I’ll ever need an excuse to crack the spine on a good book!).

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Tags: kachumbari, summer