[Maybe I'm sleeping off Cote du Rhone wine and a belly full of gastronomic wonders here in the lovely south of France, or maybe I'm touring around the ruins of the former Roman Empire. Je ne sais pas. One of my favourite bloggers in the beautiful city of Halifax generously offered to post here while I'm away. So, without further ado, here's Jenn Belle:]

Although I’m not originally from around here, Halifax has been where I’ve lived the longest. I was born in Germany and spent my first three years there, but I have very little recollection of the place aside from my morning cartoons being transmitted during dinnertime and my kindermädchen, who didn’t speak much English.  After that, I spent a decade in Bagotville, Quebec. I still think of it as a magical place that was perfect for childhood exploration and imagination. I spent my formative years getting dirty by trekking in the coulee, making forts in the woods of our backyards, and going down steep slopes that could put Citadel Hill to shame at breakneck speeds on our three-skis in the wintertime.

My dad was in the military, and as good as he was, there were only so many promotions he could take before he was so high up in the ranks he had to be posted somewhere else. I thought our move to Nova Scotia was the cruelest thing ever done to me, and I spent a lot of time and energy fighting the transition into my new home. When I finally accepted that this would be the place where I’d spend the next chapter of my life, I started to really like it here. It’s more than just a place full of lively, friendly people and delicious, fresh seafood. It’s my home, where my friends and family are, and the place that will always have a part of my heart.

Here’s what I’ve come to love about living here in the East Coast:

1. No one is out to get me. It took me two years to finally come to grips that people walking toward me on the sidewalk with a smile and a “Hello” are not stalkers secretly ready to stab me in the back. They are just a polite strangers saying hi. Compared to Quebec, East Coasters are pleasant people. You wouldn’t catch me dead smiling and speaking to a stranger on a Quebec sidewalk! (Or, rather, maybe you would…)

2. I can turn right on red lights. Given, I don’t drive, so it makes no difference to me, but many people have assured me how great this option is.

Photo credit: KennethMoyle from Flickr

3. I can BBQ 10 out of the 12 months of the year because the winter weather is mild. I remember when I used to have a house with a yard and a barbecue, we would be grilling up some steaks a week before Christmas. Santa and his reindeer loved ‘cued chicken breasts!

4. If I wanted to, I could take a dip in the ocean. That said, I typically choose not to take a dip in the ocean, because most of the year the water is usually a good ten degrees below “losing your toes” temperature, but I like knowing that I have the option.

5. Part of the East Coast, Halifax in particular, is home to the best, most delicious gastrointestinal delicacy that you will surely regret eating but won’t be able to stop yourself from consuming again in the future: the donair. If my body could handle it, I’d eat donairs daily. There’s just something about spitted meat and sweet garlic sauce wrapped on a warm pita that just hits the spot (and then beats your stomach into submission).

Jenn Belle has been everyone’s hero since 1985. She’s a nerd girl obsessed with television, reading, sequential art, and sometimes film. Chocaholic neat freak with OCD is also another way to describe her. She has a wonderful, supportive group of friends, a lovely family, and a cat that thinks she’s her baby. She’s a Halifax girl blogging all about her ordinary world, even if it’s to no one in particular. You can get to know this nerd over at her blog, La Belle Ecrivaine.