Meet your neighbour: Matt Pal

Who are you?

I’m Matt Pal and I recently moved into our home on Bedford Cres. with my wife, Ching, and our two daughters.

Where were you born?

I was born in Calgary but moved to Ottawa as a child and grew up in the Glebe.

Why did you choose your occupation? Did you ever consider another occupation?

My wife and I both work at Global Affairs Canada and have been fortunate to serve overseas in China. We’re both drawn to living in other countries and experiencing all that different cultures have to offer, so it’s really a dream job for us!

What is the most important thing in your life right now?

With two children under two years old, life right now is all about our kids!

Why do you live in Manor Park?

We were initially simply looking for something with a short commute to work, but we’ve since fallen in love with the neighbourhood. Friendly neighbours and proximity to both nature and urban life makes this neighbourhood one of Ottawa’s best kept secrets!

If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would you go and why?

A very relevant question for us as we contemplate where we might go for our next posting … there are so many places that intrigue us, it’s impossible to choose, but one place we keep returning to in our travels is France. The history, the culture, the people, and especially the food are all incredible.

What do you do to stay healthy?

Does chasing around a two-year-old count? Fitness seems like one of the first things to go once little ones are in the picture, but I’ve been enjoying runs around Manor Park with a jogging stroller and I’m contemplating taking up cross-country skiing to get outside during the winter.

What was the last book that you read?

I’m on volume six of Proust’s In Search of Lost Time … It’s only taken me about two years to get that far, so I’m hoping to finish the series this year and finally cross it off my literary bucket list.

What has been one of your biggest challenges?

Reintegrating to life in Canada after eight years abroad has been a major adjustment. Whether it’s juggling the daily commute, learning how to clean gutters and maintain a home, and now coping with winter in Ottawa, we are still going through a bit of reverse culture shock!

If you could have dinner with any three people alive or dead, who would you choose? What would you serve?

I’d probably choose literary titans like Shakespeare, Dickens, and David Foster Wallace. And if I could cheat a bit and invite a fourth guest who would do the cooking, it’d be my culinary idol Thomas Keller, who’d serve all the greatest hits from his restaurant The French Laundry (which I hope to visit one day!).

Who would you cast to play you in a movie about your life?

I have on two occasions been mistaken for a very B-list actor, Paul Sparks (who played a character in the Boardwalk Empire TV series), so he seems most fitting.

If I won the lottery, I would spend my winnings on … ?

Bringing my friends and family together for amazing trips around the world.

What is your favourite childhood memory?

Grade 8 summer, at the border of childhood and adolescence, when my two best friends and I spent all day, every day together roaming around the neighbourhood, having fun, cracking each other up. It was a magical time before any of us had any responsibilities … I’m still close friends with both guys to this day, but our lives are very different now!

My favourite thing about Ottawa is … ?

After living in Guangzhou, a metropolis of 19 million people, we really appreciate the tranquility of Ottawa and the easy access to nature, especially in our own backyard of Manor Park.

My least favourite thing about Ottawa is … ?

It’s a cliche answer for any Ottawan, but I hate all the additional chores that come with the winter. I thought I’d try to shovel our way through our first winter here, but I suspect that I’ll cave soon and hire the plow service.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Enjoying life in Manor Park, or possibly on another overseas assignment.

What do you wish to teach your children about the world?

To be kind and not to be picky eaters. So far, we’ve been more successful in the former than the latter.

When all is said and done … ?

Live life to the fullest!