So it feels like yesterday that I started this blog, yet here I am nine months later after living in three different provinces with 9 other friends. I can`t say I don`t want to go home but I definitely do not want to leave. Katimavik has been part of my life for a while now and I don`t know what it will be like once I get back to the real world. I know I still have three days left in the program but the rest of it will be spent in seclusion on an island. I will not have internet access again until I reach Toronto International Airport (or that is my assumption). Anyways I thought that posting a slideshow (diaporama in French) would be a nice way to unofficially end my Katimavik adventure.
I will write one more post upon returning to London and then I guess my blogging days in Katimavik are over. Hope you enjoyed everything :)
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Friday, June 25, 2010
...just when you thought I could not get any manlier
It is Friday night here in Alma and the Katimavik house is practically empty. There is basically no furniture and I am using a sleeping bag (to sleep obv) because today was moving day! Seeing the house in this state is kind of eerie and has really hammered down the fact that Katimavik will soon be history...which has made me quite sad. That is why in this blog post I want to remember a time when we actually had a table to eat off of. A night where we became submersed in a story of lies, deceit and murder.
The time, early in the morning in 1921, the place a traveling circus...so I guess you can pick the place, but the crime was the murder of Francesco Mulini. He was the circus` head honcho dude. He was murdered and his body dumped in the lion`s cages only to be found when he did not show up for the mornings meeting. The circus was losing money yet he was still floating in oodles cash so there was plenty of motive to kill but who murdered Francesco.
Shoshana: (The Bearded Woman; Barbarella Joly)
It was well known that this bearded woman she spent all her time alone in her trailer, but that us because she liked to write...when she found out that Francesco published one of her manuscripts under his name for profit, was that enough to push her over the edge and commit such a terrible crime?
Emilie: (The Janitor; Gaston Samson)
Always living in the shadow of others and picking up everyones trash, this janitor had aspirations to become a huge success on the main stage of the circus. Francesco however crushed his dreams and told him he had no hope of ever becoming famous. Did this reality check make him snap?
Tony: (The Lion Keeper; Roger Frayant)
Grieving the loss of one of his Siberian tigers, Roger, was on a mission to find out who stole his most prized possession. When he found out that Francesco let his tiger be slaughtered and its fur sold on the black market, did Roger give Francesco a taste of his own cruel medicine?
Fred: (The Mysterious Horse Trainer; Nadia Petrowzky)
The new woman around town, Nadia is very quite and controlled. No one knows anything about her except that she was seen arguing with Francesco the night he was murdered. Was it their secret love and lack of commitment from Francesco that drove her insane.
Jordan: (The Sexy Assistant; Marguerite Labonté)
This sexy female gets more then enough attention around the campus. Although she is married to the magician and assistant director Clovis, she has faithfully served Francesco, but could she have seen something that turned her against her lifetime friend. She does have keys to his office and more than enough alone time with the director to get the job down.
Mik: (The Juggler; Émile Laronde) *he did not dress up so a small cartoon caricature will have to be sufficient*
This old timer at the circus is on the way out. Even though he was one of the founding fathers, his act was becoming sloppy and boring. Francesco was debating whether or not to keep him on the payroll so if Émile found out his fate would he be willing to kill if the decision did not go in his favour?
Jessica: (The Magician; Clovis Choquette)
The assistant director to the circus has had enough. Francesco is hiding something big from him and he cannot pit point what it is. On top of that Francesco seems to be keeping more than his share of the profits. His wife also seems to be spending a lot of time with Francesco, so was it jealousy that pushed him over the edge?
Andréanne: (The World's strongest Woman; Raymonde Petit)
This strong minded woman has enough brute strength to end the life of Francesco with her own bare hands, so did Francesco anger her in someway by making a jab at being ladylike?
Tom: (The Snake Charmer; Abul Amith)
Abul Amith is on the run from the police, and Francesco has just found out his true identity. To save his own hide did Abul, or Trevor for that fact, commit another crime just so he could get a second chance at life.
L.A: (The Clown; Rosalie Jetté)
Roasalie is in a slump and many people have noticed her depressing mood. She has been single for a very long time and is looking for someone to love. Was Francesco`s rejection to hard for her to handle?
Any ideas of who could be so cruel and end the life of Francesco just as he was reaching his prime? It was quite the whirl wind story and I still can`t believe what happened...
The time, early in the morning in 1921, the place a traveling circus...so I guess you can pick the place, but the crime was the murder of Francesco Mulini. He was the circus` head honcho dude. He was murdered and his body dumped in the lion`s cages only to be found when he did not show up for the mornings meeting. The circus was losing money yet he was still floating in oodles cash so there was plenty of motive to kill but who murdered Francesco.
Shoshana: (The Bearded Woman; Barbarella Joly)
It was well known that this bearded woman she spent all her time alone in her trailer, but that us because she liked to write...when she found out that Francesco published one of her manuscripts under his name for profit, was that enough to push her over the edge and commit such a terrible crime?
Emilie: (The Janitor; Gaston Samson)
Always living in the shadow of others and picking up everyones trash, this janitor had aspirations to become a huge success on the main stage of the circus. Francesco however crushed his dreams and told him he had no hope of ever becoming famous. Did this reality check make him snap?
Tony: (The Lion Keeper; Roger Frayant)
Grieving the loss of one of his Siberian tigers, Roger, was on a mission to find out who stole his most prized possession. When he found out that Francesco let his tiger be slaughtered and its fur sold on the black market, did Roger give Francesco a taste of his own cruel medicine?
Fred: (The Mysterious Horse Trainer; Nadia Petrowzky)
The new woman around town, Nadia is very quite and controlled. No one knows anything about her except that she was seen arguing with Francesco the night he was murdered. Was it their secret love and lack of commitment from Francesco that drove her insane.
Jordan: (The Sexy Assistant; Marguerite Labonté)
This sexy female gets more then enough attention around the campus. Although she is married to the magician and assistant director Clovis, she has faithfully served Francesco, but could she have seen something that turned her against her lifetime friend. She does have keys to his office and more than enough alone time with the director to get the job down.
Mik: (The Juggler; Émile Laronde) *he did not dress up so a small cartoon caricature will have to be sufficient*
This old timer at the circus is on the way out. Even though he was one of the founding fathers, his act was becoming sloppy and boring. Francesco was debating whether or not to keep him on the payroll so if Émile found out his fate would he be willing to kill if the decision did not go in his favour?
Jessica: (The Magician; Clovis Choquette)
The assistant director to the circus has had enough. Francesco is hiding something big from him and he cannot pit point what it is. On top of that Francesco seems to be keeping more than his share of the profits. His wife also seems to be spending a lot of time with Francesco, so was it jealousy that pushed him over the edge?
Andréanne: (The World's strongest Woman; Raymonde Petit)
This strong minded woman has enough brute strength to end the life of Francesco with her own bare hands, so did Francesco anger her in someway by making a jab at being ladylike?
Tom: (The Snake Charmer; Abul Amith)
Abul Amith is on the run from the police, and Francesco has just found out his true identity. To save his own hide did Abul, or Trevor for that fact, commit another crime just so he could get a second chance at life.
L.A: (The Clown; Rosalie Jetté)
Roasalie is in a slump and many people have noticed her depressing mood. She has been single for a very long time and is looking for someone to love. Was Francesco`s rejection to hard for her to handle?
Any ideas of who could be so cruel and end the life of Francesco just as he was reaching his prime? It was quite the whirl wind story and I still can`t believe what happened...
Saturday, June 19, 2010
The Beach and Beach Boys
Time in Katimavik is flying. I barely have enough time to register that maybe I should write a blog about something, before it is becomes ancient history. In this post I thought I would give you a run down of everything that happened while my katima-family (and me) spent the weekend in Chicoutimi.
Friday:
We woke up bright and early and made our way down to Saint-Honoré to help set up for their annual kite and air festival. I spent a good part of my day hammering stakes into the ground, which was brutal, seeing that I have no muscle mass. Nevertheless, even in the most brutal of conditions, there is always time for a photo shoot.
Once our tour of duty at the airport was finished, we made our way into Chicoutimi to attend the collective project of another Katimavik group in the region. For their project they held a traditional french dance for cancer.
Jillian:(Girl from the Chicoutimi group) So what are you guys doing for your collective project?
Me: Oh a Bottle Drive for La Moisson(the food bank)
Jillian: That`s cool! We did a bottle drive to raise money for our project.
....this conversation made me feel really good about myself!
Saturday:
The following morning came and my groups mood was slightly depressing. We were all super tired and grouchy. Luckily there was a hockey team holding a car wash outside Le Patro (the place where we slept)and our car was in desperate need of a wash. Therefore we took our huge Katimavik van through the wash and got half a dozen buff hockey players to scrub and rinse down the van while Nelly Furtado`s Maneater played in the background. The groups mood improved incredibly.
The rest of our day consisted of going to the Fjord Museum, sitting in on a children`s magic show (which wads actually really good...L.A and Shoshana go his autograph), watching a glass blowing demonstration which was epic and then finally BEACH BOYS!
It was an excellent show. The Mockingbirds opened for the Beach Boys and they were quite the band as well. The lead singer had a Spider tattoo on his inner arm. I personally think it would be cool to get a tattooed somewhere but honestly I don`t think I have the courage to get it done. I would turnout like that guy in the Taxi movie who tried to get DANGER tattoo on his body but just ended up with DAN. The Beach Boys concert was also was the first time I was legally able to purchase beer at a public event and I took advantage of that fact even if the beer was RIDICULOUSLY expensive.
Another memorable moment was this crazy lady, in her late forties or early fifties, who had a terrible wardrobe malfunction. Her first problem was that her skirt was so short it made waitresses at Moxy's look like they are fully clothed. Add on top of everything else she was completely wasted. To make a long story short she had toilet paper trailing out of her....well Shoshana photographed the evidence...
...she was removed by security shortly after this picture was taken!
Here are another few pictures from the concert:
Emilie our beautiful and wise Project Leader <3
Shoshana enjoying her alcohol :)
Shoshana and me looking damn fine!
Jessica...the alcoholic in our group:P Actually L.A tanked it at the concert drinking more than all of us put together...and on an empty stomach too.
..and last but not least THE BEACH BOYS!!!!!!
Sunday:
After two full days of non-stop work, Sunday was meant just for relaxing. In my mind there is no better way to relax than to lay on a beach and tan (even if I am pasty white) so I was able to convince most of the others in my group to drive out to Pointe de Taillon and soak up the sun. We are all extremely responsible individuals so we all wore sunscreen. Tony made sure my back was covered...
Overall I think it was one of the more memorable weekends I've had here in Quebec. It was packed with a little bit of everything for everyone. Seeing that we only have 11 more days left in Katimavik it looks like we are going to try and make the most of it all!
...some of us in enjoying the water!
This crazy woman statue near the beach. Whenever I look at her all I can think of is legs...
Friday:
We woke up bright and early and made our way down to Saint-Honoré to help set up for their annual kite and air festival. I spent a good part of my day hammering stakes into the ground, which was brutal, seeing that I have no muscle mass. Nevertheless, even in the most brutal of conditions, there is always time for a photo shoot.
Once our tour of duty at the airport was finished, we made our way into Chicoutimi to attend the collective project of another Katimavik group in the region. For their project they held a traditional french dance for cancer.
Jillian:(Girl from the Chicoutimi group) So what are you guys doing for your collective project?
Me: Oh a Bottle Drive for La Moisson(the food bank)
Jillian: That`s cool! We did a bottle drive to raise money for our project.
....this conversation made me feel really good about myself!
Saturday:
The following morning came and my groups mood was slightly depressing. We were all super tired and grouchy. Luckily there was a hockey team holding a car wash outside Le Patro (the place where we slept)and our car was in desperate need of a wash. Therefore we took our huge Katimavik van through the wash and got half a dozen buff hockey players to scrub and rinse down the van while Nelly Furtado`s Maneater played in the background. The groups mood improved incredibly.
The rest of our day consisted of going to the Fjord Museum, sitting in on a children`s magic show (which wads actually really good...L.A and Shoshana go his autograph), watching a glass blowing demonstration which was epic and then finally BEACH BOYS!
It was an excellent show. The Mockingbirds opened for the Beach Boys and they were quite the band as well. The lead singer had a Spider tattoo on his inner arm. I personally think it would be cool to get a tattooed somewhere but honestly I don`t think I have the courage to get it done. I would turnout like that guy in the Taxi movie who tried to get DANGER tattoo on his body but just ended up with DAN. The Beach Boys concert was also was the first time I was legally able to purchase beer at a public event and I took advantage of that fact even if the beer was RIDICULOUSLY expensive.
Another memorable moment was this crazy lady, in her late forties or early fifties, who had a terrible wardrobe malfunction. Her first problem was that her skirt was so short it made waitresses at Moxy's look like they are fully clothed. Add on top of everything else she was completely wasted. To make a long story short she had toilet paper trailing out of her....well Shoshana photographed the evidence...
...she was removed by security shortly after this picture was taken!
Here are another few pictures from the concert:
Emilie our beautiful and wise Project Leader <3
Shoshana enjoying her alcohol :)
Shoshana and me looking damn fine!
Jessica...the alcoholic in our group:P Actually L.A tanked it at the concert drinking more than all of us put together...and on an empty stomach too.
..and last but not least THE BEACH BOYS!!!!!!
Sunday:
After two full days of non-stop work, Sunday was meant just for relaxing. In my mind there is no better way to relax than to lay on a beach and tan (even if I am pasty white) so I was able to convince most of the others in my group to drive out to Pointe de Taillon and soak up the sun. We are all extremely responsible individuals so we all wore sunscreen. Tony made sure my back was covered...
Overall I think it was one of the more memorable weekends I've had here in Quebec. It was packed with a little bit of everything for everyone. Seeing that we only have 11 more days left in Katimavik it looks like we are going to try and make the most of it all!
...some of us in enjoying the water!
This crazy woman statue near the beach. Whenever I look at her all I can think of is legs...
Friday, June 18, 2010
KaTiMaViK, QuEbEc, KaTiMaViK! (I am talking about Katimavik)
I have twelve minutes to write this blog post because my group is getting ready to go to Quebec City for the weekend. I was in the process of writing a more substantial blog post but I ran out of time so I will finish it while on route to Quebec City. The only problem with that plan is that I don't know when I will have internet to post it....well i guess thats life :/
So I wanted to get two things across in this post. One when I search for my blog using katimavik keywords, my blog does not show up enough and I think It is because I do not use the word Katimavik enough. So to change this I plan to write Katimavik one hundred times consecutively.
Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik
Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik...
I lost count but I think it is close enough to one hundred. Anyways if this does not higher me on the Katimavik blog list...then I might cry. The second thing I want to say I say is that I have less than two weeks left and I miss my friends and family like crazy. Can't wait to see everyone.
Cheers
So I wanted to get two things across in this post. One when I search for my blog using katimavik keywords, my blog does not show up enough and I think It is because I do not use the word Katimavik enough. So to change this I plan to write Katimavik one hundred times consecutively.
Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik
Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik Katimavik...
I lost count but I think it is close enough to one hundred. Anyways if this does not higher me on the Katimavik blog list...then I might cry. The second thing I want to say I say is that I have less than two weeks left and I miss my friends and family like crazy. Can't wait to see everyone.
Cheers
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
The Stabbing of Leigh-Amber
So for those of my readers who kept up with my blog (thank you Shohsana, and mom), last night I left you with the promise of a video which would reveal the person covered in dollarama balloons. Well I am a man of my word so enjoy the video. The title is quite self explanatory. *Note No Leigh-Ambers were hurt in the making of this video....except when she fell down the stairs walking out side*
Cooking, Cleaning and Promiscuity
So I have just finished being house manager for the VERY LAST TIME IN KATIMAVIK and I think it went quite well. I mean we did not put dates in spaghetti, salmon bones in tagine or make a yam and avocado purée so I think it is safe to say that we have eaten much worse. I always enjoyed house manging but there are somethings that I not going to miss. Never again will I have to pretend like I cleaned the bathroom or act like I cared when we ran out of soy milk. Anyways,this past week I got the honour to house manage with L.A, meaning I successfully house managed with all of girls in my group. Now this usually it wouldn't mean anything to me but recently I have gotten the rap as the promiscuous gentleman in my Katimavik group and I do not believe it is entirely warranted. It is true that I have slept in all of the girls beds here in Alma (including my PL's), that more often then not I will strip tease to Olivia Newton John's Physical and it yes I can sometimes be found in outfits that put Adam Lambert to shame but other then that my slate is clean. I don't think that it isn't so much that I am promiscuous but rather the fact that the other guys in my group are so un-promiscuous. So to make a long story short I am not in the wrong it is just everyone else around me.
The thing I am going to miss most about house management is grocery shopping. Something about buying food for 10 people brings out the best in people. Back in Newmarket, Shoshana and I went to the grocery store decked in matching outfits, which consisted of pink spandex and a jean shirt, so going shopping is always a fun filled experience. This past week with L.A was no exception. We went to the usual Maxi (le panier le moins cher) and we got right down to business by attracting the attention of everyone around us by being as loud and obnoxious as possible. We had one old guy come up to us a condone us for being English saying "YOU ARE IN QUEBEC" and a second creepy old man who told our PL Emilie that she looked far to young to have children of our age.
Another part of our House Management duties was picking a theme dinner and we had a grape night. We made everyone cover themselves in balloons before the could eat.
It turned out pretty well....
Can you guess who this is? Well If you don't know you will have to come back to my blog tomorrow and find out. The mystery person will be revealed in a 6 minute home video which includes, yes the balloons, a knife and a skateboard!
The thing I am going to miss most about house management is grocery shopping. Something about buying food for 10 people brings out the best in people. Back in Newmarket, Shoshana and I went to the grocery store decked in matching outfits, which consisted of pink spandex and a jean shirt, so going shopping is always a fun filled experience. This past week with L.A was no exception. We went to the usual Maxi (le panier le moins cher) and we got right down to business by attracting the attention of everyone around us by being as loud and obnoxious as possible. We had one old guy come up to us a condone us for being English saying "YOU ARE IN QUEBEC" and a second creepy old man who told our PL Emilie that she looked far to young to have children of our age.
Another part of our House Management duties was picking a theme dinner and we had a grape night. We made everyone cover themselves in balloons before the could eat.
It turned out pretty well....
Can you guess who this is? Well If you don't know you will have to come back to my blog tomorrow and find out. The mystery person will be revealed in a 6 minute home video which includes, yes the balloons, a knife and a skateboard!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Cheers to a Poorly Written Blog Post....
It has been a while since I wrote a sappy blog post and I am quite tempted to write one just because it is 11:29PM and seeing that I have very little to talk about it might make for a good blog post but I think I will refrain and tell you about my week and other random things instead.
The first thing I wanted to talk about is Mexicans. Now I am in no way racist but we have a Mexican in our group and in a joking manner me and Shoshana have started making fun of him just because he is Mexican. We didn`t think he cared about the blasphemy and that he realized we were joking but apparently it is getting to him. Now me and Shoshana feel like crap, but here is the kicker, now that we got into the rhythm of horribly insulting Tom we cannot seem to stop. Making fun of Tom is not something that you can quit cold turkey, just like cigarettes or Vogue, so Shoshana decided on the drastic measure of whenever she says a racist comment to Tom that she has to give him 25 cents. I soon may have to follow suit because Tom`s patience seems to be wearing thin. Relations with Tom may also be strained though because about an hour ago Shoshana and I were in my room talking (while Tom was sleeping) and although he never wakes up, once he falls asleep, I guess we were too loud and he woke up. He was not the happiest camper, although Tom does like camping, and I know for a fact that he can`t fall back asleep because he just came up to the computer room scowling....
Anyways moving on, the Glee finale was this week and when that episode finished it felt like the end of and era. I started Katimavik as the only Gleek in my group and I was forced to watch Glee in seclusion with headphones on. Fast forward to today and I successfully converted everyone in my group except for Mik who vehemently hates the award winning show. I guess it is to bad for him because Glee music plays 24/7 and most of us have watched each episode at least twice. This past episode was super cute and I loved the Journey medley that New Directions performed. Watching Glee end on Wednesday, because we have to wait until we can illegally download it, made me think of Katimavik`s journey which is coming to and end and although I will be sad I cannot wait to get back home. It is a weird mixture of sadness, excitement and happiness all mixed up into my confused head. My Alma trimester has been incredible and I am the happiest I`ve been in Katimavik here in Quebec.
The last thing I wanted to talk about was the fact that it is well after midnight and that I have to wake up in less than five hours. We are spending the weekend in Chicoutimi where we will be volunteering, going to meuseums and seeing BEACH BOYS!!!!! Yeah thats right the Beach Boys!!!! I am so pumped that I had to put multiple exclamation marks. This is where I bid my good night and where I tell you that I plan to have a nice blog post about my weekend`s travel come Monday or Tuesday....Wednesday if I am lazy!
P.S Nacho Libre is Terrible!
The first thing I wanted to talk about is Mexicans. Now I am in no way racist but we have a Mexican in our group and in a joking manner me and Shoshana have started making fun of him just because he is Mexican. We didn`t think he cared about the blasphemy and that he realized we were joking but apparently it is getting to him. Now me and Shoshana feel like crap, but here is the kicker, now that we got into the rhythm of horribly insulting Tom we cannot seem to stop. Making fun of Tom is not something that you can quit cold turkey, just like cigarettes or Vogue, so Shoshana decided on the drastic measure of whenever she says a racist comment to Tom that she has to give him 25 cents. I soon may have to follow suit because Tom`s patience seems to be wearing thin. Relations with Tom may also be strained though because about an hour ago Shoshana and I were in my room talking (while Tom was sleeping) and although he never wakes up, once he falls asleep, I guess we were too loud and he woke up. He was not the happiest camper, although Tom does like camping, and I know for a fact that he can`t fall back asleep because he just came up to the computer room scowling....
Anyways moving on, the Glee finale was this week and when that episode finished it felt like the end of and era. I started Katimavik as the only Gleek in my group and I was forced to watch Glee in seclusion with headphones on. Fast forward to today and I successfully converted everyone in my group except for Mik who vehemently hates the award winning show. I guess it is to bad for him because Glee music plays 24/7 and most of us have watched each episode at least twice. This past episode was super cute and I loved the Journey medley that New Directions performed. Watching Glee end on Wednesday, because we have to wait until we can illegally download it, made me think of Katimavik`s journey which is coming to and end and although I will be sad I cannot wait to get back home. It is a weird mixture of sadness, excitement and happiness all mixed up into my confused head. My Alma trimester has been incredible and I am the happiest I`ve been in Katimavik here in Quebec.
The last thing I wanted to talk about was the fact that it is well after midnight and that I have to wake up in less than five hours. We are spending the weekend in Chicoutimi where we will be volunteering, going to meuseums and seeing BEACH BOYS!!!!! Yeah thats right the Beach Boys!!!! I am so pumped that I had to put multiple exclamation marks. This is where I bid my good night and where I tell you that I plan to have a nice blog post about my weekend`s travel come Monday or Tuesday....Wednesday if I am lazy!
P.S Nacho Libre is Terrible!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Photos of the week: House Management Highlights
So the following pictures appear to nothing in common and are extremely random but the one factor that links them together is house management. Every week we have two house managers and they stay home from work so they can cook and clean. The pictures describe themselves (unless I put a little comment on them which I probably will).
This is quite an old picture actually dating back to the time when my group resided in Newmarket. This is me getting rid of left overs!
Jessica`s famous Chick Pea Soup! She made it when she had the flu so it became taboo. Me and Shoshana, who both had the pleasure of tasting it, went to the extreme lenghts of eathing garlic to prevent us from getting sick.
Anthony cleaning the oven...that duty had been neglected for a few weeks so it was pretty rank (yes I did use the word rank and yes I do know it is no longer 2007)
Mr. Peanut Butter Man. Shoshana wanted to clean the glass of the oven but there was this sticky substance that wasn't coming off. When all else fails turn to peanut butter. It worked like a charm but Shoshana felt the job wouldn;t be complete until the blob of peanut butter was turned into a face.
Over 72 hours we found celery that was wilting. It is said that celery can become once more eatable (is that a word) if it is put in water. SO we tried it but then place the celery on the wrong side of the fridge. OUr fridge has a nasty habit of freezing things.
Once a week we have a theme dinner. Jessica and Andréanne had a rockstar theme and decorated appropriately.
L.A`s and Shoshana`s poutine...with a twist :)
This is quite an old picture actually dating back to the time when my group resided in Newmarket. This is me getting rid of left overs!
Jessica`s famous Chick Pea Soup! She made it when she had the flu so it became taboo. Me and Shoshana, who both had the pleasure of tasting it, went to the extreme lenghts of eathing garlic to prevent us from getting sick.
Anthony cleaning the oven...that duty had been neglected for a few weeks so it was pretty rank (yes I did use the word rank and yes I do know it is no longer 2007)
Mr. Peanut Butter Man. Shoshana wanted to clean the glass of the oven but there was this sticky substance that wasn't coming off. When all else fails turn to peanut butter. It worked like a charm but Shoshana felt the job wouldn;t be complete until the blob of peanut butter was turned into a face.
Over 72 hours we found celery that was wilting. It is said that celery can become once more eatable (is that a word) if it is put in water. SO we tried it but then place the celery on the wrong side of the fridge. OUr fridge has a nasty habit of freezing things.
Once a week we have a theme dinner. Jessica and Andréanne had a rockstar theme and decorated appropriately.
L.A`s and Shoshana`s poutine...with a twist :)
Friday, June 4, 2010
Billeting Part One: Working at the Carwash
In am a little behind on the times since billeting is already more than half way done, but between working, sleeping and reading the Twilight Saga there is little time left for writing blog posts. Nevertheless I wanted to fill everyone in on what I have been up to during the last week. Last Friday we all commenced the journey known as billeting. For those of you who do not know what billeting is, well basically it is when you get picked up by a random stranger (sometimes strangers) and get taken to their house to live out the next stage of your life. In my case the next stage would last 9 days and my strangers were the Provencher family. Pauline, Albert and Dereck are all super nice and staying with them has been a good workout for my French since none of them speak English. Dereck and I did watch Harry Potter in English last night so that was kinda cool! Dereck is 16 and is basically the cooler version of me. He has mastered the Justin Beiber hair flick to a tee, goes to an arts high school and has cooler clothes than me. Guhh I will not admit that I am jealous. I haven’t been able to spend much time with him though because he is in the middle of exams so he is super stressed and my Twilight reading schedule keeps me super busy.
Anyways a few of the other highlights during the billeting cycle have been spending an afternoon with Dereck`s Grandma (it was actually quite a fun date, we went flower shopping and then I went back to her place for tea), cycling with Pauline (I am so glad I have spandex), Pauline`s cooking (we had Chinese Fondue last night and it was like heaven in my mouth), and working at a car wash. That will be an experience I will not forget. Last Sunday our Katimavik group (minus Fred...she was wind surfing or sick I am not sure which one) volunteered for La Nichée (an organization that helps mothers and their babies through tough times) to wash cars. The day started off quite nicely. The two fire fighters, who came to set up our water stations, were so incredibly good looking that saying they are good looking is an understatement. I was a tad slow in realizing that though because L.A and Jessica had ``dibs dibed`` them both leaving me and Shoshana with nothing but our overly large signs that we were told to put up. That was when the wind picked up. The temperature was around 20 degrees and sunny but this wind was blistering cold and lasted the ENTIRE day. It made washing cars slightly difficult. I still had a fantastic time though. It was the first time I took part in a car wash and I would definitely do it again. I really liked when the drivers would blast music for us as we washed their car, except when it was this mid forty year old creepo who played Nelly Furtado`s Maneater while he sat in his huge Ford 150 and watched us. ICK! All in all it has been a good week of billeting but I miss my group and I am excited to get back to the Katimavik house.
I think they should date....just saying
Thony working his stuff at the car wash!
Anyways a few of the other highlights during the billeting cycle have been spending an afternoon with Dereck`s Grandma (it was actually quite a fun date, we went flower shopping and then I went back to her place for tea), cycling with Pauline (I am so glad I have spandex), Pauline`s cooking (we had Chinese Fondue last night and it was like heaven in my mouth), and working at a car wash. That will be an experience I will not forget. Last Sunday our Katimavik group (minus Fred...she was wind surfing or sick I am not sure which one) volunteered for La Nichée (an organization that helps mothers and their babies through tough times) to wash cars. The day started off quite nicely. The two fire fighters, who came to set up our water stations, were so incredibly good looking that saying they are good looking is an understatement. I was a tad slow in realizing that though because L.A and Jessica had ``dibs dibed`` them both leaving me and Shoshana with nothing but our overly large signs that we were told to put up. That was when the wind picked up. The temperature was around 20 degrees and sunny but this wind was blistering cold and lasted the ENTIRE day. It made washing cars slightly difficult. I still had a fantastic time though. It was the first time I took part in a car wash and I would definitely do it again. I really liked when the drivers would blast music for us as we washed their car, except when it was this mid forty year old creepo who played Nelly Furtado`s Maneater while he sat in his huge Ford 150 and watched us. ICK! All in all it has been a good week of billeting but I miss my group and I am excited to get back to the Katimavik house.
I think they should date....just saying
Thony working his stuff at the car wash!
Saturday, May 29, 2010
The Sexy Librarian
My job placement here in Alma is working at one of the local elementary schools and so far I am having a blast. My duties have been pretty slack. Basically I float from classroom to classroom helping kids with small math problems and chatting with them in my broken French. I like staying in the younger classes though because they are way more forgiving of me when I make a mistake or when I have no idea what they are saying. It is also nice to be with the younger classes because they don’t take jabs at my sexuality thinking that I can’t understand them, unlike some of those premature prepubescent grade four boys. My favourite class though has to be the grade twos just because there is a wall full of compliments many of which lists all the things like about me. They even have a schedule of who gets to hold my hand on the way to music class.
Another project that I have gotten to do is reorganize their library, which was a complete mess. I wasn’t even sure if the books were organized in the first place because they were all over the place, shoved into the small grey IKEA-like shelves. For those of you who are thinking that this blog post is about the extremely attractive school librarian, who is six feet tall (without heels) with bleach blond hair and a fashion sense that is sophisticated but seductive all at the same time (i.e think framed glasses, long sleeved fitted argyle sweater with a mini skirt and black leggings), that is helping me sort the books then I am sorry to disappoint you because this blog post is extremely egoistical and all about me. For the past week and a half I have sat in the musty second floor library and sorted books, only to have them messed up by classes of students who come by and have no regard for the dewey decimal system. Even if it was over thirty degrees in the library during the heat wave because the school has no air conditioning and even if the fan that I found in the janitorial closet was stolen from me by the guidance councillor, I persevered and finally finished on Friday. Every single book is perfectly placed and the place looks pristine ...but I am resigned to the fact that come Monday morning, when the grade fours have library time, my perfectly classed books will be nothing more than a bunch of books waiting to be messed up.
Another project that I have gotten to do is reorganize their library, which was a complete mess. I wasn’t even sure if the books were organized in the first place because they were all over the place, shoved into the small grey IKEA-like shelves. For those of you who are thinking that this blog post is about the extremely attractive school librarian, who is six feet tall (without heels) with bleach blond hair and a fashion sense that is sophisticated but seductive all at the same time (i.e think framed glasses, long sleeved fitted argyle sweater with a mini skirt and black leggings), that is helping me sort the books then I am sorry to disappoint you because this blog post is extremely egoistical and all about me. For the past week and a half I have sat in the musty second floor library and sorted books, only to have them messed up by classes of students who come by and have no regard for the dewey decimal system. Even if it was over thirty degrees in the library during the heat wave because the school has no air conditioning and even if the fan that I found in the janitorial closet was stolen from me by the guidance councillor, I persevered and finally finished on Friday. Every single book is perfectly placed and the place looks pristine ...but I am resigned to the fact that come Monday morning, when the grade fours have library time, my perfectly classed books will be nothing more than a bunch of books waiting to be messed up.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Yoooooooow Kelly Clarkson
So it is 72 hours here in Alma and I decided to stay at the house with Jessica, L.A and Shoshana to just relax and have fun. We have had a productive weekend so far. Between sleeping, eating, and being on the computer we have managed to find time to spend with each other. Last night, while we were all gathered in the computer room, L.A found hundreds of stickers in the closet. There is not a whole lot you can do with that many stickers but supposedly covering my body in them was a valid use. Being me I couldn't say no so I changed into some spandex and then proceeded to get covered in the bright multi-colored stickers.
The finished product was quite a master piece even if I could hardly move. Nevertheless I figured how to hobble around and I soon mastered this technique. I looked like a modern art exhibit so it was only natural that we decided to go out for a walk in downtown Alma. I was a traffic stopper thats for sure. No, I really was. I was so slow walking across the road that an elderly couple could have easily walked faster than me. After we had our fun talking with people on the street and waving at cars driving by, the time came to take the stickers off. When I first decided to be "stickered", I didn't think much on how the stickers would come off....and in hindsight if I had, it may have deterred me from putting the stickers on in the first place. If you have ever waxed before I am sure you can wallow in my pain because it was surreal.
Tom, (who hadn't left for his camping adventure yet) filmed the horrific experience...
The finished product was quite a master piece even if I could hardly move. Nevertheless I figured how to hobble around and I soon mastered this technique. I looked like a modern art exhibit so it was only natural that we decided to go out for a walk in downtown Alma. I was a traffic stopper thats for sure. No, I really was. I was so slow walking across the road that an elderly couple could have easily walked faster than me. After we had our fun talking with people on the street and waving at cars driving by, the time came to take the stickers off. When I first decided to be "stickered", I didn't think much on how the stickers would come off....and in hindsight if I had, it may have deterred me from putting the stickers on in the first place. If you have ever waxed before I am sure you can wallow in my pain because it was surreal.
Tom, (who hadn't left for his camping adventure yet) filmed the horrific experience...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Facelessbook
So a few of you may have noticed that I have been absent from a little social networking service known as Facebook. On April 20th at 1:33 am I made a pledge to not use Facebook for a whole month. I took such evasive action because I wanted to show others that facebook doesn't rule my life and I can live quite fine without it. Shoshana and Thony soon followed suit, so the three of us set out on our quest for supremacy. It wasn't too hard to stay away from facebook at the beginning but by the time Day 2 came along all three of us were feeling the pressure in a world without facebook and doubts began to creep in on whether we could make in through this extreme month. Disaster struck our group on Day 8 when Thony gave in and we found him updating his status and commenting on pictures of his friends. Shoshana and I were devastated but somehow we found the strength to make it though that obstacle.
If you have ever been addicted to an unhealthy or illegal substance like LSD, cocaine or a Cosmo Subscription, then you know that getting over that addiction is like living hell. Trying to get over facebook was ten times worse. Shoshana and I even got so desperate that we ended up checking out the male personal ads on Craigslist in an attempt to find something to do on the computer. Neither of us were impressed with what the Saguenay region on Craigslist had to offer and this left the void in our hearts larger than ever. In fact when if comes to gentlemen here in Quebec, I think I can speak for both Shoshana and me when I say the best "dibs dibs" so far has be Thony's dad and he is neither from the Saguenay region or on Craigslist.
Anyways going back to the Facebook story, the two of us found ourselves in quite a predicament having two weeks to go and very little will power to carry on. Several times were we caught looking at others who were enjoying the benefits of Facebook and therefore forced out of the room and away from the temptation. After several "Cry on my Shoulder" meetings and breakdowns, where we laid on the floor looking completely dejected, we decided to man up and take this challenge head on. I am happy to inform you that we have both made it to the end of our month and I am looking forward to getting the chance to go on Facebook when the clock strikes 1:33 am tomorrow morning. I would be lying to you if I told you I wouldn't stay awake for this grand affair. It was actually quite an interesting experience being without Facebook because I realized how dependent I was on Facebook and how much time I wasted when I was online. Not having Facebook also gave me way more time to blog. If you ever get a wave of insanity and decide to also try the "Facebook fast" whether it be for a week, or month let me know how it goes because it is way harder than it looks. The "Facebook Fast" is definitely not meant for the weak or weary.
P.S I have written a lot tonight and there have not been too many visuals so here are some pictures even if they are not related to my story.
So a few weeks ago we went to see a Pyramid in Chicoutimi...
...and it was pretty cool...
...well it has to be cool if its name is the Ha! Ha! Pyramid.
...proof just in case you didn't believe me!
If you have ever been addicted to an unhealthy or illegal substance like LSD, cocaine or a Cosmo Subscription, then you know that getting over that addiction is like living hell. Trying to get over facebook was ten times worse. Shoshana and I even got so desperate that we ended up checking out the male personal ads on Craigslist in an attempt to find something to do on the computer. Neither of us were impressed with what the Saguenay region on Craigslist had to offer and this left the void in our hearts larger than ever. In fact when if comes to gentlemen here in Quebec, I think I can speak for both Shoshana and me when I say the best "dibs dibs" so far has be Thony's dad and he is neither from the Saguenay region or on Craigslist.
Anyways going back to the Facebook story, the two of us found ourselves in quite a predicament having two weeks to go and very little will power to carry on. Several times were we caught looking at others who were enjoying the benefits of Facebook and therefore forced out of the room and away from the temptation. After several "Cry on my Shoulder" meetings and breakdowns, where we laid on the floor looking completely dejected, we decided to man up and take this challenge head on. I am happy to inform you that we have both made it to the end of our month and I am looking forward to getting the chance to go on Facebook when the clock strikes 1:33 am tomorrow morning. I would be lying to you if I told you I wouldn't stay awake for this grand affair. It was actually quite an interesting experience being without Facebook because I realized how dependent I was on Facebook and how much time I wasted when I was online. Not having Facebook also gave me way more time to blog. If you ever get a wave of insanity and decide to also try the "Facebook fast" whether it be for a week, or month let me know how it goes because it is way harder than it looks. The "Facebook Fast" is definitely not meant for the weak or weary.
P.S I have written a lot tonight and there have not been too many visuals so here are some pictures even if they are not related to my story.
So a few weeks ago we went to see a Pyramid in Chicoutimi...
...and it was pretty cool...
...well it has to be cool if its name is the Ha! Ha! Pyramid.
...proof just in case you didn't believe me!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Rain Poncho's are a Glorious Thing
...so I have very little to update on in Katimavik life but I am sitting in the computer room beside Shoshana and she is blogging so I felt obliged to update my own. My week has mainly consisted of reading Twilight and updating my Itunes so all my songs have album artwork. Believe me this is a hard task when someone who goes by the name of Shoshana has over 5000 songs most of which have no artwork or that of a shirtless cowboy. I am dividing this task by letters and I am doing a letter a day. I am on B. It isn't terrible though because the next section I am working on is Britney Spears entire discography. Another thing we did this week was a Rock Star theme supper. My outfit was something else. I have come to the sad realization that a lot of theme suppers have ended in me wearing scandalous outfits (or lack thereof an outfit) where I feel WAY to over exposed. In this past weeks supper I looked as if I would be the child of Lady Gaga and Adam Lambert...if she could ride his disco stick.) Lady Gaga might want to enlist the help of Rihanna's Rude Boy if she wants that to happen. Anyways I was wearing spandex and little mirrors from a disco ball all over my body....the pictures will never make their way to the interweb so you will just half to imagine that unpleasant combo.
Hope you enjoyed my little update...I must get started on reading Shoshana's HUGE blog post since she has been working on it for three hours. I think I should give her the courtesy of reading it. They are actually incredible, I don't know why you are wasting time on my Katimavik blog. Check out her blog! If I was smart enough to post a link I would...but I can't. I think you can find it on my dash board.
Oh and I think Rain Poncho's are pretty incredible! I wore one to the zoo last week and it was like I was in my own little bubble.
Hope you enjoyed my little update...I must get started on reading Shoshana's HUGE blog post since she has been working on it for three hours. I think I should give her the courtesy of reading it. They are actually incredible, I don't know why you are wasting time on my Katimavik blog. Check out her blog! If I was smart enough to post a link I would...but I can't. I think you can find it on my dash board.
Oh and I think Rain Poncho's are pretty incredible! I wore one to the zoo last week and it was like I was in my own little bubble.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
La Zoo Sauvage and the Monkey Pit
I am going to start of my blog off tonight with a question. (Well I guess I started with a statement but that is beside the point!) Have you ever had one of those ideas that are really amazing in principal but then actually turn out to be extremely stupid! Things that come to mind are eating pickles and ice cream together or wearing vertical and horizontal stripes in the same outfit. Well if you said yes to that question I hope you can relate to the story I am about to blog about.
This past weekend my group went to the zoo with another Katimavik group. The whole weekend was all quite fine and dandy minus the fact that it was below freezing and there was a bit of snow, but it was fantastic. The Zoo was very nice and there was even had a section on animals from Asia.(They also had a Mongolian section which was kind of redundant because Mongolia is in Asia but I guess I am not on the board of directors for the zoo so my opinion doesn't matter.)In this section they had two Amur Tigers, some crazy looking birds that went by the name of Red Crown Cranes and these really funky monkeys (the Japanese Macaque) that had cool red faces. Anyways there was this interactive course kids could do on the boardwalk that coincided with what it was like to be a monkey. One of the obstacles was a monkey pit which I assumed you had to jump over. I attempted this and the result was so extremely horrible that I can't really explain it, so I guess you will have to watch it instead....
.... As I was running up to the pit I thought it looked kind of long to jump over but I was already committed so I thought I might as well give it a try. If I was not incompetent and if I read the sign, I would have realize that you were suppose to jump into the pit and jump out to see what it is like for a monkey to jump vertically. As the result of my foolishness I got a nasty bruise above my knee cap and I lost a bit of my dignity but on the bright side it gave me something to blog about!
This past weekend my group went to the zoo with another Katimavik group. The whole weekend was all quite fine and dandy minus the fact that it was below freezing and there was a bit of snow, but it was fantastic. The Zoo was very nice and there was even had a section on animals from Asia.(They also had a Mongolian section which was kind of redundant because Mongolia is in Asia but I guess I am not on the board of directors for the zoo so my opinion doesn't matter.)In this section they had two Amur Tigers, some crazy looking birds that went by the name of Red Crown Cranes and these really funky monkeys (the Japanese Macaque) that had cool red faces. Anyways there was this interactive course kids could do on the boardwalk that coincided with what it was like to be a monkey. One of the obstacles was a monkey pit which I assumed you had to jump over. I attempted this and the result was so extremely horrible that I can't really explain it, so I guess you will have to watch it instead....
.... As I was running up to the pit I thought it looked kind of long to jump over but I was already committed so I thought I might as well give it a try. If I was not incompetent and if I read the sign, I would have realize that you were suppose to jump into the pit and jump out to see what it is like for a monkey to jump vertically. As the result of my foolishness I got a nasty bruise above my knee cap and I lost a bit of my dignity but on the bright side it gave me something to blog about!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Photo of the Week: Sky Bound
This picture was taken a few weeks ago (i.e when I still had hair) but I feel it is epic enough to make it my photo of the week. I am sorry I don't have more time to write some stuff, but a more substantial post is on the way!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Chicken Hearts, Facial Hair and Taylor Lautner...
What do those three things have in common? Well they are all subjects in this weeks video blog! What is this blog post be about then? Even I can't fully answer that question! It was extremely late (I was tired) and I tried to do a video blog. I am putting this up against my better judgement. I am doing this because I don't want all my "hard work" go to waste, so please be nice and don't make too much fun of me...
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
13 Audition
I have decided to audition of the musical 13 which is being presented by the Noisy Mime theatre company. The quality is not the best but it gets the main point across. The song is from the musical.
...I will come back on later tonight and write some commentary about this blog but I must go make supper so it has to wait for now.
...I will come back on later tonight and write some commentary about this blog but I must go make supper so it has to wait for now.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Rase-a-Thon
A long long time ago B.K (before Katimavik), I once asked my friend Erika SchramWOWsky about what my coolest attribute was. I don't even know if she remembers this conversation but the answer she gave me was one I wouldn't forget! She told me that it was my hair which made me who I was and said it was always perfectly placed. Hair is something so materialistic and shallow that it couldn't be what made me cool, does no one care about my caring personality, but the more I thought about it the more sense it made.
I had friends in High School but it wasn't until near the end of grade 10 that my real social life actually started. What was the drastic change that gave me more self confidence to actually make friends and then hang out with them. Well it could have been the years of therapy I went through to feel more empowered about who I am but it is probably more accurate to say that the change coincided when I started to get decent hair cuts instead of the dreaded buzz or bowl cut I got from my lovely mother. There is nothing wrong with getting a family member of friend to cut your hair, infact in Katimavik it is an common occurrence. It is easier on the pocket book and it can even be a good bonding experience for both people. High School is a different world however where looks mean everything. People will judge you in an instant and dismiss you like last years fashion if you are not on your game. When I started getting nice haircuts I all of a sudden didn't feel like people were watching or judging me so I was way more free to just be myself. It may be stupid and petty reasoning but sometimes it is the little things that make the difference.
Anyways let us fast forward to present time. I like to think the hair plays an important role in who I am. I mean I have dyed it twice in the last six months and once again I have changed my look. This time however I decided to completely shave of all my hair. My Katimavik group went to go volunteer at a head shaving fundraiser for cancer. Ten years ago Marie-Helene Cote started this fundraiser with the help of her friends and family. At the time she was battling cancer and she was only in her late teens. She wanted to raise money for people in her situation to get an opportunity to travel and visit remote and beautiful places in the world. A physical experience to motivate individuals battling cancer and give them the extra boost they need in life. Marie-Helene herself went to Kenya with the foundation "On the Tip of the Toes" and got to climb one of the tallest mountains in the region. Marie-Helene unfortunately passed away the following year but her memory lives on. The "Rase-a-thon" has now raised over 1 million dollars for the foundation which has brought numerous smiles to individuals and families navigating through troubling times. It was a no brainer to shed my materialistic guard and help out for a good cause.
...I may have potentially just ruined the one thing that made me decently cool in my life, but hair will grow back and I might find the whole egg head look kind of cool....
I had friends in High School but it wasn't until near the end of grade 10 that my real social life actually started. What was the drastic change that gave me more self confidence to actually make friends and then hang out with them. Well it could have been the years of therapy I went through to feel more empowered about who I am but it is probably more accurate to say that the change coincided when I started to get decent hair cuts instead of the dreaded buzz or bowl cut I got from my lovely mother. There is nothing wrong with getting a family member of friend to cut your hair, infact in Katimavik it is an common occurrence. It is easier on the pocket book and it can even be a good bonding experience for both people. High School is a different world however where looks mean everything. People will judge you in an instant and dismiss you like last years fashion if you are not on your game. When I started getting nice haircuts I all of a sudden didn't feel like people were watching or judging me so I was way more free to just be myself. It may be stupid and petty reasoning but sometimes it is the little things that make the difference.
Anyways let us fast forward to present time. I like to think the hair plays an important role in who I am. I mean I have dyed it twice in the last six months and once again I have changed my look. This time however I decided to completely shave of all my hair. My Katimavik group went to go volunteer at a head shaving fundraiser for cancer. Ten years ago Marie-Helene Cote started this fundraiser with the help of her friends and family. At the time she was battling cancer and she was only in her late teens. She wanted to raise money for people in her situation to get an opportunity to travel and visit remote and beautiful places in the world. A physical experience to motivate individuals battling cancer and give them the extra boost they need in life. Marie-Helene herself went to Kenya with the foundation "On the Tip of the Toes" and got to climb one of the tallest mountains in the region. Marie-Helene unfortunately passed away the following year but her memory lives on. The "Rase-a-thon" has now raised over 1 million dollars for the foundation which has brought numerous smiles to individuals and families navigating through troubling times. It was a no brainer to shed my materialistic guard and help out for a good cause.
...I may have potentially just ruined the one thing that made me decently cool in my life, but hair will grow back and I might find the whole egg head look kind of cool....
Saturday, May 1, 2010
A Week of Sand Castles and House Forts
In my last blog post I wrote about the fact that we had no internet due since we were downloading way too much and we had hit our limit. I found it way more time consuming trying to run around the house and find a wireless signal, so I let bygones and bygones and I just waited until May 1st to get back to blog writing. If I was thinking ahead I would have just written something in a Word document and just stored it until I could post it but that would have been to logical. Either way I am here on a Saturday morning, listening to Adam Lambert play on iTunes, trying to figure out what to write about.
It has been a great so far in Alma. I haven't even been here for two weeks but I have already found my groove and feel extremely comfortable here in Quebec. I work at an elementary school called École Maria where I am basically a teachers assistant helping out where I am needed, which so far have been in the music and art classes. Speaking in French has actually been working out fairly well. I find the younger the kids are the more brutally honest they are especially about my grammatical mistakes. There was even this one kid in grade one who inquired if all xylophones spoke French like me. I could not help but smile thinking, sure I can't say "seahorse" in French but at least I know the difference between a language and an instrument.
The warmer weather is coming and I am pretty sure my whole group is excited about the change in temperature. I even ran home from work the other day in shorts (well spandex) and a T-shirt and I wasn't even cold. The school is 15.2 kilometers away but the run along the river is well worth it. Our group is has already gone to the beach twice where we have built sand castles, found treasure and buried me and fellow Katimaviker Anthony in massive sand holes. I know it is only May first but if we think summery thoughts maybe it will come sooner.
Anyways my we are heading into Chicoutimi, home of our former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien (I think), today for a fun filled day of museums and and glass blowing demonstration so I better go and get ready. I am quite content to be here right now (but miss everyone very much) I am going to make the most of my time here since my whole Katimavik adventure will come to end in two months and I will never get an experience quite like this ever again.
P.S Shoshana, Fred, Émilie and me turned our common room into a giant fort made of cushions, couches and blankets!...that was kinda fly. (I realized it was in my title so I had to write about.)
Fred, Andréanne and Shoshana at the beach :)
My head...
We started digging when we found the start of a chain...and it kept going!!!
It has been a great so far in Alma. I haven't even been here for two weeks but I have already found my groove and feel extremely comfortable here in Quebec. I work at an elementary school called École Maria where I am basically a teachers assistant helping out where I am needed, which so far have been in the music and art classes. Speaking in French has actually been working out fairly well. I find the younger the kids are the more brutally honest they are especially about my grammatical mistakes. There was even this one kid in grade one who inquired if all xylophones spoke French like me. I could not help but smile thinking, sure I can't say "seahorse" in French but at least I know the difference between a language and an instrument.
The warmer weather is coming and I am pretty sure my whole group is excited about the change in temperature. I even ran home from work the other day in shorts (well spandex) and a T-shirt and I wasn't even cold. The school is 15.2 kilometers away but the run along the river is well worth it. Our group is has already gone to the beach twice where we have built sand castles, found treasure and buried me and fellow Katimaviker Anthony in massive sand holes. I know it is only May first but if we think summery thoughts maybe it will come sooner.
Anyways my we are heading into Chicoutimi, home of our former Prime Minister Jean Chrétien (I think), today for a fun filled day of museums and and glass blowing demonstration so I better go and get ready. I am quite content to be here right now (but miss everyone very much) I am going to make the most of my time here since my whole Katimavik adventure will come to end in two months and I will never get an experience quite like this ever again.
P.S Shoshana, Fred, Émilie and me turned our common room into a giant fort made of cushions, couches and blankets!...that was kinda fly. (I realized it was in my title so I had to write about.)
Fred, Andréanne and Shoshana at the beach :)
My head...
We started digging when we found the start of a chain...and it kept going!!!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
The Myspace Effect
First of all I need to apologize for not posting a video blog this week but we had some technical difficulties. I now have my laptop, thanks to a my aunts in Guelph and I was ready to start blogging but unfortunately in my first week here our group maxed out are downloading capacity that our internet provider (damn you BELL) allows. People were playing too may games and watching too many films so our internet has been cut until the first of May. Thus I find myself in Jessica's and Shoshana's room on the right side of the couch (because the signal is weaker on the left side) trying to steal an wireless internet connection from our neighbor. A video blog is in the works and will be up shortly.
Anyways onto the picture of the week. On Thursday our house managers decided to have a theme dinner. I suggested (half jokingly) that we have a tribal dinner and the idea stuck. Shoshana and Fred decorated our eating room with snakes, trees and a colorful jungle-esque background. Our job was to come up with our costumes. My costume consisted of body paint,sting, home made paper and saran wrap.....that is all! I couldn't just pick one picture so I selected a few for this weeks viewing. Enjoy :)
This was the centerpiece to our madness!
Group shot one (Not everyone was in the picture...or looking the right way)
Group shot two! The whole gang in action!
If you were wondering why I called this blog the Myspace effect well I feel that pictures become more epic if they are take from an above angle....even if it means one can see my extremely skinny arms, random air vent and our bathroom floor that desperately needs some attention...
P.S Today is our 200th day in the program! I made a Chocolate cake with my Project Leadr Émilie...it was kinda special!
Anyways onto the picture of the week. On Thursday our house managers decided to have a theme dinner. I suggested (half jokingly) that we have a tribal dinner and the idea stuck. Shoshana and Fred decorated our eating room with snakes, trees and a colorful jungle-esque background. Our job was to come up with our costumes. My costume consisted of body paint,sting, home made paper and saran wrap.....that is all! I couldn't just pick one picture so I selected a few for this weeks viewing. Enjoy :)
This was the centerpiece to our madness!
Group shot one (Not everyone was in the picture...or looking the right way)
Group shot two! The whole gang in action!
If you were wondering why I called this blog the Myspace effect well I feel that pictures become more epic if they are take from an above angle....even if it means one can see my extremely skinny arms, random air vent and our bathroom floor that desperately needs some attention...
P.S Today is our 200th day in the program! I made a Chocolate cake with my Project Leadr Émilie...it was kinda special!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Chip & Dale
C'est la première fois que j'essaie d'écrire un blog en français donc soyez patients. Si vous ne pouvez pas comprendre.........APPRENEZ COMMENT LIRE LE FRANÇAIS. Néanmoins, aujourd'hui j'ai envie de parler d’une famille qui est proche de notre cœur, ici dans notre maison Katimavik. À Vanderhoof, nous avons rencontré Denver. Sans parents et tout seul, nous l’avons accepté dans notre maison et nos vies comme un membre de notre famille. Nous ne l’avons pas jugé quand il nous avons dit qu'il était asexuel ni quand ses deux pères sont arrivés à notre porte à Newmarket. Comme Denver, Chip et Dale étaient l’fun et gentils. C’était mignon de voir Chip et Dale vraiment en amour, mais c'était un peu étrange d’entendre les sons qu’ils faisaient quand ils étaient ensemble.
Récemment, j'ai passé du temps seul avec Dale quand j'ai pris un congé du programme. Il est venu avec moi à London pour visiter ma famille et il a voyagé avec moi à Québec. Quand la femme de la sécurité a pris mon sac pour être sûre que je n’avais pas de choses illégales, Dale n’a pas pu rester silencieux et il a crié. (C'était la première fois que Dale voyageait en avion donc il était excité). La femme était étonnée parce que ce n’est pas tous les jours qu’un sac crie. Avec précaution, elle a ouvert mon sac et Dale était là, en pleine face. La femme n’a pas trouvé ça aussi drôle que moi parce qu’elle a tout vidé mon sac à dos. Mon voyage s’est bien passé et Chip, Dale et Denver sont tous réunis et heureux.
*Note: For all you anglophones this blog post was basically about a family of stuffed dinosaurs we have at our house here in Alma. Chip and Dale are the two dads of Denver, an asexual Dinosaur from Vanderhoof. (Ellen DeGeneres was their surrogate mother but that is another story.)*
Récemment, j'ai passé du temps seul avec Dale quand j'ai pris un congé du programme. Il est venu avec moi à London pour visiter ma famille et il a voyagé avec moi à Québec. Quand la femme de la sécurité a pris mon sac pour être sûre que je n’avais pas de choses illégales, Dale n’a pas pu rester silencieux et il a crié. (C'était la première fois que Dale voyageait en avion donc il était excité). La femme était étonnée parce que ce n’est pas tous les jours qu’un sac crie. Avec précaution, elle a ouvert mon sac et Dale était là, en pleine face. La femme n’a pas trouvé ça aussi drôle que moi parce qu’elle a tout vidé mon sac à dos. Mon voyage s’est bien passé et Chip, Dale et Denver sont tous réunis et heureux.
*Note: For all you anglophones this blog post was basically about a family of stuffed dinosaurs we have at our house here in Alma. Chip and Dale are the two dads of Denver, an asexual Dinosaur from Vanderhoof. (Ellen DeGeneres was their surrogate mother but that is another story.)*
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Terry Fox Experience
The time is 1:45am EST and I obviously cannot sleep because I am writing this blog post from Alma Quebec in our totally crazy computer room, which is painted pink (Carmine Pink if we want to be specific) and grey. So much stuff has happened over the past few days in my life from an extremely scary interview at The Four Seasons hotel in downtown Toronto, to being mocked at an airport for having a purple dinosaur in my bag, to arriving in the town I reside in now.
This little adventure of mine began on the 14th of April 2010 when I bid my group farewell for a mini break from the program. I got the leave due to an interview I had in Toronto for a scholarship opportunity. The Terry Fox Humanitartian Award is an award given to approximately 20 applicants per year. I was given the opportunity to have an interview with some of the members from the selection committee and basically advocate why I would be a good choice for this award. I felt the interview went pretty well. There were three interviewees there. The one lady was a past Katimavik Project Leader so it was great to have someone know about the program I am in. The gentleman to her right actually lives five minutes from my soon to be apartment on Coombs street in London and the fine lady to her left was an avid runner who just competed in the marathon I hope to compete in next year (which is the Around the Bay race in Hamilton). I was as charming and genuine as can be so the rest of my fate is now in their hands. If I win the award or not it does not matter to me. This was a great experience and made me realize that all the things that I've done in the past few years have really made a difference.
This interview experience has also opened my eyes to what an icon Terry Fox is in Canadian society. Sure we all know his story because it is told to us by our parents and we read about it in our history books, but when I stop to think about it Terry Fox was an adult hardly older than me. His life obstacles were horrendous and living with cancer at that age would be demoralizing. Nevertheless Terry Fox did not fail to run a complete marathon every single day for months on end. That perseverance and determination is hard to find in this day and age. It is fact that Terry never made it across Canada, having to stop in Thunder Bay and then succumbing to Cancer later that year, but to me and other Canadians reaching his physical goal wasn't important. The legacy he left and the hope he gave to others meant so much more. His attitude and ideals were extremely contagious and effected every aspect of life.
Well, it is well past 2:00am now and I did have aspirations to talk about my travel day to Alma so I will have to fill everyone in tomorrow with a special blog post. All I have to say is that I am glad I got the chance to interview for this award. I need to thank Marion and Donna (my incredible aunts) for taking me in for a few days along with Eric and Jackie who helped me after my interview and made sure I got to the airport on time.
This little adventure of mine began on the 14th of April 2010 when I bid my group farewell for a mini break from the program. I got the leave due to an interview I had in Toronto for a scholarship opportunity. The Terry Fox Humanitartian Award is an award given to approximately 20 applicants per year. I was given the opportunity to have an interview with some of the members from the selection committee and basically advocate why I would be a good choice for this award. I felt the interview went pretty well. There were three interviewees there. The one lady was a past Katimavik Project Leader so it was great to have someone know about the program I am in. The gentleman to her right actually lives five minutes from my soon to be apartment on Coombs street in London and the fine lady to her left was an avid runner who just competed in the marathon I hope to compete in next year (which is the Around the Bay race in Hamilton). I was as charming and genuine as can be so the rest of my fate is now in their hands. If I win the award or not it does not matter to me. This was a great experience and made me realize that all the things that I've done in the past few years have really made a difference.
This interview experience has also opened my eyes to what an icon Terry Fox is in Canadian society. Sure we all know his story because it is told to us by our parents and we read about it in our history books, but when I stop to think about it Terry Fox was an adult hardly older than me. His life obstacles were horrendous and living with cancer at that age would be demoralizing. Nevertheless Terry Fox did not fail to run a complete marathon every single day for months on end. That perseverance and determination is hard to find in this day and age. It is fact that Terry never made it across Canada, having to stop in Thunder Bay and then succumbing to Cancer later that year, but to me and other Canadians reaching his physical goal wasn't important. The legacy he left and the hope he gave to others meant so much more. His attitude and ideals were extremely contagious and effected every aspect of life.
Well, it is well past 2:00am now and I did have aspirations to talk about my travel day to Alma so I will have to fill everyone in tomorrow with a special blog post. All I have to say is that I am glad I got the chance to interview for this award. I need to thank Marion and Donna (my incredible aunts) for taking me in for a few days along with Eric and Jackie who helped me after my interview and made sure I got to the airport on time.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Rockets and Krakatoa
I picked this picture for two reasons. First of all it shows me and Anthony eating the delicious little candies known as rockets and yes we had a competition to see who could eat 100 rockets the fastest. I also chose it because you can see the commencement of Krakatoa. Krakatoa was the pimple on my forehead which inspired a fine piece of artwork by Shoshana. It still hangs above my bed in the Newmarket Katimavik house. I am very disappointed for forgetting it, so if in anyway possible if could find its way to Alma, I might just cry tears of joy.
Video Blog Literally about Nothing
....so here is my first real attempt at a video blog but I don't really talk about anything significant for a whole 1 minute and 54 seconds so I wont be offended if you don't watch it. Katimavik is about developing new skills so hey why not try to make an epic blog, instead of the one I try to update every few weeks. You never know, I might become incredible at blogging and rival some of the greats such as Perez Hilton and Shoshana Okano. No I can never be Asian or nearly as flaming as Perez but I pledge to make my gosh darn-it blog as interesting as heavenly possible!
Maybe someone could give me some tips on how to ameliorate my video blogs in the future....
Maybe someone could give me some tips on how to ameliorate my video blogs in the future....
Second Trimester is a Wrap
So once again I fell off the band wagon when if came to updating my blog. What is different about this time is that I have come up with a new system to keep me motivated as I move to Quebec. I pledge to:
1. Write one blog in English (Mondays)
2. Write one small blog in French (Wednesday)
3. One Video Blog in either language (Friday)
4. Upload a Picture of the week (Sunday)
Jeez this is a ton of stuff to do but hey I have less than 11 weeks in the program so why not give it a try. Katimavik is a great program and I want to make sure I don't let it fly by without accomplishing what I want to do :)
....I guess I will be back later today with a video blog! So in the mean time here is a music video three girls in our group spearheaded, for our final presentation, which I think is fantastic!
1. Write one blog in English (Mondays)
2. Write one small blog in French (Wednesday)
3. One Video Blog in either language (Friday)
4. Upload a Picture of the week (Sunday)
Jeez this is a ton of stuff to do but hey I have less than 11 weeks in the program so why not give it a try. Katimavik is a great program and I want to make sure I don't let it fly by without accomplishing what I want to do :)
....I guess I will be back later today with a video blog! So in the mean time here is a music video three girls in our group spearheaded, for our final presentation, which I think is fantastic!
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Firecrotch, Sugarbush and Maple Fudge
Lately our group has felt like we don’t do too much here in Newmarket. So one day at work when I was compiling a spreadsheet of all the maple sugar festivals in Ontario, I came up with the idea that I should go to Wendy’s for lunch. I decided that making the nine minute walk for a Home-style Chicken strip combo was worth it so I left the office and walked through the forest which led to the fast food place known to me as heaven. While I was sitting there eating my upgraded combo sized fries, I came up with the idea that I should go to the convenience store for a pack of gum. Once I got to the store, I picked up my pack of Stride Gum and began to wait in line. It was there that I saw a bunch of cute beaver and moose key chains and then I had my epiphany. Why buy one pack of Stride gum for 1.19 when I could get five packs of excel gum for 4.49. I now have a lot of gum at my office along with Doritos, Mimi-eggs and Betty Crocker cupcake mix. Anyways upon returning to the office I got right back to work, which was to finish the list of maple syrup festivals in southern Ontario. Even though I was at work I couldn’t help but thinking about our groups’ dilemma of having nothing to do this, weekend. Near the end of the day my boss called me down to her office and we talked about my maple syrup festival spread sheet. We discussed how fun it would be to go and how it is the perfect way to spend a Saturday Afternoon. I think my boss is great. She always has so many great ideas and is someone who is super active and in tune with events happening in our community. I bid everyone at the office farewell and returned to the Katimavik house for a quiet evening of Loup-Garou and relaxing. Oh someone came up with a great idea to go to a Maple Sugar festival that weekend. It was really random. We went to the sugarbush, made a fire with this wilderness lady, Shoshana stood over the fire giving her the name firecrotch, and I bought some maple fudge which was way better anything Wendy’s could make…other than their baconator.
Katimavik and their Regional Offices
I really wanted to write a blog post about how the Regional Office of Ontario works within Katimavik, but since childhood I was raised with the rule "if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all...” so this blog post will be quite short. In Ontario we have 10 people working at regional trying to make my Katimavik experience a success. This does not include our PC, PSL or PL. Out of those ten people, never have I come in contact with any of them except for one lady who called me a girl through an email just because I like theatre. Katimavik needs to focus more on the quality of service to which they are trying to provide and less on quantity. Quantity usually outlasts quality because in the business world the bigger numbers or return in the quarterly report usually means that the funders are happy. But what is the point of this if a good chunk of your participants drop out of the program before third trimester starts. Katimavik is at a crossroads. Their funding has been severely cut by Heritage Canada and now they must decide where to make cuts. This is the perfect time for them to restructure. Downsize; get back to their grass roots--to help the participants grow through challenging youth service programs and helping Canadian youth "GET A LIFE".
Friday, March 5, 2010
A Nice YRT Bus Driver?
The York Region Transit system (and VIVA) is an organization which needs a lot of help. Not only are their buses inconsistent and almost always late but their drivers are more often than not just as sour. I have multiple stories where a driver has left me with a strong feeling in my stomach, a feeling that usually includes rage and disgust. My all time “favourite” bus story was the ride back from an evening Leigh-Amber, Jessica and I decided to spend in Toronto. It had been a fantastic night. The three of us had decided to go into Toronto after work to see Jersey Boys. It was an incredible show if anyone was interested and I would recommend it in a heartbeat. It was approximately 11:15 pm and we realize that our bus was supposed to leave in one minute. We quickly validated our tickets and entered the bus which was in the loading zone, open, with its sign lit up and the inside lights on. We were the only ones on the bus but about 20 seconds later the driver runs on cursing and screaming saying that we are not allowed getting on the bus while she was on break! She kicks us off, turns off her lights; drives to the other side of the parking lot, waits for a good five minutes and then returns to let us back on and start her route five minutes late (go figures). She was at fault because she failed to lock her bus and put up the “Not in Service” sign in the window, which all the other drivers had done. After all the three are not from Toronto and know very little about the whole system. If she had just stated that facts instead of being a wretched lady, I would not have had the slightest problem with her.
Anyways the roles were reversed the other day on my way to work. I was late getting to the bus and the bus was on time. I had to watch in agony as it passed me from across the street. I was fully expecting to be late for work and I began to wait for the next bus which came in 35 minutes. Miraculously the 54 Bayview returned two minutes later and I was able to get on. Supposedly the driver remembered me and saw me from across the street so she went around the block to pick me up. Her nice gesture seemed somewhat odd to me because I was on a York Region Transit bus, but nevertheless I was grateful for her good deed. It was unfortunately short lived. The transfer I half to take with six other people also was on time that day, and because the driver returned for me we missed our transfer. The world is a cruel, cruel place where the nicest intentions can turn out to be futile. When you try to be nice to one person, you might get another six people who become furious with your actions.
Anyways the roles were reversed the other day on my way to work. I was late getting to the bus and the bus was on time. I had to watch in agony as it passed me from across the street. I was fully expecting to be late for work and I began to wait for the next bus which came in 35 minutes. Miraculously the 54 Bayview returned two minutes later and I was able to get on. Supposedly the driver remembered me and saw me from across the street so she went around the block to pick me up. Her nice gesture seemed somewhat odd to me because I was on a York Region Transit bus, but nevertheless I was grateful for her good deed. It was unfortunately short lived. The transfer I half to take with six other people also was on time that day, and because the driver returned for me we missed our transfer. The world is a cruel, cruel place where the nicest intentions can turn out to be futile. When you try to be nice to one person, you might get another six people who become furious with your actions.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
My Doors are Always Open
I am well into the billeting cycle of the Newmarket rotation and this trimester I got placed with a family of four, two of which are teenage girls. Now I don’t mind in the slightest that I have to once again share a bathroom with girls, but after having to live with six “young ladies” in the Katima-house it would have been nice to get a house which was a bit quieter. I want to be clear that I am not complaining, I am just stating my feelings. My billet family is great so I don’t have anything to complain about, which is odd seeing that whining is one of my natural gifts. I am now closer to Toronto than I was before; in fact my new family lives in a beautiful old house right off of Yonge Street in Richmond Hill.
One thing I have realized about all old houses in general is that because of the passing of time, the wood expands or something to that fact and most of the doors don’t close anymore. This stands true for both my work and billet house. At the house neither my bedroom nor bathroom doors close so I am forced to wedge a sock between the door and the frame in a hope that it will hold shut while I am changing, showering or going to the washroom. At work I am on the third floor of this historic house built in 1922 by the Sheppard family, so basically where the servants use to live, and although I like the office I am in, it is right at the top of the stairs so everyone going by seems to distract me from my work. The other thing I don’t like about not being able to close my door is that I am also forced to be sneaky when I want to check my facebook at work!
Anyways in a roundabout way of saying something, I am having a good time here North of Toronto, whether it is in Richmond Hill, Aurora or Newmarket but I do dearly miss everyone so do not be hesitate to email, facebook, text (as soon as I get a phone that works) or post a comment on my blog wall (hint hint) because my doors will always be open whether it is figurative or literal, like my present day situations.
One thing I have realized about all old houses in general is that because of the passing of time, the wood expands or something to that fact and most of the doors don’t close anymore. This stands true for both my work and billet house. At the house neither my bedroom nor bathroom doors close so I am forced to wedge a sock between the door and the frame in a hope that it will hold shut while I am changing, showering or going to the washroom. At work I am on the third floor of this historic house built in 1922 by the Sheppard family, so basically where the servants use to live, and although I like the office I am in, it is right at the top of the stairs so everyone going by seems to distract me from my work. The other thing I don’t like about not being able to close my door is that I am also forced to be sneaky when I want to check my facebook at work!
Anyways in a roundabout way of saying something, I am having a good time here North of Toronto, whether it is in Richmond Hill, Aurora or Newmarket but I do dearly miss everyone so do not be hesitate to email, facebook, text (as soon as I get a phone that works) or post a comment on my blog wall (hint hint) because my doors will always be open whether it is figurative or literal, like my present day situations.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Home Again :)
It is 11 52am right now and I am on lunch at Windfall. All morning as I have been working on my spread sheets and contact list for Judy but my mind keeps slipping back to London. I left 128 days ago and although I am not even half way done Katimavik, I am extremely excited to see my friends and family! Just to be able to spend one weekend with everyone and to see how things have changed over the four months, that in itself will make my trip home worth while. I remember when I first saw that I was going to be posted in Newmarket I was annoyed and not too happy about it because it meant that I was not going to be "away" for the full nine months. I realize now that without this reprise from the program I would have gone crazy. I am trying to see as many people as possible this weekend but if you don't get a chance to catch up with me, do not worry because come summertime I will back and I can spend more than a weekend in the place I call home.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Lost in Suburbia
Newmarket is a town of 90 000 people. Coming from London, which is closer to 400 000 people, I did not think I would find it terribly difficult to find my way around this place. I even snickered (my word of the day) at the other members of my group who were scared of moving to the "big city". Then again I guess when you come from St. Louis de Kent, which is in the middle of nowhere and doesn't even have a McDonalds, moving to Newmarket is a big deal. I however found getting around Newmarket to be extremely difficult! Who knew that the buses don't run every half and hour. The 54 Bayview, for example, only runs every 43 minutes! I found this out the hard way. When I missed my bus for work, I thought I would just catch the next one. After 40 minutes I asked a the gentlemen if he knew when it came. He told me that it was only a rush hour bus service so I crossed the street to catch another route to work. I missed that bus (the driver even saw me) and then I got to watch the Bayview bus drive by me because I was on the other side of the street! That gentleman who gave me the so ever helpful advice did manage to get on the bus that was supposedly only a rush hour service. It took me 2 hours and 41 minutes to finally get to work. After missing the Bayview for the second time, my bus troubles had barely begun. That subject is still touchy for me so I will leave the rest of that story to your imaginations.
Another problem I have here is getting to our gym. In the four times that I have gone, twice has it ended in utter confusion. Last night on my way home from the gym, Tom and I ended up taking a scenic root that brought us back to Fit City twice. Feeling deflated I was forced to buy a whole pizza at Little Ceasers and pack on all the calories I lost and the gym and then some. A walk that is suppose to take 20 minutes took us well over an hour. Newmarket is urban sprawl at its finest. You can virtually get nowhere by foot. You are either in a subdivision or in a shopping center. Being a commuter city its streets are congested between 820am and 920am and then between 430pm and 600pm. It is virtually dead the rest of the time. Being the incredible individual that I am, it is my goal that by the time this trimester is finished, I will have figured out a system that does not involve me getting lost and confused every few days.
Another problem I have here is getting to our gym. In the four times that I have gone, twice has it ended in utter confusion. Last night on my way home from the gym, Tom and I ended up taking a scenic root that brought us back to Fit City twice. Feeling deflated I was forced to buy a whole pizza at Little Ceasers and pack on all the calories I lost and the gym and then some. A walk that is suppose to take 20 minutes took us well over an hour. Newmarket is urban sprawl at its finest. You can virtually get nowhere by foot. You are either in a subdivision or in a shopping center. Being a commuter city its streets are congested between 820am and 920am and then between 430pm and 600pm. It is virtually dead the rest of the time. Being the incredible individual that I am, it is my goal that by the time this trimester is finished, I will have figured out a system that does not involve me getting lost and confused every few days.
Monday, February 8, 2010
A Week in Hell (....or close to it)
It has taken me one week to get over the ordeal that was house management! I was forced into being house manager with this really annoying girl whose name shall be, for the purpose of this post, Anahsohs. (I can't have Shoshana find out I am talking crap about her in my blog!) Well anyways being house manager with her was so bad because Anahsohs made me wash and dry the dishes so many times during the week that I needed both hands to count all the times that I was forced to do them. On top of it all we had discussed, before our week started, that she would wash the washrooms all three times during our week but nevertheless I found myself having to do it ONCE! It was an outrage. I still can't get the smell of Clorox out of my skin. Does she not even care for my well being? Anyways I got some relief in the arrival of my friends but even then I was forced into a matching outfit with her which consisted of Salmon (not pink) tights and a nineties Jean shirt (the horror I know!). I have lived through her cruel and unusual punishments before but the embarrassment I encountered with my friends will take a lifetime to get over! If she just once thought about someone other than herself, maybe she would see what kind of horrible wench she is! I finished my week of house management with only my dignity lost, but never again will I put myself in a position where I can be so horribly abused. Anahsohs, shame on you for being so terrible.
My insanely buff legs!....yes I wore these tights out in public! I didn't have a choice
Anahsohs, and the magazine she used to beat me!
Earl, a potato that looks like a shark or dinosaur! (I swear I didn't mean to peel him that way)
My insanely buff legs!....yes I wore these tights out in public! I didn't have a choice
Anahsohs, and the magazine she used to beat me!
Earl, a potato that looks like a shark or dinosaur! (I swear I didn't mean to peel him that way)
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