IBAAW
I'm Aisling. I'm a "dorkerella," on the never ending quest to be the world's greatest know-it-all. This is my story.31 May 2007
Oh the excitement!!!
Okay, firstly...
THEY ARE MAKING A HARRY POTTER THEME PARK AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!!!!!!!!!!!! Go to http://leakynews.com for the details....
Moving on, and maybe redeeming my dorkishness....
Work has been good so far, speaking French all the time is odd, but not too bad. Yesterday we went to look at the compost collection, and seriously, some people are dumb. There was SO MUCH plastic and like a plastic IGA bag filled with RECYCLING. Mon dieu, how hard is it to figure out that recycling is the BLUE bac and compost is BROWN?
Last night we went to see Pirates des Caraïbes, which was pretty freakin' awesome!!! Seriously though, they certainly do take it to the extremes. The majority of the characters are SO UGLY!!! But then, there are the characters of Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who are so GORGEOUS!!! There's no middle ground. Anyway, our cinéma here is über small, with, like 4 movies in it, ha ha. And dubbed films are weird. We were talking about how hot Johnny Depp is last night (while Anny was making a Jack Sparrow collage, ha ha) and I was like 'But it's not the same without his voice,' and Joëlle was like, 'I've never even heard his voice!!!' Weird.
So, tonight is French dinner / activity night, which should be good. But our PC is also coming over, which means 'room inspection.' In B.C. and Ontario nobody cared what our rooms looked like, they were pretty much disaster areas for the whole 3 months each. But apparently Québec is VERY strict on the room-keeping rules. So... yeah. No clothes allowed on the floor, because that's how diseases and SCABIES are spread.... okay okay, I understand the rule now, because scabies are disgusting.
Alex is also going home tonight, for the weekend, so she can to to Montréal and write her placement exam, that I've been telling her to study for and she hasn't. She was like 'Oh, it's alright, I'm sure I'll do okay...' and then I pointed out the fact that she can't write. Hmmm... anyway, interesting to see how it will go!!!
Oh yeah, Lissy, I'm house manager next week, and then the week 2 weeks before I come home, which is the week you come home. So....yeah.
THEY ARE MAKING A HARRY POTTER THEME PARK AT UNIVERSAL STUDIOS!!!!!!!!!!!! Go to http://leakynews.com for the details....
Moving on, and maybe redeeming my dorkishness....
Work has been good so far, speaking French all the time is odd, but not too bad. Yesterday we went to look at the compost collection, and seriously, some people are dumb. There was SO MUCH plastic and like a plastic IGA bag filled with RECYCLING. Mon dieu, how hard is it to figure out that recycling is the BLUE bac and compost is BROWN?
Last night we went to see Pirates des Caraïbes, which was pretty freakin' awesome!!! Seriously though, they certainly do take it to the extremes. The majority of the characters are SO UGLY!!! But then, there are the characters of Jack Sparrow, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann, who are so GORGEOUS!!! There's no middle ground. Anyway, our cinéma here is über small, with, like 4 movies in it, ha ha. And dubbed films are weird. We were talking about how hot Johnny Depp is last night (while Anny was making a Jack Sparrow collage, ha ha) and I was like 'But it's not the same without his voice,' and Joëlle was like, 'I've never even heard his voice!!!' Weird.
So, tonight is French dinner / activity night, which should be good. But our PC is also coming over, which means 'room inspection.' In B.C. and Ontario nobody cared what our rooms looked like, they were pretty much disaster areas for the whole 3 months each. But apparently Québec is VERY strict on the room-keeping rules. So... yeah. No clothes allowed on the floor, because that's how diseases and SCABIES are spread.... okay okay, I understand the rule now, because scabies are disgusting.
Alex is also going home tonight, for the weekend, so she can to to Montréal and write her placement exam, that I've been telling her to study for and she hasn't. She was like 'Oh, it's alright, I'm sure I'll do okay...' and then I pointed out the fact that she can't write. Hmmm... anyway, interesting to see how it will go!!!
Oh yeah, Lissy, I'm house manager next week, and then the week 2 weeks before I come home, which is the week you come home. So....yeah.
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, La Pocatière
28 May 2007
Oh La Poc, how I love thee!
Well, I've decided I may as well write something since it is 9.45am and nobody is up yet.
I'm back on the Leadership / Media Committee. We're responsible for 5 Media events this trimester, but Fred says they're very easy, and that the media here likes us, so they like to cover us. Our calendars are beautiful! The task was left up to Alex, Anny and I and they are bigger and better than ever! I'm talking taking up most of our living room!! And they have THEMES. Ha ha. June is green with green vines all over it, sprouting pink flowers. July is blue with blue and orange stars, and a cowboy, because it's Stampede month, obviously. And August is beach-themed, with waves, sharks, fish, a crab and a pirate. The only bad thing about them is August 22nd, where I wrote 'Last day of Katimavik! :(' and the 23rd, where I put '...now what?' Ahhh, it's so sad! Whenever I look at it, I get this little stab in my stomach. Alex has been saying we should make friends in La Pocatière, but I'm not sure. I mean, at the end of the summer, I already have to leave 8 of my favourite people in the world, and who knows when I'll see them next? Why add to that? I mean, I'm not going to be anti-social or anything, but still... Anyway, all the Cégep and ITA students have left for the summer, it's just the high schoolers hanging around...
The trip to Trois Pistoles was great. Our clustermates seem very nice! We went to the T.P. Katimahouse and ate dinner. Then we went to the Fleuve. The tide was out, and we wanted to walk to the water, so we had to walk ON this odd seaweed. It was like a bunch of little, squishy balls... eww. But kind of fun. Especially because we were walking IN the Fleuve St-Laurent!!! Ha ha. Then we all played on the swings, with a soccer ball, kite, etc. or gathered firewood for a bit. Then we went to the spectacle! It was at the École Polyvalente. Like I said before, the band was called Kodiak (http://kodiaklive.com) and they were awesome! It was kind of a hip-hop mixed with all sorts of other genres show. We talked to them a bit after, and they were SO NICE. The guitar player was hot too. Ha ha. I was speaking English outside of the school, and a girl came up to me, and told me that this was my official warning and that I'd better write down my info. So, I asked her why in French, and she told me I was going to have to meet with the principal. So, I started laughing and then explained that I'm actually an anglophone, and that I don't go to that school. She laughed and said she wondered why I hadn't stopped talking in English when I saw her, like all the students would. Apparently, at the school, if you speak English you get 3 warnings, and then you get kicked out of the program. So, yeah, I guess I can't go there now, since I already have one strike against me!!! Ha ha.
Then we went back to the house for a bit, to decide what to do. The PLs made a fire out back so some people hung out there. A bunch of us walked to the nearest cabane au frites, but it was PACKED with students and other Katima-peeps, so my little group didn't stay, which now means I am CRAVING poutine quite badly, and Fred says the nearest fry cart is actually OUTSIDE of town. Grrr. This may call for a trip to McDonald's for some of theirs, but even that is a bit of a walk.
So, then a couple people went to the bars, but not much was going on, and I've decided not to drink in Québec because 1) I can't afford it and 2) It makes me sick most of the time, and what fun is that? So, I went back to the house and hung out there for a bit. Not very long after I got home, Anny and Alex came back too, so we all cuddled up and went to bed. We woke up the next morning, and were pleasantly surprised to find that Fred had actually gone to the dépanneur and got milk like he said he would! And some yummy Muslix cereal! Go Fred! You rock! So, we ate, and packed the van, and Fred came back from breakfast with the PLs at 11am, and we went home.
In the afternoon, we went to climb the mountain, which isn't a mountain by Alberta or BC standards, but was still quite pretty. They also had these stairs, called 'Les Éscaliers du Trinité' which are like a billion stairs up to the top of the mountain. My mind said 'No, no, and argggggggg,' but my butt said 'Yessssss.' Ha ha. Anyway, the rest of the night was pretty typical. Joelle and Nick made some AWESOME pizza. We had our house meeting, which was unevenful since we've only been here for a few days. We did decide, however, to take our 72 hours over the St-Jean, so we can go party in Québec (City), maybe. I mean, it's the BIGGEST PARTY OF THE YEAR, ha ha. Then it was pretty late, so Jade and I were going to go to bed, but then we decided to have oatmeal, and then I got a crazy craving for squeaky cheese, so we ran to the Petro, but it wasn't really squeaky because it had been in the fridge, but whatever. Somehow I got some extra energy, so Anny and I ran to each other in the rain, 'madeout' and then danced.
So, this morning is Free Time, this afternoon is finishing-up-all-the-other-stuff-time, and I think we're starting 1-on-1 with Fred tonight. Then it's work tomorrow!!! I'm excited, but also kind of nervous! I mean, I don't know if my French is good enough yet!! Gahhh. Anyway, Fred and the francophones need to kick my butt into speaking French all of the time. But honestly, I try, but often I forget. And since the French girls speak English now, that's what they speak most of the time!! Ugh. Atleast for this week I need to speak English with Alex because she has her English placement exam for Cégep in Montréal on the weekend, and I said I would help her!
Also, French classes start tomorrow, so hopefully I'll learn something there, even though Jade told me I don't really need it, and that it would be easier to just improve by talking, etc. Ahhh whatever.
Gosh, this was long! Later!!!
I'm back on the Leadership / Media Committee. We're responsible for 5 Media events this trimester, but Fred says they're very easy, and that the media here likes us, so they like to cover us. Our calendars are beautiful! The task was left up to Alex, Anny and I and they are bigger and better than ever! I'm talking taking up most of our living room!! And they have THEMES. Ha ha. June is green with green vines all over it, sprouting pink flowers. July is blue with blue and orange stars, and a cowboy, because it's Stampede month, obviously. And August is beach-themed, with waves, sharks, fish, a crab and a pirate. The only bad thing about them is August 22nd, where I wrote 'Last day of Katimavik! :(' and the 23rd, where I put '...now what?' Ahhh, it's so sad! Whenever I look at it, I get this little stab in my stomach. Alex has been saying we should make friends in La Pocatière, but I'm not sure. I mean, at the end of the summer, I already have to leave 8 of my favourite people in the world, and who knows when I'll see them next? Why add to that? I mean, I'm not going to be anti-social or anything, but still... Anyway, all the Cégep and ITA students have left for the summer, it's just the high schoolers hanging around...
The trip to Trois Pistoles was great. Our clustermates seem very nice! We went to the T.P. Katimahouse and ate dinner. Then we went to the Fleuve. The tide was out, and we wanted to walk to the water, so we had to walk ON this odd seaweed. It was like a bunch of little, squishy balls... eww. But kind of fun. Especially because we were walking IN the Fleuve St-Laurent!!! Ha ha. Then we all played on the swings, with a soccer ball, kite, etc. or gathered firewood for a bit. Then we went to the spectacle! It was at the École Polyvalente. Like I said before, the band was called Kodiak (http://kodiaklive.com) and they were awesome! It was kind of a hip-hop mixed with all sorts of other genres show. We talked to them a bit after, and they were SO NICE. The guitar player was hot too. Ha ha. I was speaking English outside of the school, and a girl came up to me, and told me that this was my official warning and that I'd better write down my info. So, I asked her why in French, and she told me I was going to have to meet with the principal. So, I started laughing and then explained that I'm actually an anglophone, and that I don't go to that school. She laughed and said she wondered why I hadn't stopped talking in English when I saw her, like all the students would. Apparently, at the school, if you speak English you get 3 warnings, and then you get kicked out of the program. So, yeah, I guess I can't go there now, since I already have one strike against me!!! Ha ha.
Then we went back to the house for a bit, to decide what to do. The PLs made a fire out back so some people hung out there. A bunch of us walked to the nearest cabane au frites, but it was PACKED with students and other Katima-peeps, so my little group didn't stay, which now means I am CRAVING poutine quite badly, and Fred says the nearest fry cart is actually OUTSIDE of town. Grrr. This may call for a trip to McDonald's for some of theirs, but even that is a bit of a walk.
So, then a couple people went to the bars, but not much was going on, and I've decided not to drink in Québec because 1) I can't afford it and 2) It makes me sick most of the time, and what fun is that? So, I went back to the house and hung out there for a bit. Not very long after I got home, Anny and Alex came back too, so we all cuddled up and went to bed. We woke up the next morning, and were pleasantly surprised to find that Fred had actually gone to the dépanneur and got milk like he said he would! And some yummy Muslix cereal! Go Fred! You rock! So, we ate, and packed the van, and Fred came back from breakfast with the PLs at 11am, and we went home.
In the afternoon, we went to climb the mountain, which isn't a mountain by Alberta or BC standards, but was still quite pretty. They also had these stairs, called 'Les Éscaliers du Trinité' which are like a billion stairs up to the top of the mountain. My mind said 'No, no, and argggggggg,' but my butt said 'Yessssss.' Ha ha. Anyway, the rest of the night was pretty typical. Joelle and Nick made some AWESOME pizza. We had our house meeting, which was unevenful since we've only been here for a few days. We did decide, however, to take our 72 hours over the St-Jean, so we can go party in Québec (City), maybe. I mean, it's the BIGGEST PARTY OF THE YEAR, ha ha. Then it was pretty late, so Jade and I were going to go to bed, but then we decided to have oatmeal, and then I got a crazy craving for squeaky cheese, so we ran to the Petro, but it wasn't really squeaky because it had been in the fridge, but whatever. Somehow I got some extra energy, so Anny and I ran to each other in the rain, 'madeout' and then danced.
So, this morning is Free Time, this afternoon is finishing-up-all-the-other-stuff-time, and I think we're starting 1-on-1 with Fred tonight. Then it's work tomorrow!!! I'm excited, but also kind of nervous! I mean, I don't know if my French is good enough yet!! Gahhh. Anyway, Fred and the francophones need to kick my butt into speaking French all of the time. But honestly, I try, but often I forget. And since the French girls speak English now, that's what they speak most of the time!! Ugh. Atleast for this week I need to speak English with Alex because she has her English placement exam for Cégep in Montréal on the weekend, and I said I would help her!
Also, French classes start tomorrow, so hopefully I'll learn something there, even though Jade told me I don't really need it, and that it would be easier to just improve by talking, etc. Ahhh whatever.
Gosh, this was long! Later!!!
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, La Pocatière
27 May 2007
Kodiak
Just a quick note to say that we went to the show last night!!! It was a Québecois (obviously) band called Kodiak. They were sooo great!!! I think the website is http://kodiaklive.com or something. Check them out!!!
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, La Pocatière
25 May 2007
First few days and work placements!
Okay, so my work placement is Co-Éco. It's an small environmental organization. The main project will be informing the citizens of La Pocatière about the compost system. From what I gather, the system involves brown trash-can-like containers, which people will put their organic waste inside. Then, the city will take it and turn it into adequate compost. Then it will be returned to the people, to be used in gardens. And it's all free to La Pocatière residents. I think I will really enjoy it because it's part office work, and part walking door-to-door to deliver information to the neighbourhood. In all cases, I will be speaking a lot of French which is my ultimate objective of La Pocatière. Also, I'm trying to be healthier, so the walking will be good, without getting me too heat striken, hopefully.
Our first two days here have been fantastic, so far! Yesterday, we toured the work places, and they're all great. The majority of them are outdoors, which everyone is really excited about. Steve, Nick, Sean and Joelle are working for City Hall, and they will be travelling around the city planting stuff. Gwobs and Anny will work at the Jardin Florale, taking care of the plants there. Jade will be working at the farm, with cows, sheep, horses and the new baby chickens. And Alex will be working at a center for les personnes âgées.
Last night we took a trip to the tattoo parlor, and Jade and Joelle got fleur-de-lys tattoos. Joelle's is on her foot. And Jade's is on her bum. But don't tell her I wrote that here, because she is SO SHY that we all saw her bum, ha ha. Oh, and Alex got her nipple pierced, which was interesting to watch!!! Ha ha ha. Ohh we are all so close now!
Today we had interviews which is obviously why we all have jobs now. They were in French, and the people I spoke with said my French was pretty good, so that was great!! Then, this afternoon, the rest of the cluster came over, and we went to the ITA (like an agricultural college, close to our house) and did a mini-Mass-O, to review the katima-rules, etc. Then we played ultimate frisbee, and like an idiot, I forgot my sunscreen AGAIN, and so now my sunburn has BLISTERED. It really sucks.
Tonight we met some new people. They're from Mexico, and are here to learn French, so that's cool. Joelle and Jade had fun learning some Spanish. And we were surprised to learn that Fred speaks a fair amount of Spanish as well.
Tomorrow will be a busy day as well. We start workshops at 9 am. Pretty much it will just be making committees, writing up a house contract/official languages contract, making our calendars, getting stuff organized, etc. Then that night we're probably going to go meet up with the rest of the cluster, in Trois Pistoles to see a free live show of some sort. Apparently they went last night and there was a cool guitar-playing-dude, and they had a lot of fun, so they invited us!
I'm not sure what we're doing Sunday and Monday, but it will be more workshops for sure. We're also going to decide who will be house managers this week. Then, on Tuesday work will start for everyone except the house managers, obviously.
Oh, and I'm no longer poor!!! I had only 50$ left, but my taxes came in and my mom put them into my account, plus 20$ more, so now I have 190$ again!!!! YESSSS. Ha ha ha.
So, that's what's up so far!!! I heard there was quite a dump of snow at home. Oh well. Ha ha. I guess I'll just have to enjoy +30 temperatures for everyone!!!
Our first two days here have been fantastic, so far! Yesterday, we toured the work places, and they're all great. The majority of them are outdoors, which everyone is really excited about. Steve, Nick, Sean and Joelle are working for City Hall, and they will be travelling around the city planting stuff. Gwobs and Anny will work at the Jardin Florale, taking care of the plants there. Jade will be working at the farm, with cows, sheep, horses and the new baby chickens. And Alex will be working at a center for les personnes âgées.
Last night we took a trip to the tattoo parlor, and Jade and Joelle got fleur-de-lys tattoos. Joelle's is on her foot. And Jade's is on her bum. But don't tell her I wrote that here, because she is SO SHY that we all saw her bum, ha ha. Oh, and Alex got her nipple pierced, which was interesting to watch!!! Ha ha ha. Ohh we are all so close now!
Today we had interviews which is obviously why we all have jobs now. They were in French, and the people I spoke with said my French was pretty good, so that was great!! Then, this afternoon, the rest of the cluster came over, and we went to the ITA (like an agricultural college, close to our house) and did a mini-Mass-O, to review the katima-rules, etc. Then we played ultimate frisbee, and like an idiot, I forgot my sunscreen AGAIN, and so now my sunburn has BLISTERED. It really sucks.
Tonight we met some new people. They're from Mexico, and are here to learn French, so that's cool. Joelle and Jade had fun learning some Spanish. And we were surprised to learn that Fred speaks a fair amount of Spanish as well.
Tomorrow will be a busy day as well. We start workshops at 9 am. Pretty much it will just be making committees, writing up a house contract/official languages contract, making our calendars, getting stuff organized, etc. Then that night we're probably going to go meet up with the rest of the cluster, in Trois Pistoles to see a free live show of some sort. Apparently they went last night and there was a cool guitar-playing-dude, and they had a lot of fun, so they invited us!
I'm not sure what we're doing Sunday and Monday, but it will be more workshops for sure. We're also going to decide who will be house managers this week. Then, on Tuesday work will start for everyone except the house managers, obviously.
Oh, and I'm no longer poor!!! I had only 50$ left, but my taxes came in and my mom put them into my account, plus 20$ more, so now I have 190$ again!!!! YESSSS. Ha ha ha.
So, that's what's up so far!!! I heard there was quite a dump of snow at home. Oh well. Ha ha. I guess I'll just have to enjoy +30 temperatures for everyone!!!
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, La Pocatière
23 May 2007
Salut à La Pocatière!!
Hey guys, long time, no talkage!!! I have LOADS to say in regards to the past bit, but we just arrived and so I have to make this quick!!!
Rotation camp was FANTASTIC!!! It was so relaxed and just really great to have a break!!! I am SO BURNED from our outdoor activities yesterday, but kayaking was AMAZING.
12 Hours of travelling today were great as well. I mean, honestly though, 12 hours?!? C'est beaucoup!!!
La Pocatière is just TOO CUTE!!!! It's SO SMALL, but great, and pretty!!! I am stoked to be spending my summer here!! And the house is HUGE. There are 2 kitchens, 2 bathrooms and 6 bedrooms!!! Alex, Jade and I are roomies. Anny and Joelle are down the hall, and there is one UN-USED ROOM!!! Then the boys are upstairs in 2 rooms, and so is Fred (our new PL!!!) and the main kitchen. I am SO COMPLETELY OVERLY EXCITED!!!!
Workplacement tours are tomorrow, interviews are friday, Monday is a congé for some reason, and work starts on Tuesday!!! And French lessons start next week as well. Woo hoo!!!
That's all I have time for, dinner is soon!!!
Rotation camp was FANTASTIC!!! It was so relaxed and just really great to have a break!!! I am SO BURNED from our outdoor activities yesterday, but kayaking was AMAZING.
12 Hours of travelling today were great as well. I mean, honestly though, 12 hours?!? C'est beaucoup!!!
La Pocatière is just TOO CUTE!!!! It's SO SMALL, but great, and pretty!!! I am stoked to be spending my summer here!! And the house is HUGE. There are 2 kitchens, 2 bathrooms and 6 bedrooms!!! Alex, Jade and I are roomies. Anny and Joelle are down the hall, and there is one UN-USED ROOM!!! Then the boys are upstairs in 2 rooms, and so is Fred (our new PL!!!) and the main kitchen. I am SO COMPLETELY OVERLY EXCITED!!!!
Workplacement tours are tomorrow, interviews are friday, Monday is a congé for some reason, and work starts on Tuesday!!! And French lessons start next week as well. Woo hoo!!!
That's all I have time for, dinner is soon!!!
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, La Pocatière
17 May 2007
Toronto, Parliament and FYI
Okay, so our computer at home is BROKEN!!!!! So, there won't be any news from me until we get to Quebec.
So, I'd better keep this short, but, to keep you up-to-date until I can write more:
- Our trip to Toronto was great!!! I LOVED teh CBC Museum!! I saw puppets from The Friendly Giant and Mr Dressup, and it was great!!! Oh and the Tickle Trunk was there!! Yayyy. Toronto Zoo = not as good as Calgary one!!!
- Our visit to Parliament was excellent. Question period was hilarious. The Memorial Chamber was kind of sad. The library was GORGEOUS and my number one reason to become a federal politician, ha ha.
Bye!!
So, I'd better keep this short, but, to keep you up-to-date until I can write more:
- Our trip to Toronto was great!!! I LOVED teh CBC Museum!! I saw puppets from The Friendly Giant and Mr Dressup, and it was great!!! Oh and the Tickle Trunk was there!! Yayyy. Toronto Zoo = not as good as Calgary one!!!
- Our visit to Parliament was excellent. Question period was hilarious. The Memorial Chamber was kind of sad. The library was GORGEOUS and my number one reason to become a federal politician, ha ha.
Bye!!
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, Orléans
11 May 2007
A few pictures
Well, here are, atleast, a few pictures of our shenanigans on Joelle's b-day!
Thanks to Sean's camera on his phone!!
The gang at the restaurant:
The view of Parliament from the Alexandra Bridge:
Us, walking over the bridge, into Quebec:
Me, sitting on Maurice "The Rocket" Richard's stick:
Thanks to Sean's camera on his phone!!
The gang at the restaurant:
The view of Parliament from the Alexandra Bridge:
Us, walking over the bridge, into Quebec:
Me, sitting on Maurice "The Rocket" Richard's stick:
Alex and I singing to Nsync's "Bye Bye Bye," on the bus home:
What a great night!!!!
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, Orléans, Photos
09 May 2007
An actual update about all the actual stuff actually going on. Actually.
So, when we last left our heros, they had just volunteered for Youth Action Day.
The following day, they were off once again, to volunteer for the Tulip Festival. Tulip Festival takes place every May. The main point of it is to show off the lovely 10,000 tulips we receive from the Dutch Royal Family as a thank-you for allowing them to take refuge here during World War II. We were told that some people would be working at 8.30am, and that others would start at 11am. So, we showed up at 8.30am (at 2 different parks- Major's Hill and Commissioner's) and nobody from the festival was there. And they didn't show up until after 11!!! We were all sort of angry, since we all got up early, and then we sat around for ages. Anyway, Anny and I eventually walked to the Gliebe to get a coffee, so whatever. The day was pretty much unorganized and uneventful. Anny and I were working in a boutique. We didn't get volunteer shirts though, so we sort of just looked like obsessive compulsive people, folding shirts at random. After 6 hours of that, we were allowed to leave! Yay. We went and looked at tulips. Some of them were FREAKING BRIGHT!!! AHHHH. Ha ha. The red ones almost blinded me!!! At 6, Natasha picked us up, and we went to the other park to get everyone else. They had been working all day, with NO WATER. So... yeah, it kind of sucked on both ends!!
That night we did our obligatory house meeting, and then International Prank Call Joanne (our PL in Kelowna) Day commenced!!! We spent about 10$ on phone cards, and left about 20 messages, that were about 5 minutes long each. It was pretty awesome.
Monday, not much went down. I'm house manager this week, so I pretty much cooked and cleaned. We worked on our Welcome Package for the group following us.
Tuesday (yesterday) was Joelle's birthday!! Alex, Jade and I made a big banner and paper chains to decorate. Then I made a chocolate cake (from scratch!!!!), and Alex decorated it. Because we'd been cleaning, and felt ugly, Alex and I got all skanked up. Then Joelle came home, so we all sang "Bonne Fete," and she blew out the candles. We'd all agreed to go out for dinner, so we went to Tucker's downtown! It is like this huuuuge buffet. I always forget that I'm a vegetarian until I go out to eat, but the veggie food was pretty good. I had two big plates, and a huge plate of dessert!! We then decided to walk to Quebec so we could all go for a drink, so we walked across the Alexandra Bridge, and found a place called The Whip. Ha ha. Sounds kinky, but actually, it was just a taverne. So, we all had a drink, and then walked back to Ontario and took the bus home. Good times, overall.
Today, Alex and I did some major cooking, which was fun, but made slightly unbarable by the +27 temperatures and lack of wind! I made peanut butter cookies for our trip, and bread (which was perfect and squishy... the secret? Add a bit of milk!!). Alex assembled 2 lasagnes, one meat, one veggie, for tomorrow night's dinner, since we'll be baking muffins and more cookies tomorrow. Oh, and we made a red bean rice salad for lunch tomorrow. Plus there's leftover pasta salad from today, ha ha. Tonight for dinner was a hot chicken sandwich, which is like... a chicken sandwich with gravy and peas on top. Weird. I didn't have any, since I don't eat chicken, but everyone enjoyed it!!
So, yeah, tomorrow is another big day of baking for our trip...
....oh my goodness, our trip!!
I don't think I mentioned it, but we're going to Toronto this weekend!!! We did the excursion, and seriously, it was sooo close, I didn't think we'd make it! Anyway, yesterday we got it from regional office, with a few things to fix, so I fixed it and sent it in. Then the lady from there called me, and told me that Carleton Place will be there the same day, and that they got a discount at the CN Tower. So, I called the CN Tower and got the same discount, which will save us 100$! And then we got the excursion officially approved!!! Yayyyy. So, I'll be chillin' in Toronto this weekend.
Next week is our last week here! On Monday we're doing a planning and organizing workshop. Tuesday is the French Organic Workshop we're hosting, that I mentioned briefly. Wednesday is Meet Your MP Day, and Friday is our Final Presentation! Then, I think we're volunteering at Tulip Festival again on Saturday, and Sunday will be dedicated to cleaning and last-minute wrap up, etc.
Then we're off to rotation camp, for all the debriefing etc. And before you know it we'll be on the 5 hour bus ride to La Pocatiere!! In no time at all I will be at home again!!! That's scary/exciting.
Speaking of home, my mom and dad said I don't even need to find a job for a month after I get back, as long as I sort of do a house manager thing there. I.E. cook and clean. To which I say, NO PROBLEM. I'm used to cooking and cleaning for 10 people! Four? That's childs play!!
Oh, and FYI, May 7th was ONE YEAR of consecutive blogging on this thing!! Whooot. It's the longest I've gone without jackrabbiting somewhere else! I think it is a sign of maturity, or something. But probably not.
The following day, they were off once again, to volunteer for the Tulip Festival. Tulip Festival takes place every May. The main point of it is to show off the lovely 10,000 tulips we receive from the Dutch Royal Family as a thank-you for allowing them to take refuge here during World War II. We were told that some people would be working at 8.30am, and that others would start at 11am. So, we showed up at 8.30am (at 2 different parks- Major's Hill and Commissioner's) and nobody from the festival was there. And they didn't show up until after 11!!! We were all sort of angry, since we all got up early, and then we sat around for ages. Anyway, Anny and I eventually walked to the Gliebe to get a coffee, so whatever. The day was pretty much unorganized and uneventful. Anny and I were working in a boutique. We didn't get volunteer shirts though, so we sort of just looked like obsessive compulsive people, folding shirts at random. After 6 hours of that, we were allowed to leave! Yay. We went and looked at tulips. Some of them were FREAKING BRIGHT!!! AHHHH. Ha ha. The red ones almost blinded me!!! At 6, Natasha picked us up, and we went to the other park to get everyone else. They had been working all day, with NO WATER. So... yeah, it kind of sucked on both ends!!
That night we did our obligatory house meeting, and then International Prank Call Joanne (our PL in Kelowna) Day commenced!!! We spent about 10$ on phone cards, and left about 20 messages, that were about 5 minutes long each. It was pretty awesome.
Monday, not much went down. I'm house manager this week, so I pretty much cooked and cleaned. We worked on our Welcome Package for the group following us.
Tuesday (yesterday) was Joelle's birthday!! Alex, Jade and I made a big banner and paper chains to decorate. Then I made a chocolate cake (from scratch!!!!), and Alex decorated it. Because we'd been cleaning, and felt ugly, Alex and I got all skanked up. Then Joelle came home, so we all sang "Bonne Fete," and she blew out the candles. We'd all agreed to go out for dinner, so we went to Tucker's downtown! It is like this huuuuge buffet. I always forget that I'm a vegetarian until I go out to eat, but the veggie food was pretty good. I had two big plates, and a huge plate of dessert!! We then decided to walk to Quebec so we could all go for a drink, so we walked across the Alexandra Bridge, and found a place called The Whip. Ha ha. Sounds kinky, but actually, it was just a taverne. So, we all had a drink, and then walked back to Ontario and took the bus home. Good times, overall.
Today, Alex and I did some major cooking, which was fun, but made slightly unbarable by the +27 temperatures and lack of wind! I made peanut butter cookies for our trip, and bread (which was perfect and squishy... the secret? Add a bit of milk!!). Alex assembled 2 lasagnes, one meat, one veggie, for tomorrow night's dinner, since we'll be baking muffins and more cookies tomorrow. Oh, and we made a red bean rice salad for lunch tomorrow. Plus there's leftover pasta salad from today, ha ha. Tonight for dinner was a hot chicken sandwich, which is like... a chicken sandwich with gravy and peas on top. Weird. I didn't have any, since I don't eat chicken, but everyone enjoyed it!!
So, yeah, tomorrow is another big day of baking for our trip...
....oh my goodness, our trip!!
I don't think I mentioned it, but we're going to Toronto this weekend!!! We did the excursion, and seriously, it was sooo close, I didn't think we'd make it! Anyway, yesterday we got it from regional office, with a few things to fix, so I fixed it and sent it in. Then the lady from there called me, and told me that Carleton Place will be there the same day, and that they got a discount at the CN Tower. So, I called the CN Tower and got the same discount, which will save us 100$! And then we got the excursion officially approved!!! Yayyyy. So, I'll be chillin' in Toronto this weekend.
Next week is our last week here! On Monday we're doing a planning and organizing workshop. Tuesday is the French Organic Workshop we're hosting, that I mentioned briefly. Wednesday is Meet Your MP Day, and Friday is our Final Presentation! Then, I think we're volunteering at Tulip Festival again on Saturday, and Sunday will be dedicated to cleaning and last-minute wrap up, etc.
Then we're off to rotation camp, for all the debriefing etc. And before you know it we'll be on the 5 hour bus ride to La Pocatiere!! In no time at all I will be at home again!!! That's scary/exciting.
Speaking of home, my mom and dad said I don't even need to find a job for a month after I get back, as long as I sort of do a house manager thing there. I.E. cook and clean. To which I say, NO PROBLEM. I'm used to cooking and cleaning for 10 people! Four? That's childs play!!
Oh, and FYI, May 7th was ONE YEAR of consecutive blogging on this thing!! Whooot. It's the longest I've gone without jackrabbiting somewhere else! I think it is a sign of maturity, or something. But probably not.
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, Orléans
08 May 2007
Happy Bday Joelle!!!!!!!!!
Today, Joelle is 18!!!!!!!!!!! Yes!!!!!!!!
We went downtown for dinner to celebrate and then went to Gatineau (Quebec) for a drink!
And that is all!!!!
We went downtown for dinner to celebrate and then went to Gatineau (Quebec) for a drink!
And that is all!!!!
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, Orléans
05 May 2007
Spider-man and Camp Clean-Up!
Hey. Yup. Hi. Going to get on this.
So, Spider-man 3 came out last night. To celebrate we had "super hero"-themed dinner. Alex, Jade and I went as the Powerpuff girls. There are pictures somewhere, but I obviously have been pretty awful with the whole posting-photos-thing as of late. So... yeah.
Then, we found out that Gwobs won this draw thing at his work. He won 125$ and because he is very nice and so super, he took us all to see Spider-man!!!! Yayyyyy. It was funny though, because we all got out of our costumes, and went to the theatre, and they were having a costume contest!!! Argggggg. Ha ha. Anyway, the movie was quite awesome. There were loads of funny bits. And emo-Spidey which is like ahhhhhhh-be-still-my-heart you big, nerdy, emo LOVE!!! Not to mention Topher Grace and James Franco are HOTTTTTTTT. Sizzle. Gahhhh. The whole movie is just a droolfest.
Today we volunteered for Youth Action Day. It's organized by the United Way to help Ontarian high school students get their 40 hours of community service done. Ha ha, community service. First we went to this big hall-ish thing, kind of like The Space in Calgary, and we had breakfast and got some nifty t-shirts, ha ha. Then we drove out to Rideau Hill Camp. We worked on getting the camp ready for... ermmm.... camping season. I helped clean out some cabins and rake leaves and twigs. We saw lots of dead things too, like a squirrel's head, and a deer's leg. Oh, and when we were cleaning matresses there were mice in one. One of the ladies KILLED THE MOM MOUSE WITH HER FOOT AND THEN THREW THE BABIES IN THE GARBAGE!!! It was sooo gross, and Alex and I were working there and we're both vegetarians, so... yeah. We weren't very pleased. Lunch was yummy though, they made us vegetarian chili. We also got a certificate that said we gained 8 hours of volunteer-ness. Which made us laugh, since we all do an average of 35-hours of volunteering per week already.
Tomorrow is our first day volunteering at the Tulip Festival. I have no idea how that will be, since last week they called and said we couldn't volunteer because some people have facial piercings. But, apparently they really needed us, because they relented. And in protest, Sean went and got his lip pierced yesterday.
Next week I'm house manager as well, so that will be fun. I hope. Then only 4 days left of work (because I'm pretty sure we get the whole day of the 16th off to meet our MPs).
Oh, and on the 15th we're holding an organic workshop at our house. In French. So, if you want to come, then, YAY. Ha ha.
So, Spider-man 3 came out last night. To celebrate we had "super hero"-themed dinner. Alex, Jade and I went as the Powerpuff girls. There are pictures somewhere, but I obviously have been pretty awful with the whole posting-photos-thing as of late. So... yeah.
Then, we found out that Gwobs won this draw thing at his work. He won 125$ and because he is very nice and so super, he took us all to see Spider-man!!!! Yayyyyy. It was funny though, because we all got out of our costumes, and went to the theatre, and they were having a costume contest!!! Argggggg. Ha ha. Anyway, the movie was quite awesome. There were loads of funny bits. And emo-Spidey which is like ahhhhhhh-be-still-my-heart you big, nerdy, emo LOVE!!! Not to mention Topher Grace and James Franco are HOTTTTTTTT. Sizzle. Gahhhh. The whole movie is just a droolfest.
Today we volunteered for Youth Action Day. It's organized by the United Way to help Ontarian high school students get their 40 hours of community service done. Ha ha, community service. First we went to this big hall-ish thing, kind of like The Space in Calgary, and we had breakfast and got some nifty t-shirts, ha ha. Then we drove out to Rideau Hill Camp. We worked on getting the camp ready for... ermmm.... camping season. I helped clean out some cabins and rake leaves and twigs. We saw lots of dead things too, like a squirrel's head, and a deer's leg. Oh, and when we were cleaning matresses there were mice in one. One of the ladies KILLED THE MOM MOUSE WITH HER FOOT AND THEN THREW THE BABIES IN THE GARBAGE!!! It was sooo gross, and Alex and I were working there and we're both vegetarians, so... yeah. We weren't very pleased. Lunch was yummy though, they made us vegetarian chili. We also got a certificate that said we gained 8 hours of volunteer-ness. Which made us laugh, since we all do an average of 35-hours of volunteering per week already.
Tomorrow is our first day volunteering at the Tulip Festival. I have no idea how that will be, since last week they called and said we couldn't volunteer because some people have facial piercings. But, apparently they really needed us, because they relented. And in protest, Sean went and got his lip pierced yesterday.
Next week I'm house manager as well, so that will be fun. I hope. Then only 4 days left of work (because I'm pretty sure we get the whole day of the 16th off to meet our MPs).
Oh, and on the 15th we're holding an organic workshop at our house. In French. So, if you want to come, then, YAY. Ha ha.
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, Orléans
02 May 2007
This is pointless!
Hey, this is just a pointless note, because I actually don't have anything to say!
I have a cold. My throat is sore, but... nothing much has happened these last few days!
Sunday's gallery visit was fun! We drove all the way there. From Orleans, to downtown Ottawa, which is about 20 minutes. We drive by the gallery... and Anny announces that she left the tickets on the fridge! So, we drove all the way back to the house to get them, and then back. So, in total, it took us about an hour and a half to get there!!! Ha ha. Most of us were fine with it, since really, what do we have to do on Sundays anyway? But Natasha was a bit angry, because she was the one driving, and obviously, driving on the busy highways is not a fun was to spend Sunday.
The exhibit was great!!! It was Ron Mueck's collection of these INCREDIBLY realistic sculptures. They were just.... so real. Like, some of the most simple, yet emotional moments of human existance, just... there. On display. It was awesome. I also enjoyed a section called "Deconstruction." They did some interesting installation art there. It was pretty sweet. And, not to sound odd or anything, but the gifshop was AMAZING. I didn't spend anything!!! In fact, I left my wallet at home to prevent myself from even spending a penny! But I wanted to buy practically everything!!!! Ha ha.
That's all I have to say!!! BYE!!
I have a cold. My throat is sore, but... nothing much has happened these last few days!
Sunday's gallery visit was fun! We drove all the way there. From Orleans, to downtown Ottawa, which is about 20 minutes. We drive by the gallery... and Anny announces that she left the tickets on the fridge! So, we drove all the way back to the house to get them, and then back. So, in total, it took us about an hour and a half to get there!!! Ha ha. Most of us were fine with it, since really, what do we have to do on Sundays anyway? But Natasha was a bit angry, because she was the one driving, and obviously, driving on the busy highways is not a fun was to spend Sunday.
The exhibit was great!!! It was Ron Mueck's collection of these INCREDIBLY realistic sculptures. They were just.... so real. Like, some of the most simple, yet emotional moments of human existance, just... there. On display. It was awesome. I also enjoyed a section called "Deconstruction." They did some interesting installation art there. It was pretty sweet. And, not to sound odd or anything, but the gifshop was AMAZING. I didn't spend anything!!! In fact, I left my wallet at home to prevent myself from even spending a penny! But I wanted to buy practically everything!!!! Ha ha.
That's all I have to say!!! BYE!!
Labels: Journal, Katimavik, Orléans
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