Hello
It is now 11:50 pm, and I was on the computer for an hour with the purpose of blogging, but 1 hour later and some mindless surfing...and I still haven't anything proper. Shame on me.
A good number of stuff happened that I would like to share about, but I think it's time for my for bed...crazy day tomorrow...
...will write more on what's on my mind.
Good night
(Next day, at 2:54 pm)
Let's continue on where I left off last night. A couple things that happened this week:
1) Sock Assasin - it is this new game that Alex/Stephen introduced during last week's house meeting. Each person draws out a name from a hat (in this case Stephen's "new" cowboy hat that he wears everywhere...what a loser :P) and the name which we get is the person we must "assasinate" for the next week. To kill a person, we simply get a sock (which we carry everywhere with us) and simply hit them with it. And if the kill is successful, the assasinated one gives the assasinater the name of the person the killed person is supposed to kill, and now the assasinater must kill the new person. This keeps going until the assasinater gets their own name, and then becomes the winner.
The game and me - I personally think it's kind of funny that I was the first person to get killed...by Mike. Originally I got Maxime, and I was thinking that it would be pretty easy for me to do the job since I share a room with her. Then the insomnia night happened, and by 9 o'clock my brain was totally fried (I ended up going to bed at 7 and sleep for almost 2 hours) and I actually considered not going to work...so I went to the computer room (still half asleep) and asked Mike if he could tell Larry (my boss) that I am feeling sick and therefore cannot go to work. He simply said "well if you do that, can you call Larry so instead of me biking there by myself, he can come and drive me to work?" As I grumbled at that and falling asleep on the window, he just whacked me with his sock (dirty) and yelled "GOTCHA!" I wasn't even fully awake and I was just like "wwwhaatt?" And of course, Stephen and Zach heard the whole thing and made fun of me because it was Mike who killed me.
I think it's highly unjust that I was murdered at that state of mind. If only I was more conscious...
Throughout the whole day (and the next day and day after), people were freaking out whenever they are alone with someone else...some people made alliances to protect themselves...it was quite interesting to see. So what eventually happened at the end with the game:
(A chart created by Zach and Cynthia deciding who is still in the game...I had to dig through the recycling bin to find it and post it here...sigh the things I do for making a good blog)
Angel - (killed by) Mike - (killed by) Alex - (killed by) Zach
Cheryl - (killed by) Charles - (killed by) Zach (I think)
Stephen - (killed by) Maxime - (killed by) Alex
Cynthia - (killed by) Rebecca. Cynthia was supposed to kill Rebecca
Stephanie -???
Through logic and process of elimination, Zach and Cynthia concluded that Stephanie got her own name, and chose not to drop her name back into the hat...this is probably because she does not like games and uses this to get away with things (although she did not confirm whether this is true...the sly little thing).
Monday - Bear Aware Workshop...very appropriate after finding bear scat in our backyard. Overall interesting, but I was falling asleep in the workshop due to the lack of sleep from the night before. After workshop -> SLEEEEEPZZZZZZ
CIP/Community Involvement Project - apparently in BC (or 3rd trimester or even 2nd one also, but we never did it in Alma) every group must do a Community Involvement Project which promotes Katimavik/work with the community. This time we kind of took an opportunity that landed on our door (BC Cancer Society's Relay for Life asked us to do some volunteer work - set up, running our own games) and made it our CIP. After all, we are working with the community. The interesting twist - the lady in charge asked us to volunteer from 8 pm - 8 am, which means we are staying up the whole night and camping out there...this is happening tonight, and that should be interesting. This is probably the craziness demand I got as a volunteer ever, and I will let you guys know more about it later on. We are going to be so fried...
Work - It started out slow in the beginning, but I am starting to like it more and more...it's quite a zen like place to work, full of nature...I work with beautiful scenaries around me, flowers and coolbirds and a bit of wilderness combined. The other day I saw a bald eagle circling in the sky...really cool, when do I ever get to see that in Vancouver? I also like the fact that my job is dynamic. I can choose to work by myself (cleaning, gardening) or talk to people (tourists that come in...and it's getting busier and busier). Yesterday I even did 2 tours (an acadian couple from Fredericton and another from Whitehorse) and it was fun, and great practice and confidence booster for me. Plus Larry and Ron are pretty cool, even though with Larry you can't tell when he is serious or joking even when he made a joke. I think things are going to be better and better there.
Potential Fundraiser - Remember I said I thought of the idea of creating a Talent Show to raise money for the Doukhobor Museum? Well I finally met Dean (who Larry referred me to because he was interested to do this too) and after 45 minutes of talking with him and sharing vision and task, I am feeling a whole lot better...he knows lots of people and connections and he said he can easily fill in the first hour of the talent show (we are aiming for 2 hours). So right now we agreed to make posters (we are meeting on Tuesday night to compare posters) to scout more talent, and hopefully we will have a good variety to present...this is probably the hardest step, but if it works out I think the show is going to be big, fun, and a great event for the summer!
Fingers crossed...for this and for no rain tonight during the 12 hour crazy volunteer fest...
Time to make my poster...I don't know where to start with my artistically challenged skills...
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Monday, June 11, 2007
Update...
...because I can't sleep, and it is 1:17 am PST...my first insomnia in Katimavik. Let's remember this night.
So a bunch of stuff happened over the course of the week, and I don't even know where to begin...so I think I will look at each day and talk about what happened:
Monday - first day of work. I think I wrote a blog about that, so that's done.
Tuesday - Rally for Change...this rally thing where a bunch of people met up in Millenium Park and rallied against global warming. I think they were going to do a demonstration on the streets plus an open mike, but we missed the demonstration and instead got there for the open mike. It was pretty cool to hear the ideas and how they see things could be done to decrease polluation/global warming...the only thing that sucked was that it was cold and pouring, and no one had an umbrella except for me, because a lady took pity and lent it to me...a couple of the people started crowding in (hello BC rain, long time no see...). During the open mike, 2 young people came up to us and asked if we want to join them the next day to do another demonstration in Nelson, BC, but of course we couldn't because we had to work...a shame, really. Oh yes it was also Charles's birthday...we bought him a Dairy Queen ice-cream cake and had a very small party. Knowing him he would have wanted to go to the bar, but since we now live in the middle of nowhere, that didn't happen.
Wednesday - Free time...I skipped group dinner (a good thing, as I found out, because apparently Stephen made a barely edible dinner) and rode the bike out...did a bunch of errands and then treated myself to dinner in a restaurant, which was serving all-you-can-eat shrimps...wooyah! In total I had 48, and brought another 12 home. Oh yes I also rented the first 4 episodes of The L Word, so I watched that on Stephen's laptop.
Thursday - Committee Planning Day. An overall productive time, in my opinion. This time Cheryl and I are in the environment committee, and we have a bunch of ideas on what we are going to do...and it seems like that for everyone else too...I am pretty happy that people are more eager on planning things than the past two trimesters. After that Zach/Rebecca/Stephen/Alex/I played Clue...I found out the answer by luck and accident, although I didn't win...perhaps you guys can figure out why.
Friday - BBQ at Station Museum (the Welcome Party)...overall an enjoyable time...a couple of you may be amused to know that an 11 year old girl (daughter of a work partner) came up to me and said "wow I am almost as tall as you"...the same sassy thing later played with Stephen and chased him around. The PC (Christine, man this is the first time we see our PC so much so soon) joined us because...
...to check up on Mike and his progress in the group. So after the BBQ, we drove to a hill off the museum where we can watch the sunset and the valley, and we had a little meeting on Mike there. Overall, he improved a bit...let's see what things bring later on.
Friday night brings a slew of mindless activities...while Stephen/Cheryl/Charles went out for a bike ride (to BCL and then drinking in the park...Cheryl and Charles are lucky that Alex and Christine didn't see them since it's a small town and they were out that night also), Cynthia/Zach/Rebecca/I (plus a bit of Mike) were mindlessly surfing the web and doing personality quizzes and stuff like that...we came across this quiz (I am not going into details on what it is right now, perhaps another time) which led to Zach/me/Stephen hotly debating (more like me, with them laughing at me and saying things to provoke me) on our choices. The theme of this, I would say, is feminism/male and female gender roles.
Saturday - Cluster Day at Nelson. I really could talk about this more, but that could take a while (it is now 2:31 am and I should sleep even though I am buzzed). In point form:
- Nelson is one cool city/town...the whole town has a hippie/laid-back vibe to it...a good number of the citizens have dreads, and their downtown is rather funky and eclectic. And of course who can forget the official fragrance of BC? Apparently Cheryl said there is a certain spot/store where people can smoke pot, and Charles checked it out (hehehehe Charles you, what a surprise ;). But my thoughts: Why bother? People do it everywhere there.
I can totally see Emilie in Nelson, chilling out...and getting along really well with the PL (Renaud, who is a French hippie). Maybe I should go there for my 72 off?
- After seeing all the houses in the cluster, my favorite one is the one in Nelson...it has personality like the one in Blind River, except more...I don't know how to describe, but more like the old yet charming houses in the residental area in downtown Vancouver. Plus their neighbourhood (downtown Nelson) is pretty cool...a bit jealous right now.
- What we did: a) saw a waterfall b) went to a farmer's market (hippie central) c) played soccer in barefeet and mild rain (that was fun...I was goalie but my team was really good with all the PLs and Christine on the team, not to mention Zach who runs like the wind) d) the whole cluster suckered a tram (think Vancouver trolleys in Stanley Park) conductor into giving us a giant discount for riding on the tram...I got in for free, and it was pretty nice seeing the Kootney River and other scenic points along the way.
A good day overall...but our group had to leave right after, which was just as well because everyone was pretty much in zombie form when we returned home.
- That night: Alex/Mike/Rebecca/Zach/Stephen/I watched The Lady in Water...I fell asleep halfway because I was tired but I was still able to understand the story more than Mike did, who was awake the whole time and kept asking ridiculous questions about the movie. Pretty amusing.
- Sunday: Breakfast with Jack Johnson twist (think about it...), then ultimate frisbee at the field by the community center (fun...the only downfall was that everyone played barefeet except for Cynthia, who absolutely refused to take off her shoes...and me not being very good at the sport and not being in shape). Hung out by the river with Cheryl, and then Mike/Alex/I biked to the museum, since Alex was supposed to show us the route to there. A nice picnic supper, and loooong house meeting (our usual, but longest Alex has ever done), and here I am, writing this.
Currents thoughts in my mind/drama in house:
1) I LOVE YOU DRAFT AUTOSAVE! I thought I lost my blog because the computer froze, but yeah you came through! No bitching blog!
2) With house-meeting tonight, it is now decided that 72 hours off will be happening over Canada Day long weekend. Now that my mom and my sister can't come see me during that time, I am now contemplating whether I should go back to Vancouver, or go to Nelson, or stay in Castlegar, or go somewhere totally different (Kelowna)...each has its pros and cons, I don't know yet...
3) Obvious drama (but not really drama) - differences with people wanting 72 hours off in Canada Day long weekend, with Maxime really insisting it because her parents are coming up during that time and they have booked tickets/campsites/everything. Others prefer the August weekend because on that same weekend, Wheels for Life are happening and people would like to participate in it, plus various other things. So some "conflict" happened there
Not-obvious drama (actual drama, 34102 style) - Rebecca and Cheryl's room has this tiny shelf for storage that is really only meant for 1 person to use...while our room (Maxime and I) has 2 storage shelves, with Maxime using one that is suitable for 2. Cheryl and Maxime had a slight conflict over this (with Cheryl wanting Maxime's drawer and Maxime not wanting that, of course...I don't know what quite happened but next thing I know, Cheryl and Rebecca are moving the shelf upstairs to their room...and when I went downstairs, Maxime's stuff was everywhere on the floor in our room. I imagine that Cheryl and Rebecca confronted Maxime about it, and Maxime was like "fine take it" and threw all her stuff out and left the house to chill out.
Later on I offered to switch with her (because I don't have much stuff) but she just said "no don't worry about it" and just furiously shoved all her stuff into her bags/suitcase...and later on when I wanted to go into the living room (the door was closed) I heard her on the phone, crying to someone...
Summary: I sympathize with her for the fact that both shitty things happened to her on the same day, but really she must learn to stop shoving problems within herself and talk to people.
4) I have this crazy idea that I would love to do, but it's lots and lots of work...plus luck and timing is required...I would like to do a fundraiser for the museum...a talent show, in fact...with different talents from town. I would like to make it big, publicize it...but I don't know, with the schedules and demands of Katimavik...we will see...
5) Thing that Annoys Me about the Group These Days - People Who Ding Others For Not Following Rules But Does The Same Thing When Rule Does Not Suit To Their Liking...I am not going to elaborate quite yet because again, it can take awhile and it's getting late...
...so I will stop here. But I think I will pull an all-nighter because it is already 4:12 am, and I am not tired...if I sleep I am afraid I won't get up for work tomorrow.
So a bunch of stuff happened over the course of the week, and I don't even know where to begin...so I think I will look at each day and talk about what happened:
Monday - first day of work. I think I wrote a blog about that, so that's done.
Tuesday - Rally for Change...this rally thing where a bunch of people met up in Millenium Park and rallied against global warming. I think they were going to do a demonstration on the streets plus an open mike, but we missed the demonstration and instead got there for the open mike. It was pretty cool to hear the ideas and how they see things could be done to decrease polluation/global warming...the only thing that sucked was that it was cold and pouring, and no one had an umbrella except for me, because a lady took pity and lent it to me...a couple of the people started crowding in (hello BC rain, long time no see...). During the open mike, 2 young people came up to us and asked if we want to join them the next day to do another demonstration in Nelson, BC, but of course we couldn't because we had to work...a shame, really. Oh yes it was also Charles's birthday...we bought him a Dairy Queen ice-cream cake and had a very small party. Knowing him he would have wanted to go to the bar, but since we now live in the middle of nowhere, that didn't happen.
Wednesday - Free time...I skipped group dinner (a good thing, as I found out, because apparently Stephen made a barely edible dinner) and rode the bike out...did a bunch of errands and then treated myself to dinner in a restaurant, which was serving all-you-can-eat shrimps...wooyah! In total I had 48, and brought another 12 home. Oh yes I also rented the first 4 episodes of The L Word, so I watched that on Stephen's laptop.
Thursday - Committee Planning Day. An overall productive time, in my opinion. This time Cheryl and I are in the environment committee, and we have a bunch of ideas on what we are going to do...and it seems like that for everyone else too...I am pretty happy that people are more eager on planning things than the past two trimesters. After that Zach/Rebecca/Stephen/Alex/I played Clue...I found out the answer by luck and accident, although I didn't win...perhaps you guys can figure out why.
Friday - BBQ at Station Museum (the Welcome Party)...overall an enjoyable time...a couple of you may be amused to know that an 11 year old girl (daughter of a work partner) came up to me and said "wow I am almost as tall as you"...the same sassy thing later played with Stephen and chased him around. The PC (Christine, man this is the first time we see our PC so much so soon) joined us because...
...to check up on Mike and his progress in the group. So after the BBQ, we drove to a hill off the museum where we can watch the sunset and the valley, and we had a little meeting on Mike there. Overall, he improved a bit...let's see what things bring later on.
Friday night brings a slew of mindless activities...while Stephen/Cheryl/Charles went out for a bike ride (to BCL and then drinking in the park...Cheryl and Charles are lucky that Alex and Christine didn't see them since it's a small town and they were out that night also), Cynthia/Zach/Rebecca/I (plus a bit of Mike) were mindlessly surfing the web and doing personality quizzes and stuff like that...we came across this quiz (I am not going into details on what it is right now, perhaps another time) which led to Zach/me/Stephen hotly debating (more like me, with them laughing at me and saying things to provoke me) on our choices. The theme of this, I would say, is feminism/male and female gender roles.
Saturday - Cluster Day at Nelson. I really could talk about this more, but that could take a while (it is now 2:31 am and I should sleep even though I am buzzed). In point form:
- Nelson is one cool city/town...the whole town has a hippie/laid-back vibe to it...a good number of the citizens have dreads, and their downtown is rather funky and eclectic. And of course who can forget the official fragrance of BC? Apparently Cheryl said there is a certain spot/store where people can smoke pot, and Charles checked it out (hehehehe Charles you, what a surprise ;). But my thoughts: Why bother? People do it everywhere there.
I can totally see Emilie in Nelson, chilling out...and getting along really well with the PL (Renaud, who is a French hippie). Maybe I should go there for my 72 off?
- After seeing all the houses in the cluster, my favorite one is the one in Nelson...it has personality like the one in Blind River, except more...I don't know how to describe, but more like the old yet charming houses in the residental area in downtown Vancouver. Plus their neighbourhood (downtown Nelson) is pretty cool...a bit jealous right now.
- What we did: a) saw a waterfall b) went to a farmer's market (hippie central) c) played soccer in barefeet and mild rain (that was fun...I was goalie but my team was really good with all the PLs and Christine on the team, not to mention Zach who runs like the wind) d) the whole cluster suckered a tram (think Vancouver trolleys in Stanley Park) conductor into giving us a giant discount for riding on the tram...I got in for free, and it was pretty nice seeing the Kootney River and other scenic points along the way.
A good day overall...but our group had to leave right after, which was just as well because everyone was pretty much in zombie form when we returned home.
- That night: Alex/Mike/Rebecca/Zach/Stephen/I watched The Lady in Water...I fell asleep halfway because I was tired but I was still able to understand the story more than Mike did, who was awake the whole time and kept asking ridiculous questions about the movie. Pretty amusing.
- Sunday: Breakfast with Jack Johnson twist (think about it...), then ultimate frisbee at the field by the community center (fun...the only downfall was that everyone played barefeet except for Cynthia, who absolutely refused to take off her shoes...and me not being very good at the sport and not being in shape). Hung out by the river with Cheryl, and then Mike/Alex/I biked to the museum, since Alex was supposed to show us the route to there. A nice picnic supper, and loooong house meeting (our usual, but longest Alex has ever done), and here I am, writing this.
Currents thoughts in my mind/drama in house:
1) I LOVE YOU DRAFT AUTOSAVE! I thought I lost my blog because the computer froze, but yeah you came through! No bitching blog!
2) With house-meeting tonight, it is now decided that 72 hours off will be happening over Canada Day long weekend. Now that my mom and my sister can't come see me during that time, I am now contemplating whether I should go back to Vancouver, or go to Nelson, or stay in Castlegar, or go somewhere totally different (Kelowna)...each has its pros and cons, I don't know yet...
3) Obvious drama (but not really drama) - differences with people wanting 72 hours off in Canada Day long weekend, with Maxime really insisting it because her parents are coming up during that time and they have booked tickets/campsites/everything. Others prefer the August weekend because on that same weekend, Wheels for Life are happening and people would like to participate in it, plus various other things. So some "conflict" happened there
Not-obvious drama (actual drama, 34102 style) - Rebecca and Cheryl's room has this tiny shelf for storage that is really only meant for 1 person to use...while our room (Maxime and I) has 2 storage shelves, with Maxime using one that is suitable for 2. Cheryl and Maxime had a slight conflict over this (with Cheryl wanting Maxime's drawer and Maxime not wanting that, of course...I don't know what quite happened but next thing I know, Cheryl and Rebecca are moving the shelf upstairs to their room...and when I went downstairs, Maxime's stuff was everywhere on the floor in our room. I imagine that Cheryl and Rebecca confronted Maxime about it, and Maxime was like "fine take it" and threw all her stuff out and left the house to chill out.
Later on I offered to switch with her (because I don't have much stuff) but she just said "no don't worry about it" and just furiously shoved all her stuff into her bags/suitcase...and later on when I wanted to go into the living room (the door was closed) I heard her on the phone, crying to someone...
Summary: I sympathize with her for the fact that both shitty things happened to her on the same day, but really she must learn to stop shoving problems within herself and talk to people.
4) I have this crazy idea that I would love to do, but it's lots and lots of work...plus luck and timing is required...I would like to do a fundraiser for the museum...a talent show, in fact...with different talents from town. I would like to make it big, publicize it...but I don't know, with the schedules and demands of Katimavik...we will see...
5) Thing that Annoys Me about the Group These Days - People Who Ding Others For Not Following Rules But Does The Same Thing When Rule Does Not Suit To Their Liking...I am not going to elaborate quite yet because again, it can take awhile and it's getting late...
...so I will stop here. But I think I will pull an all-nighter because it is already 4:12 am, and I am not tired...if I sleep I am afraid I won't get up for work tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
First Day of Work
So I was contemplating whether I should really write this email or not since my first day of work was rather uneventful. However I am trying to maintain my schedule of blogging/emailing (well I can't blog right now, Cheryl and Stephen are in the room) so here goes...shouldn't be that long.
So my job (and Mike's also for Mon/Tues/Wed, but he is house managers with Stephen this week) starts at 10:00 am, and my boss Larry picks me up from the Katima-house. Anyways if you guys are curious, I wasn't able to wake up at 7 to go for a run and study Japanese, but at least I did my situps and pushups, woohoo! But anyhow I am supposed to start biking to work by next week, which should be interesting because a) it is a bit of a drive itself and b) a majority of it may be uphill. We will see how things go...
So work today...things I did/people I met
1) got a tour of the museum (the museum itself is pretty cool, it is in a faux Doukhobor village with pretty gardens and orchards, and 10 minute walk to the river).
2) spent an hour/2 hours reading and learning about the Doukhobor people.
3) made a flower bouquet
4) pruned the roses
5) swept the concrete floor and cleared out pine needles
6) cut away any long grasses around the trees (because Larry can't get them with his lawn mower)
7) met Ron (an interesting guy with an interesting background), the 2 ladies that work in the bistro, and the cats (Duncan and another cat whose name is in Russian...Larry said it's the dolls that has one within another and another)
8) met 3 German visitors, had to pull something out of my ass about the Doukhobors (luckily I read the information!)
9) spent 20 minutes going down the river to dump the plant waste, and climbing back up...then finding out that I didn't need to go down to the river.
10) divided a small library of books in Russian and English...I have been told I will be alphabetizing them soon...I can't wait to do that for the Russian books, it should be interesting. As well, many of the books are so old and fragile that I am afraid of touching them.
11) Chilled - that's the philosophy of working there
12) Relaxed - my boss told me to do that, and I did
So that is it for work. And not much happened tonight other than a house meeting, an unplanned frisbee game (alex/stephen/cheryl/zach/rebecca/me/later mike)...oh yes Alex found bear scat (pooh) in our backyard, so there may have been a bear that came by during last night? Who knows.
More to follow...
So my job (and Mike's also for Mon/Tues/Wed, but he is house managers with Stephen this week) starts at 10:00 am, and my boss Larry picks me up from the Katima-house. Anyways if you guys are curious, I wasn't able to wake up at 7 to go for a run and study Japanese, but at least I did my situps and pushups, woohoo! But anyhow I am supposed to start biking to work by next week, which should be interesting because a) it is a bit of a drive itself and b) a majority of it may be uphill. We will see how things go...
So work today...things I did/people I met
1) got a tour of the museum (the museum itself is pretty cool, it is in a faux Doukhobor village with pretty gardens and orchards, and 10 minute walk to the river).
2) spent an hour/2 hours reading and learning about the Doukhobor people.
3) made a flower bouquet
4) pruned the roses
5) swept the concrete floor and cleared out pine needles
6) cut away any long grasses around the trees (because Larry can't get them with his lawn mower)
7) met Ron (an interesting guy with an interesting background), the 2 ladies that work in the bistro, and the cats (Duncan and another cat whose name is in Russian...Larry said it's the dolls that has one within another and another)
8) met 3 German visitors, had to pull something out of my ass about the Doukhobors (luckily I read the information!)
9) spent 20 minutes going down the river to dump the plant waste, and climbing back up...then finding out that I didn't need to go down to the river.
10) divided a small library of books in Russian and English...I have been told I will be alphabetizing them soon...I can't wait to do that for the Russian books, it should be interesting. As well, many of the books are so old and fragile that I am afraid of touching them.
11) Chilled - that's the philosophy of working there
12) Relaxed - my boss told me to do that, and I did
So that is it for work. And not much happened tonight other than a house meeting, an unplanned frisbee game (alex/stephen/cheryl/zach/rebecca/me/later mike)...oh yes Alex found bear scat (pooh) in our backyard, so there may have been a bear that came by during last night? Who knows.
More to follow...
Monday, June 4, 2007
Plant Eating + Mike Chewing
So I said today (Sunday) our whole group will be joined by our PC (project coordinator) Christine for a hiking tour in the Slocan Valley about edible plants in the region. So at 11 am, we set out in the Katimavan and headed to the tour. Midway there, we picked up our PC...wow that was the first time the van contained 12 people in total, so it was a bit tight. But anyways I always enjoyed road trips in Katima-vans, and in BC it is especially great because the scenaries were absolutely gorgeous, with the mountains and rivers...in fact we saw 2 deers running in a field when we drove back.
So the edible plant tour...it was led by these two guys (Michael and Tyler) who were ethnobotanist (professionals who study plants and human interactions with it) and they brought us to 2 different logging sites and see how different logging practices changed the ecosystem of the forest. It was quite interesting, and I think what I was most amazed by was that in a small area there could be so many plants that is useful, and how nature always finds a way to adapt despite human destruction. And we can eat the plants, which is right up my alley. I guess my only complaint about the tour - the weather was a little too hot, which made people a bit impatient (because the tour was from 12-3), and the Frenchies were somewhat bored because the whole thing was in English, with many technical terms. At the end they just kind of sat around while the rest of the English kids listened to the tour. By the way I learnt about a good number of interesting plants...let's see if I can remember them (this is only what I can remember):
- thimbleberry, stalk is edible
- huckleberry
- a mini version of pacific dogwood, only in grass form
- wild ginger (root tasted like ginger)
- cow parsley, edible seed and root (tastes like carrot)
- this plant where, if rubbed on body, gives the worst sunburn (but edible still!)
- aspens (apparently the powder on the bark is equivalent to sunscreen)
- soapberry (very popular within the aboriginal people in the region, but it tastes bitter!)
Much much more...and who can forget about dandelions?
Ooh and it rained a bit during the tour, and that was refreshing on our overheated bodies...that was the first time I saw rain while it was perfectly sunny.
After the tour was over, we stopped for ice-cream in a roadside convenient store...but I forgot my wallet...just as well, I need to save money.
Part 2 - Big Meeting on Mike
One of the reasons our PC joined us was because of this pre-planned meeting on Mike. I am not going into details, but pretty much for almost 3 hours the group (I didn't say much) gave our complaints, with Christine (PC) trying to find solutions. In the end, everyone created a couple of contracts listing a whole bunch of rules that Mike has to follow in order to stay in the program. I don't know how effective this will actually be...but Mike is pretty much walking on thin ice right now.
2 things I want to mention:
1) I think I worked out a schedule for me to do everything I want (blogging/email + exercising + studying Japanese and Navy)
Morning before work - exercise for 30 minutes, shower, breakfast, study until 9:30 am?
Night - Chill, hang with people (working to be more social)
11:00 something - blog time
Let's see how things go...
2) Speaking of blogs, the blogs I have to work on to finish (self reminder)
- Montreal
- Quebec City excursion (quite interesting, actually)
- My work in Alma
- Quebec (thoughts, feelings, opinions...incorporate with Quebec discussion)
Ok I am out...let's see if I can get up at 7 am tomorrow (today)
Angel
So the edible plant tour...it was led by these two guys (Michael and Tyler) who were ethnobotanist (professionals who study plants and human interactions with it) and they brought us to 2 different logging sites and see how different logging practices changed the ecosystem of the forest. It was quite interesting, and I think what I was most amazed by was that in a small area there could be so many plants that is useful, and how nature always finds a way to adapt despite human destruction. And we can eat the plants, which is right up my alley. I guess my only complaint about the tour - the weather was a little too hot, which made people a bit impatient (because the tour was from 12-3), and the Frenchies were somewhat bored because the whole thing was in English, with many technical terms. At the end they just kind of sat around while the rest of the English kids listened to the tour. By the way I learnt about a good number of interesting plants...let's see if I can remember them (this is only what I can remember):
- thimbleberry, stalk is edible
- huckleberry
- a mini version of pacific dogwood, only in grass form
- wild ginger (root tasted like ginger)
- cow parsley, edible seed and root (tastes like carrot)
- this plant where, if rubbed on body, gives the worst sunburn (but edible still!)
- aspens (apparently the powder on the bark is equivalent to sunscreen)
- soapberry (very popular within the aboriginal people in the region, but it tastes bitter!)
Much much more...and who can forget about dandelions?
Ooh and it rained a bit during the tour, and that was refreshing on our overheated bodies...that was the first time I saw rain while it was perfectly sunny.
After the tour was over, we stopped for ice-cream in a roadside convenient store...but I forgot my wallet...just as well, I need to save money.
Part 2 - Big Meeting on Mike
One of the reasons our PC joined us was because of this pre-planned meeting on Mike. I am not going into details, but pretty much for almost 3 hours the group (I didn't say much) gave our complaints, with Christine (PC) trying to find solutions. In the end, everyone created a couple of contracts listing a whole bunch of rules that Mike has to follow in order to stay in the program. I don't know how effective this will actually be...but Mike is pretty much walking on thin ice right now.
2 things I want to mention:
1) I think I worked out a schedule for me to do everything I want (blogging/email + exercising + studying Japanese and Navy)
Morning before work - exercise for 30 minutes, shower, breakfast, study until 9:30 am?
Night - Chill, hang with people (working to be more social)
11:00 something - blog time
Let's see how things go...
2) Speaking of blogs, the blogs I have to work on to finish (self reminder)
- Montreal
- Quebec City excursion (quite interesting, actually)
- My work in Alma
- Quebec (thoughts, feelings, opinions...incorporate with Quebec discussion)
Ok I am out...let's see if I can get up at 7 am tomorrow (today)
Angel
Sunday, June 3, 2007
First Weekend in Castlegar, BC
LAST BLOG BEFORE I GO TO BED! GO ANGEL GO!
So because I had a wonderful day today, I should share it...
This morning (Saturday) everyone dressed up in their funny costumes that we found in Salvation Army, did a bit of face painting (I didn't because I was breaking out in "hives" due to my allergies...not many though), and we went to the Castlegar Sunfest for a parade (Alex entered us into the parade, for fun and for PR, haha). We were joined by Tracy the '84 alumni (she was a ball of energy and had crazy stories about her Katimadays) and Beth the future participant (her dad did Katimavik and she just got accepted for the September one). Yes that is one thing I forgot - we decorated our van, made water balloons, and katimavik badannas for the parade.
Despite the 2 hour wait time (we left at 9 am, parade starts at 11 am), we had a really good time. The Frenchies were carrying the Quebecois flag, 2 other people (Zach and Cheryl) carried the Katima-flag, and a couple of us threw water balloons at the crowd (to their delight). Tracy/Rebecca/I were hard-core distributing our pamphlets and billeting information...we played Abba music and danced a bit to it, even though the group in front of us were a bunch of Scottish Highlander band who were playing loud bagpipe music, so our music was covered. Dancing/candy throwing/music/costumes/goals met...what could be better?
Came home, tired so got a nap...the allergy pills makes me tired...
Then saw a doctor (at ER because the walk-in clinic was not available...Alex dropped me off while she and Mike and Cynthia went for groceries...man the trouble I had to go through to enter into the hospital), who wrote prescriptions for me for medication and informed me that the "hives" I got were not hives...they were merely mosquito bites (man did I feel so stupid when she told me that).
At 8 pm the Trail/Jonquiere/Sault Ste. Marie group arrived and we hung out a little bit...and at 9:30 pm we left to go to Selkirk College to watch a live band (the band was all right) and at 10:00 pm the fireworks started...for a small town of 7000 the fireworks sure was gorgeous...there were some that I haven't seen before, and everyone just kept ooohing and ahhhing. A fabulous day, overall...
So I am almost done with the blog...
Tomorrow we are going for a hike...but not just any hike...we are getting a guided tour by a botanist on edible plants on the trails...and there will be tasting....we will meet the PC for the first time, and she will join us for group meeting to figure out the Mike situation...
BC is so far so good...
I am getting good at summaries eh?
YEAH I AM DONE!
HIP HIP HOORAY!
So because I had a wonderful day today, I should share it...
This morning (Saturday) everyone dressed up in their funny costumes that we found in Salvation Army, did a bit of face painting (I didn't because I was breaking out in "hives" due to my allergies...not many though), and we went to the Castlegar Sunfest for a parade (Alex entered us into the parade, for fun and for PR, haha). We were joined by Tracy the '84 alumni (she was a ball of energy and had crazy stories about her Katimadays) and Beth the future participant (her dad did Katimavik and she just got accepted for the September one). Yes that is one thing I forgot - we decorated our van, made water balloons, and katimavik badannas for the parade.
Despite the 2 hour wait time (we left at 9 am, parade starts at 11 am), we had a really good time. The Frenchies were carrying the Quebecois flag, 2 other people (Zach and Cheryl) carried the Katima-flag, and a couple of us threw water balloons at the crowd (to their delight). Tracy/Rebecca/I were hard-core distributing our pamphlets and billeting information...we played Abba music and danced a bit to it, even though the group in front of us were a bunch of Scottish Highlander band who were playing loud bagpipe music, so our music was covered. Dancing/candy throwing/music/costumes/goals met...what could be better?
Came home, tired so got a nap...the allergy pills makes me tired...
Then saw a doctor (at ER because the walk-in clinic was not available...Alex dropped me off while she and Mike and Cynthia went for groceries...man the trouble I had to go through to enter into the hospital), who wrote prescriptions for me for medication and informed me that the "hives" I got were not hives...they were merely mosquito bites (man did I feel so stupid when she told me that).
At 8 pm the Trail/Jonquiere/Sault Ste. Marie group arrived and we hung out a little bit...and at 9:30 pm we left to go to Selkirk College to watch a live band (the band was all right) and at 10:00 pm the fireworks started...for a small town of 7000 the fireworks sure was gorgeous...there were some that I haven't seen before, and everyone just kept ooohing and ahhhing. A fabulous day, overall...
So I am almost done with the blog...
Tomorrow we are going for a hike...but not just any hike...we are getting a guided tour by a botanist on edible plants on the trails...and there will be tasting....we will meet the PC for the first time, and she will join us for group meeting to figure out the Mike situation...
BC is so far so good...
I am getting good at summaries eh?
YEAH I AM DONE!
HIP HIP HOORAY!
Work Site Tours + Interview
Argh it's getting late now, but I have 2 more blogs I want to write before I head off to bed. Let's see if I can still make them short yet informative and entertaining.
So here is a list of work placements for 10 people in Castlegar:
1) Friends of Parks and Trails - trail-building/maintenance, manual labour, 7-2, hard work but seems fun...they get to do canoeing to sites and swim in lakes during breaks. 2 positions
2) Doukobhour (wrong spelling I think but you get the idea) Cultural Museum - working in the museum, but work ranging from gardening (they have a nice garden and lawn) to cleaning displays to working in the bistro to giving tours to other things. 10-5.
3) Station Museum/Zuckerberg Island - similar to the first museum, except more interesting and more fun...they are redoing the displays in the museum, as well as other things. The island is pretty gorgeous. 10-5. 2 positions.
4) Salvation Army - thrift store, cleaning/sorting out clothing, cash/customer service. Seemingly awesome staff. 9:30 - 5.
5) Bear Aware - something by BC Parks Board on raising awareness on bears and environment. Pretty much door to door education on bears, and presentations in school. (2 days only)
6) Kootney Society Care Living - working with people with disabilities, there will be a summer camp for kids with mental disabilities that the participant will work in. 8-4?
7) Blueberry Elementary School - summer camp with kids. 8-4?
8) Birds Emergency and Kare Society/BEAKS - taking care of birds 8-4?
My top 5 choices/interviews (and I did well in my interviews, I must say)
1) Station Museum
2) Salvation Army
3) Dokhobour Museum
4) Bear Aware
5) Blueberry Camp
In reality
Rebecca - Trails (apparently her first choice)
Stephanie - KSCL (1st choice)
Zach - Station Museum (1st choice...jerk...)
Cynthia - Station Museum (1st choice)
Stephen - Bear Aware + Salvation Army (both were his first choice)
Charles - Trail (1st choice)
Maxime - Blueberry Camp (1st choice)
Mike - Salvation Army + mystery job (either trails or Dokoubour)
Cheryl - BEAKS (was not her first/second/third choice...got pissed off when she found out)
Me - Doukoubour (3rd choice, but whatever...I had a really eerie feeling that I was going to work there when I saw the work placement, no joke)
1 thing I realized - having great interviews does not mean you will get the job. It all comes down to PL deciding and making everyone happy. So being good in interviews is only a bonus...we are at the mercy of our PLs...
Things we also did Wed/Thurs/Fri - Calendar set-up/House tour/Scavengar Hut/Group introduction (this one is interesting...the group introduces each person (many of the stuff they said about me made me crack up laughing...like me being a hard-core feminist and being the most naive in the group)/visiting Tulip Falls and swimming in Lower Arrows Lake...really would like to tell you guys more about them but I think this is good enough...I am tired.
By the way one bad thing about being back in BC...attack of the allergies...my nose is stuffing up as I am writing this, arrrggghh
One more blog!
So here is a list of work placements for 10 people in Castlegar:
1) Friends of Parks and Trails - trail-building/maintenance, manual labour, 7-2, hard work but seems fun...they get to do canoeing to sites and swim in lakes during breaks. 2 positions
2) Doukobhour (wrong spelling I think but you get the idea) Cultural Museum - working in the museum, but work ranging from gardening (they have a nice garden and lawn) to cleaning displays to working in the bistro to giving tours to other things. 10-5.
3) Station Museum/Zuckerberg Island - similar to the first museum, except more interesting and more fun...they are redoing the displays in the museum, as well as other things. The island is pretty gorgeous. 10-5. 2 positions.
4) Salvation Army - thrift store, cleaning/sorting out clothing, cash/customer service. Seemingly awesome staff. 9:30 - 5.
5) Bear Aware - something by BC Parks Board on raising awareness on bears and environment. Pretty much door to door education on bears, and presentations in school. (2 days only)
6) Kootney Society Care Living - working with people with disabilities, there will be a summer camp for kids with mental disabilities that the participant will work in. 8-4?
7) Blueberry Elementary School - summer camp with kids. 8-4?
8) Birds Emergency and Kare Society/BEAKS - taking care of birds 8-4?
My top 5 choices/interviews (and I did well in my interviews, I must say)
1) Station Museum
2) Salvation Army
3) Dokhobour Museum
4) Bear Aware
5) Blueberry Camp
In reality
Rebecca - Trails (apparently her first choice)
Stephanie - KSCL (1st choice)
Zach - Station Museum (1st choice...jerk...)
Cynthia - Station Museum (1st choice)
Stephen - Bear Aware + Salvation Army (both were his first choice)
Charles - Trail (1st choice)
Maxime - Blueberry Camp (1st choice)
Mike - Salvation Army + mystery job (either trails or Dokoubour)
Cheryl - BEAKS (was not her first/second/third choice...got pissed off when she found out)
Me - Doukoubour (3rd choice, but whatever...I had a really eerie feeling that I was going to work there when I saw the work placement, no joke)
1 thing I realized - having great interviews does not mean you will get the job. It all comes down to PL deciding and making everyone happy. So being good in interviews is only a bonus...we are at the mercy of our PLs...
Things we also did Wed/Thurs/Fri - Calendar set-up/House tour/Scavengar Hut/Group introduction (this one is interesting...the group introduces each person (many of the stuff they said about me made me crack up laughing...like me being a hard-core feminist and being the most naive in the group)/visiting Tulip Falls and swimming in Lower Arrows Lake...really would like to tell you guys more about them but I think this is good enough...I am tired.
By the way one bad thing about being back in BC...attack of the allergies...my nose is stuffing up as I am writing this, arrrggghh
One more blog!
Friday, June 1, 2007
From Rotation Camp to Castlegar
So...I am officially back to Pacific Time Zone...and back to an English keyboard...
There is quite a lot to say about what happened between Rotation Camp to Castlegar, but because it is quite late (11:13 pm) and there are job interviews tomorrow (yes they are moving fast!), I am going to see if I can summarize, focus on the important things, etc (yeah right)
Before I start, I just want to mention that I am slightly worried about the blogging/computer situation here in Castlegar, because Alex (our new PL) seem to have strict rules about computer usage (no MSN/hogging the computer), so blogging/emails may become difficult. As well, I am keen on starting my navy package/Japanese learning (remember my 2007 resolution?). But we will see...where there's a will, there is a way...
So rotation camp...it was located in Mount Lac-Vert, in Hebertville (30 minutes away from Alma, and also where the awesome fromagerie is located at). We had supper, and at 7:00 pm drove to Mount Lac-Vert...so long, Alma and Valerie...but I was eager and ready for a new change. Overall there is really not that much to say about rotation camp, other than these points:
1) This time camp was shorter (good), but all the girls in the cluster (18) share one big room (bad). Last time camp was nicer looking and almost all the girls got their own room. The boys had to share room too but there are only 6 of them now (not including Mike because he wasn't there).
2) Things we did - reshowing our final presentation/farewell to PL/expectations of next PL/Rhythm exercise/gift to PL...overall the experience was relatively relaxed. Veronique (Quebec PC and a cool lady, I must add) and Cara (old ex-PC in Ontario) have quite different styles of doing things.
3) Got to know some people a bit better from the other clusters, and got to hang out with Robbie (whose grandfather passed away, so he left for a week to return home to the funeral), so that was cool. By this point cliques are forming in the cluster (and
me/Cynthia/Robbie/Devon..ish are kind of in a group...the nerdy under-the-stairs kids, haha).
4) Got confirmation from Veronique that Mike is indeed coming back...and he will be (he did) join us in the Kelowna airport. Unsurprising thing - people were disappointed. Surprising thing - Veronique indirectly encouraged us to find ways to get rid of him. She said we (especially Zach and Rebecca) know valuable information that is useful to the head office, and with enough of this information things can be done. We will see...
Travelling...man that was crrrraaaaazzzzy
Itinerary - bus arrives 11:00 pm, Tuesday night (the bus came at 10:20 pm)
- bus arrives at 5:30 am in Montreal (WHAT? but anyways the bus was earlier and fast...we got there at 4:00 am, and waited for an hour before the counters were open).
- plane leaves at 7:00 am, flies to Toronto and arrives at 8:05 am
- catch a connecting flight at 9:20 am, arrive Kelowna at 10:56 am (PST - which means 1:56 pm in CST = 4 hours)
- bus picks us up at 12 something, and drives us off from Kelowna to Trail/Castlegar/Nelson, respectively (4+ hour drive). I swear, Katimavik always tries to find a way to make the travel arrangements as difficult as possible...I don't know if anyone can beat this...
Important things to mention here:
- Things went relatively smoothly, but Stephanie's baggage got broken on the flight. Luckily, Westjet was willing to fix it and the lady who helped us had a spare suitcase, so we took that and she said Stephanie's old suitcase will be fixed and returned to her after a couple of weeks. In any case, things worked out...I am pretty impressed with Westjet's service.
- We saw Mike in the Kelowna airport. What can I say...he was the same old Mike, sans the colored mohawk (his grandmother cut it for him). Perhaps there are slight changes, because he was relatively distant to the group, especially Zach and Rebecca (apparently Rebecca waved hi to him, but he didn't wave back). Zach thinks someone in the head office talked to him about this and advised him to watch his behaviour if he still want to stay in the program. We will see how things fold out.
Bus ride - 5 hours long, and was spectacular. I always knew BC was gorgeous, but I did not realize the true meaning of the phrase "Beautiful British Columbia" until that bus ride. Luckily for us, our bus driver was a tour guide so pretty much he spent half of the trip talking about different things in the region and its history (Japanese concentration camps, Gold Rush, Doukhobours)...with pretty Okanagan farms and stunning mountains and rivers to boot. Needless to say I enjoyed my bus ride, despite the fact that a) I didn't really sleep well even though I would love some sleep from the long travelling b) in the airport I spilled iced tea on my new CD player, and it was acting funny on me...=( Anyhow seeing BC in its full splendor made me realize how lucky our group was to do our last 3 months in BC, with the stuff it offers.
So after a good couple of hours we arrived to Trail, which is where Sault Ste. Marie/Jonquiere is staying...they have the nicest house I have seen from Katimavik with lots of rooms and design a bit like an IKEA house...plus it's right by the river, and close to downtown...
Their PL is a guy (something I want just to mix things up) and apparently he is a replacement for the last PL who quit. That should be interesting.
Next - our house. Unfortunately, our house is not quite like theirs (back to Katimavik standards), and it is far from anything...the closest things (7-11, Dairy Queen) is a 25 minute walk, and downtown is like 1.5 hour walk...so you pretty much have to bike everywhere. Despite all this things are pretty cool still. The girls get to have 2 in one room (Maxime + me were assigned to one...the best room in the house) but the boys still had to stay in one room together. And our background is pretty sweet...a gorgeous view of the mountains and Columbia River, and nice and big with flowers and fruit trees and stuff that was planted previously. And our new PL Alex seems very nice, easygoing and sweet...more about her in the future.
Things are moving fast...Thursday is work tours, Friday is interview, work starts Monday.
There is quite a lot to say about what happened between Rotation Camp to Castlegar, but because it is quite late (11:13 pm) and there are job interviews tomorrow (yes they are moving fast!), I am going to see if I can summarize, focus on the important things, etc (yeah right)
Before I start, I just want to mention that I am slightly worried about the blogging/computer situation here in Castlegar, because Alex (our new PL) seem to have strict rules about computer usage (no MSN/hogging the computer), so blogging/emails may become difficult. As well, I am keen on starting my navy package/Japanese learning (remember my 2007 resolution?). But we will see...where there's a will, there is a way...
So rotation camp...it was located in Mount Lac-Vert, in Hebertville (30 minutes away from Alma, and also where the awesome fromagerie is located at). We had supper, and at 7:00 pm drove to Mount Lac-Vert...so long, Alma and Valerie...but I was eager and ready for a new change. Overall there is really not that much to say about rotation camp, other than these points:
1) This time camp was shorter (good), but all the girls in the cluster (18) share one big room (bad). Last time camp was nicer looking and almost all the girls got their own room. The boys had to share room too but there are only 6 of them now (not including Mike because he wasn't there).
2) Things we did - reshowing our final presentation/farewell to PL/expectations of next PL/Rhythm exercise/gift to PL...overall the experience was relatively relaxed. Veronique (Quebec PC and a cool lady, I must add) and Cara (old ex-PC in Ontario) have quite different styles of doing things.
3) Got to know some people a bit better from the other clusters, and got to hang out with Robbie (whose grandfather passed away, so he left for a week to return home to the funeral), so that was cool. By this point cliques are forming in the cluster (and
me/Cynthia/Robbie/Devon..ish are kind of in a group...the nerdy under-the-stairs kids, haha).
4) Got confirmation from Veronique that Mike is indeed coming back...and he will be (he did) join us in the Kelowna airport. Unsurprising thing - people were disappointed. Surprising thing - Veronique indirectly encouraged us to find ways to get rid of him. She said we (especially Zach and Rebecca) know valuable information that is useful to the head office, and with enough of this information things can be done. We will see...
Travelling...man that was crrrraaaaazzzzy
Itinerary - bus arrives 11:00 pm, Tuesday night (the bus came at 10:20 pm)
- bus arrives at 5:30 am in Montreal (WHAT? but anyways the bus was earlier and fast...we got there at 4:00 am, and waited for an hour before the counters were open).
- plane leaves at 7:00 am, flies to Toronto and arrives at 8:05 am
- catch a connecting flight at 9:20 am, arrive Kelowna at 10:56 am (PST - which means 1:56 pm in CST = 4 hours)
- bus picks us up at 12 something, and drives us off from Kelowna to Trail/Castlegar/Nelson, respectively (4+ hour drive). I swear, Katimavik always tries to find a way to make the travel arrangements as difficult as possible...I don't know if anyone can beat this...
Important things to mention here:
- Things went relatively smoothly, but Stephanie's baggage got broken on the flight. Luckily, Westjet was willing to fix it and the lady who helped us had a spare suitcase, so we took that and she said Stephanie's old suitcase will be fixed and returned to her after a couple of weeks. In any case, things worked out...I am pretty impressed with Westjet's service.
- We saw Mike in the Kelowna airport. What can I say...he was the same old Mike, sans the colored mohawk (his grandmother cut it for him). Perhaps there are slight changes, because he was relatively distant to the group, especially Zach and Rebecca (apparently Rebecca waved hi to him, but he didn't wave back). Zach thinks someone in the head office talked to him about this and advised him to watch his behaviour if he still want to stay in the program. We will see how things fold out.
Bus ride - 5 hours long, and was spectacular. I always knew BC was gorgeous, but I did not realize the true meaning of the phrase "Beautiful British Columbia" until that bus ride. Luckily for us, our bus driver was a tour guide so pretty much he spent half of the trip talking about different things in the region and its history (Japanese concentration camps, Gold Rush, Doukhobours)...with pretty Okanagan farms and stunning mountains and rivers to boot. Needless to say I enjoyed my bus ride, despite the fact that a) I didn't really sleep well even though I would love some sleep from the long travelling b) in the airport I spilled iced tea on my new CD player, and it was acting funny on me...=( Anyhow seeing BC in its full splendor made me realize how lucky our group was to do our last 3 months in BC, with the stuff it offers.
So after a good couple of hours we arrived to Trail, which is where Sault Ste. Marie/Jonquiere is staying...they have the nicest house I have seen from Katimavik with lots of rooms and design a bit like an IKEA house...plus it's right by the river, and close to downtown...
Their PL is a guy (something I want just to mix things up) and apparently he is a replacement for the last PL who quit. That should be interesting.
Next - our house. Unfortunately, our house is not quite like theirs (back to Katimavik standards), and it is far from anything...the closest things (7-11, Dairy Queen) is a 25 minute walk, and downtown is like 1.5 hour walk...so you pretty much have to bike everywhere. Despite all this things are pretty cool still. The girls get to have 2 in one room (Maxime + me were assigned to one...the best room in the house) but the boys still had to stay in one room together. And our background is pretty sweet...a gorgeous view of the mountains and Columbia River, and nice and big with flowers and fruit trees and stuff that was planted previously. And our new PL Alex seems very nice, easygoing and sweet...more about her in the future.
Things are moving fast...Thursday is work tours, Friday is interview, work starts Monday.
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