Now after travelling you kind of need a break, so we decided to extend our stop over in Miami for a couple of days. Literally went from hostel to beach to hostel so not much to tell really! We managed to wash our clothes, and honestly clean clothes are the best thing ever when travelling. The hostel had amazing orange juice for breakfast and both of us got burnt (although Steph much more so). The most amusing Miami related story is definitely how on the plane to Miami Steph's iPod flew out of the seat pocket on takeoff and (once the seatbelt sign had gone off) Steph proceeded to crawl up and down the floor of the plane looking under people's seats. The flight attendants were slightly bemused at the crazy British girl's antics to say the least. Luckily the iPod was found.
From Miami we went to Vancouver, and I have to say that Vancouver is one of those cities which I definitely need to go back to when I have more time and money. However, it was still a great stop, albeit brief. When we arrived we met up with Philly and her friend Amber and went for wings. I hadn't quite realised just how much I missed wings, and it's definitely something I'm gonna really miss when I'm back in the UK. The next day we went to Stanley Park and cycled round there. We were joined by Beanie, another British Year Abroad-er we met in the hostel. Stanley Park is gorgeous, truly truly stunning, I can see why people say that Vancouver is a beautiful city. Afterwards we went for Poutine, and much as it was nice, I don't think it's a patch on British chips, cheese and gravy! That afternoon me and Steph went to Lynn Canyon park and enjoyed the suspension bridge and the gorgeous scenery.
The next day it was time for us to drive on the wrong side of the road. We went to Enterprise and managed to get a really good deal on the car, plus an upgrade to a compact SUV, WIN! It was an amazing drive, the views through the Rockies are amazing, and so different seeing it all green rather than just full of snow. We stopped overnight at Lake Shuswap, staying in a hostel where you sleep in an old railway carriage. The hostel was lovely, mainly thanks to Blair (the owner) being really kind and the gorgeous dog and two cats that there were. Could have spent all day cuddling them! While we stayed there we went to Treetop Flyers in Chase nearby and got to go zooming over waterfalls which was very exciting! A lot of trip really has involved waterfalls but nothing wrong with that! That evening chilled out with Blair, and the rest of the hostel staff and watched Julie and Julia which was a great film! The next day we finished our drive to Calgary which was equally stunning as the first bit of the drive.
It was so nice to be back in Calgary, the first day we spent some time with Steph's family, went shopping at Chinook and went to the cinema to see Iron Man 3 with Erin. Was so happy to finally see the movie! Then the next day after going to see a prof, managed to meet up with Matthew, then the IVCF Christian group, then finally work people. It was lush to see everyone again, really missed them all and of course will stay in touch with everyone as they are amazing people. Then after some frantic packing moved from Sandy and Marie's house to Kate's house. Although we planned to go to the zoo, the weather and long lunch put paid to that! So instead just chilled out at Kate's and had a games night! The next day I was doing practical things like closing bank account, saying goodbye to Steph's family and then saying goodbye to Steph at the airport before chilling with a movie and an inordinate amount of snacks.
Today is my final day and I'm just relaxing and making sure I've got everything packed. I'm really excited to be going home and seeing everyone again, but I'm also really sad to be leaving Calgary. Luckily it's not going to be leaving forever, just for a while, I will be back (ominous as that sounds), and I am already looking forward to seeing all the great people I've met this year again!
So there it is, the end of this blog, the final post! I guess I should end with words of wisdom and there's nothing that I can say to really sum up such an amazing year, therefore I'll just have to end with telling people that, cheesy as it sounds, they wil never regret going on their year abroad because it is the best year of your life.
Friday 31 May 2013
Monday 20 May 2013
Buenos Aires and Iguasu
Something you don't expect when you arrive in Argentina is the passport security guy to have a nice conversation with you in Spanish about Alberta, as he had previously worked in Edmonton (nearish Calgary for those non-Canadians reading my blog). However that is what happened. This reminded me that my Spanish isn't that great, and without Julia around we might struggle a bit! After a long taxi to the hotel we arrived and got in a rickety elevator which I was pretty sure might collapse. The hotel was really gorgeous, and it felt like we were living in our own house as we had keys to front door of block, front door of hotel and our room door as well. As it was a boutique hotel each of the 5 rooms had been painted differently and it just felt really awesome and artsy. After dumping bags we walked down the street to a typical Argentinian restaurant and of course ordered steak. Although I ordered mine extra rare it came out more medium rare but was still tasty, and we got a free glass of champagne with the receipt, lovely! Then it was straight to bed before an early start the next day.
First we headed to La Casa Rosada, the pink house where the president does her work, we relaxed in the sunshine and enjoyed the view before trying to get a bus to La Boca to see the colourful streets where tango started. Unfortunately getting a bus in Buenos Aires is easier said than done, not only are there multiple buses and no clear way of finding which buses go where and where they stop but also they only accept coins. Now you wouldn't think this is an issue, except change is famously short in Buenos Aires, shopkeepers will often charge you less so they don't have to give you change, banks don't have change to give and those who do have coins hoard them. This is partly down to the buses and also partly due to the fact that the metal in the coins is worth more than the coins themselves. However, finally we managed to get some change and get on the bus. Once in La Boca we headed for lunch (empanadas) then wandered around the street Caminito which is a street museum full of things related to the tango and brightly coloured houses. While not a patch on Valpairiso it was definitely worth seeing. Then in order to get more change I bought some postcards and demanded change so we could then get the bus back. We had another early night before the early start to get to Iguasu the next day.
At 6:45 in the morning we left the hotel to get the taxi to the airport where we were catching a plane to Iguasu. While waiting for the plane we saw the Boca Juniors football team (VERY exciting). Unfortunately our plane was delayed about half an hour but we did make it to Iguasu where we were greeted and got in a minibus to be taken to our hotel. The roads there are ridiculous, speed bumps ever few feet, and I have to say I was feeling a little unsteady on feet when finally reached hotel. It was a gorgeous hotel, right by the town centre as well so after dumping stuff we went out for lunch then lazed about and watched movies that afternoon. After dinner it was once again an early night for a very early start the next day.
7:15 we were picked up from the hotel and taken to Iguasu national park. As it was Steph's birthday we were hoping for a super awesome day and we weren't let down. We'd been warned it would rain so while there I bought a poncho. This was a wise investment as within 5 minutes of being there it started to rain. It didn't stop all day. Out of the tour of about 25 people, me and Steph were the only English speakers, however this meant that our guide would come over and explain stuff to us. First of all we went to the Devils Throat, while there we realised just how massive the river was, and just how big the waterfalls were. Then we went and did the circuit of the Upper falls, once again marvelling at just how much water there was. By this point we had also absorbed a large amount of water so were grateful for the lunch stop. I decided to be ingenious and use two plastic bags over my arms to try and stop my soggy hoody soaking through to me any more. It was semi effective, but after walking the Lower circuit we got on a boat. This boat not only went up close to the waterfalls, but actually drove through their spray so we got a full on shower by the falls. From there it was a truck through the jungle back to our coach where we all sat very soggily. The shower we had after that was probably the best shower we'd ever had. After dinner we had a phone call saying that our tour for the next day had been cancelled due to rain. Gutted though I was to not be able to go ziplining through the rainforest I was glad of the lie in and glad to just have another relaxed day...travelling really does take it out of you!
After a chilled day we got on the plane back to Buenos Aires. We were staying in another hotel and although it wasn't anywhere near as nice as the first, it was slightly closer to things so that was good. On the Thursday we headed to a free walking tour of Buenos Aires we'd heard about on Trip Advisor, it was run by an expat, Jonathan, and apart from me and Steph there was only another American guy on the tour so we really did get a very exclusive tour. There are no words to describe how highly I recommend this tour. Not only did he explain the bus system to us but also had lots of really great and interesting information about Buenos Aires. First we went to Abasto and looked at the house of Carlos Gardel who is the "father of tango" as he brought tango to be thought of as a classy dance. The streets all seem to be dedicated to him with paintings everywhere. Then we went to first shopping mall in South America before heading to the National Congress building. Next we stopped at a building which was designed solely to mimic Dante's Divine Comedy, for an English geek it was really super cool and exciting. Finally we headed back to the Casa Rosada and the Plaza de Mayo where Jonathan filled us in on all the political goings on which was fascinating, even for someone like me who isn't really into politics. After the tour me and Steph headed to El Ateneo Gran Splendid which is a bookstore built in an old theatre. I'd heard about it on the internet and was so excited to see it. It lived up to my expectations and was absolutely gorgeous! I wish we had one like it in Glasgow as I would spend all my time there for sure! Then we headed back to hotel before going out for dinner. As I'd been a bit underwhelmed by the steaks I had grilled chicken, and I have to say this is something Argentina fully excels at. Yum!
The next day we had a bit of a lie in before heading for a guided tour of the Casa Rosada. While there we made very good friends with one of the Argentinian guards who was from Iguasu. My Spanish was a little bit iffy but when we left he came over to say a cheery goodbye to us as well. New best friend. Then we headed up to the Recoleta Cemetery which was gorgeous! It looked like streets made out of little houses for graves. Morbidly I really enjoyed the time there and could have gone back again and again. After a quick stop at the mall to try and spend the last of our pesos we headed back for yet another early night before a very early start. The 3am alarm was not nice but it got us to our next destination so that was all good! And there we go, that is Argentina!
First we headed to La Casa Rosada, the pink house where the president does her work, we relaxed in the sunshine and enjoyed the view before trying to get a bus to La Boca to see the colourful streets where tango started. Unfortunately getting a bus in Buenos Aires is easier said than done, not only are there multiple buses and no clear way of finding which buses go where and where they stop but also they only accept coins. Now you wouldn't think this is an issue, except change is famously short in Buenos Aires, shopkeepers will often charge you less so they don't have to give you change, banks don't have change to give and those who do have coins hoard them. This is partly down to the buses and also partly due to the fact that the metal in the coins is worth more than the coins themselves. However, finally we managed to get some change and get on the bus. Once in La Boca we headed for lunch (empanadas) then wandered around the street Caminito which is a street museum full of things related to the tango and brightly coloured houses. While not a patch on Valpairiso it was definitely worth seeing. Then in order to get more change I bought some postcards and demanded change so we could then get the bus back. We had another early night before the early start to get to Iguasu the next day.
At 6:45 in the morning we left the hotel to get the taxi to the airport where we were catching a plane to Iguasu. While waiting for the plane we saw the Boca Juniors football team (VERY exciting). Unfortunately our plane was delayed about half an hour but we did make it to Iguasu where we were greeted and got in a minibus to be taken to our hotel. The roads there are ridiculous, speed bumps ever few feet, and I have to say I was feeling a little unsteady on feet when finally reached hotel. It was a gorgeous hotel, right by the town centre as well so after dumping stuff we went out for lunch then lazed about and watched movies that afternoon. After dinner it was once again an early night for a very early start the next day.
7:15 we were picked up from the hotel and taken to Iguasu national park. As it was Steph's birthday we were hoping for a super awesome day and we weren't let down. We'd been warned it would rain so while there I bought a poncho. This was a wise investment as within 5 minutes of being there it started to rain. It didn't stop all day. Out of the tour of about 25 people, me and Steph were the only English speakers, however this meant that our guide would come over and explain stuff to us. First of all we went to the Devils Throat, while there we realised just how massive the river was, and just how big the waterfalls were. Then we went and did the circuit of the Upper falls, once again marvelling at just how much water there was. By this point we had also absorbed a large amount of water so were grateful for the lunch stop. I decided to be ingenious and use two plastic bags over my arms to try and stop my soggy hoody soaking through to me any more. It was semi effective, but after walking the Lower circuit we got on a boat. This boat not only went up close to the waterfalls, but actually drove through their spray so we got a full on shower by the falls. From there it was a truck through the jungle back to our coach where we all sat very soggily. The shower we had after that was probably the best shower we'd ever had. After dinner we had a phone call saying that our tour for the next day had been cancelled due to rain. Gutted though I was to not be able to go ziplining through the rainforest I was glad of the lie in and glad to just have another relaxed day...travelling really does take it out of you!
After a chilled day we got on the plane back to Buenos Aires. We were staying in another hotel and although it wasn't anywhere near as nice as the first, it was slightly closer to things so that was good. On the Thursday we headed to a free walking tour of Buenos Aires we'd heard about on Trip Advisor, it was run by an expat, Jonathan, and apart from me and Steph there was only another American guy on the tour so we really did get a very exclusive tour. There are no words to describe how highly I recommend this tour. Not only did he explain the bus system to us but also had lots of really great and interesting information about Buenos Aires. First we went to Abasto and looked at the house of Carlos Gardel who is the "father of tango" as he brought tango to be thought of as a classy dance. The streets all seem to be dedicated to him with paintings everywhere. Then we went to first shopping mall in South America before heading to the National Congress building. Next we stopped at a building which was designed solely to mimic Dante's Divine Comedy, for an English geek it was really super cool and exciting. Finally we headed back to the Casa Rosada and the Plaza de Mayo where Jonathan filled us in on all the political goings on which was fascinating, even for someone like me who isn't really into politics. After the tour me and Steph headed to El Ateneo Gran Splendid which is a bookstore built in an old theatre. I'd heard about it on the internet and was so excited to see it. It lived up to my expectations and was absolutely gorgeous! I wish we had one like it in Glasgow as I would spend all my time there for sure! Then we headed back to hotel before going out for dinner. As I'd been a bit underwhelmed by the steaks I had grilled chicken, and I have to say this is something Argentina fully excels at. Yum!
The next day we had a bit of a lie in before heading for a guided tour of the Casa Rosada. While there we made very good friends with one of the Argentinian guards who was from Iguasu. My Spanish was a little bit iffy but when we left he came over to say a cheery goodbye to us as well. New best friend. Then we headed up to the Recoleta Cemetery which was gorgeous! It looked like streets made out of little houses for graves. Morbidly I really enjoyed the time there and could have gone back again and again. After a quick stop at the mall to try and spend the last of our pesos we headed back for yet another early night before a very early start. The 3am alarm was not nice but it got us to our next destination so that was all good! And there we go, that is Argentina!
Monday 13 May 2013
Chile - the perfect place for a mini Calgary reunion
After New York it was time to head to South America to see Julia. I got a little over excited at just how many good movies were available on the flight but still managed to get some sleep before landing. We managed to get a cab which took us to Julia's house (it decided that reversing up a one way street rather than actually go the correct way was the sensible way to do things, but we made it there). After an overexcited reunion with possibly too much squealing for the time of morning it was time for a catch up and breakfast. We popped to the shops and bought some Magdalenas, yum yum! That afternoon we headed to San Cristobal, a hill which overlooks Santiago. As it was very hot we decided to get a taxi up there, which was definitely a good plan after seeing some of the people who had clearly walked. We had a nice wee picnic at the top and looked over the city. For the picnic we had empanadas, a typical South American dish which is kinda like a Cornish Pasty, but kind of not - tasty though. It was gross to see just how much smog there is in Santiago, a grey haze definitely covers it. But still so gorgeous looking out and seeing the Andes with their snow etc. After coming down the mountain we went one of the parks and bought ice cream from one of Jules' fav shops, and I can see why she liked it! Awesomely tasty! On the walk back to Julia's, one of the stray dogs who'd be sitting by us decided to follow us. We kept on expecting him to give up and go back, but he didn't, instead walking us home and stopping at every crossing to wait for us. We names him George. Before dinner we brought mattresses down to Julia's room for me and Steph to sleep on, and we turned the room into a nest/obstacle course. Then we went to have tapas with Tania. It was such good tapas, in fact could eat it all again quite happily. Even though we were full we still decided that desert would be a good idea, and it was super tasty.
After a VERY long and well needed sleep we went and sat in the park in sunshine with Lawrence, before the sun went behind buildings and we decided to move park. However when we met up with Theresa to go chill in next park we discovered not only was it lacking in sunshine, but we were also all hungry so we went to supermarket and bought lots of food before heading to Theresa's where we cooked amazing burritos and had some nice Chilean wine. We ate a lot yet somehow still managed to find room for a really awesome cake.
On the Wednesday, Julia had a lot of classes so me and Steph were left to navigate by ourselves for a bit. First of all we went to the Costanerra Center, a shopping mall in the tallest building in South America as Steph realised she'd forgotten her shorts. However our plans to buy her new ones were scuppered by the fact the Chileans thought that 26 degrees was cold, and definitely not weather for shorts. We then returned home before grabbing some more emapanadas for lunch. Next it was time to head off on a wine tour. We went to the Undurraga winery just outside Santiago. There we got to tour the vineyards and the cellars before tasting the wine. Unfortunately I'm still not quite sure that I can taste any difference between wines (excluding the difference between white, rose, red and dessert) but I wasn't about to let the snotty American woman who claimed that "young people just don't appreciate wine" know that. When we got back we had an omelette (which was slightly disastrous in that it was too big to flip, but still tasty), before starting on another Chilean speciality - Pisco. An odd spirit it is apparently what every young person drinks, and I quite liked it. At 8:30 we headed out to After Office, a bizarre club which exists on top floor of a car park. However upon arrival I could see why Julia had been raving about it, it had an awesome outdoor patio plus indoor sections. Also amazingly Julia has connections allowing us not only to be basic VIPs, but VIP VIPs which involves your own table in an exclusive part of club and champagne. Win! Plus one of the French exchanges told me that my French was good, and although clearly a lie that's always nice. There were also magicians - one hired by the club, and one who was a random guy who used it to charm girls. Both were very impressive, still not sure how the first managed to get Julia's phone into a balloon simply pressing a blown up balloon onto it! Overall an amazing night.
The next day while Julia was at classes, me and Steph went to Santa Lucia, the hill which Santiago was founded around. There were an awful lot of steps but it was nice to see the castle and once again get some great views of Santiago. That afternoon, me, Steph, Julia and Sarah cuddled up with some blankets and watched Mulan which eating burnt popcorn. Then in the evening we cooked a massive stir fry for 11 people, it was amazingly tasty although involved using two kitchens, and a lot of confusion over timings. We also had enough noodles to feed about triple the amount of people but ah well! Once again it was very tasty (yes I've realised this blog post is mainly mentioning how tasty the food was, but it really was great).
On Friday the three of us took a bus to Valparaiso, a town by the sea with Tania, Theresa and Helene. Now this was no Megabus or Greyhound, it was ridiculously cheap yet its seats still nearly reclined back the whole way and were more comfy than any public transport I've ever been on before. When we arrived we managed to find the hostel run by the friend of Julia's landlord then headed off to get a bus to Vina del Mar, a neighbouring town with nice beaches. After an amazing lunch us girls just went and chilled on the beach. Lawrence and John were coming that evening so on the way back we stopped at the supermarket and picked up everything we'd need for burritos again. It was amazing once again, and Tania taught everyone how to hold it in order to minimise spillages. After a few piscos we headed out to a slightly bizarre club where there was some interesting live Chilean rock music being played, not a scene I'll really get into! However the company was great and had a lovely night.
The next day, Helene and Theresa went back to Vina for more chilling on the beach while Lawrence, John, Tania, Julia, Steph and me explored Valpa more. We walked up the hill, admiring all the pretty brightly coloured houses and the views out to the bay before heading down to the town to try and find somewhere to eat. Unfortunately they seem to celebrate Mother's Day all weekend and a lot of places were shut. However we managed to find a really nice place and ordered chorrillanas (a plate of fries with onions, eggs and bits of meat). Our waiter was crazy and absolutely awesome and it was a thoroughly enjoyable meal. Us girls then headed to hostel to grab our bags before leaving on bus back to Santiago. When we got back, we chilled out with the Ugly Truth and lots of snack food before an early night.
All we had time to do the next day was pack and say goodbyes. It was super sad leaving Julia again but it was so nice seeing her so well settled in Chile. Think that's all for Chile, next update will come post Argentina! Sorry for all the food chat!
After a VERY long and well needed sleep we went and sat in the park in sunshine with Lawrence, before the sun went behind buildings and we decided to move park. However when we met up with Theresa to go chill in next park we discovered not only was it lacking in sunshine, but we were also all hungry so we went to supermarket and bought lots of food before heading to Theresa's where we cooked amazing burritos and had some nice Chilean wine. We ate a lot yet somehow still managed to find room for a really awesome cake.
On the Wednesday, Julia had a lot of classes so me and Steph were left to navigate by ourselves for a bit. First of all we went to the Costanerra Center, a shopping mall in the tallest building in South America as Steph realised she'd forgotten her shorts. However our plans to buy her new ones were scuppered by the fact the Chileans thought that 26 degrees was cold, and definitely not weather for shorts. We then returned home before grabbing some more emapanadas for lunch. Next it was time to head off on a wine tour. We went to the Undurraga winery just outside Santiago. There we got to tour the vineyards and the cellars before tasting the wine. Unfortunately I'm still not quite sure that I can taste any difference between wines (excluding the difference between white, rose, red and dessert) but I wasn't about to let the snotty American woman who claimed that "young people just don't appreciate wine" know that. When we got back we had an omelette (which was slightly disastrous in that it was too big to flip, but still tasty), before starting on another Chilean speciality - Pisco. An odd spirit it is apparently what every young person drinks, and I quite liked it. At 8:30 we headed out to After Office, a bizarre club which exists on top floor of a car park. However upon arrival I could see why Julia had been raving about it, it had an awesome outdoor patio plus indoor sections. Also amazingly Julia has connections allowing us not only to be basic VIPs, but VIP VIPs which involves your own table in an exclusive part of club and champagne. Win! Plus one of the French exchanges told me that my French was good, and although clearly a lie that's always nice. There were also magicians - one hired by the club, and one who was a random guy who used it to charm girls. Both were very impressive, still not sure how the first managed to get Julia's phone into a balloon simply pressing a blown up balloon onto it! Overall an amazing night.
The next day while Julia was at classes, me and Steph went to Santa Lucia, the hill which Santiago was founded around. There were an awful lot of steps but it was nice to see the castle and once again get some great views of Santiago. That afternoon, me, Steph, Julia and Sarah cuddled up with some blankets and watched Mulan which eating burnt popcorn. Then in the evening we cooked a massive stir fry for 11 people, it was amazingly tasty although involved using two kitchens, and a lot of confusion over timings. We also had enough noodles to feed about triple the amount of people but ah well! Once again it was very tasty (yes I've realised this blog post is mainly mentioning how tasty the food was, but it really was great).
On Friday the three of us took a bus to Valparaiso, a town by the sea with Tania, Theresa and Helene. Now this was no Megabus or Greyhound, it was ridiculously cheap yet its seats still nearly reclined back the whole way and were more comfy than any public transport I've ever been on before. When we arrived we managed to find the hostel run by the friend of Julia's landlord then headed off to get a bus to Vina del Mar, a neighbouring town with nice beaches. After an amazing lunch us girls just went and chilled on the beach. Lawrence and John were coming that evening so on the way back we stopped at the supermarket and picked up everything we'd need for burritos again. It was amazing once again, and Tania taught everyone how to hold it in order to minimise spillages. After a few piscos we headed out to a slightly bizarre club where there was some interesting live Chilean rock music being played, not a scene I'll really get into! However the company was great and had a lovely night.
The next day, Helene and Theresa went back to Vina for more chilling on the beach while Lawrence, John, Tania, Julia, Steph and me explored Valpa more. We walked up the hill, admiring all the pretty brightly coloured houses and the views out to the bay before heading down to the town to try and find somewhere to eat. Unfortunately they seem to celebrate Mother's Day all weekend and a lot of places were shut. However we managed to find a really nice place and ordered chorrillanas (a plate of fries with onions, eggs and bits of meat). Our waiter was crazy and absolutely awesome and it was a thoroughly enjoyable meal. Us girls then headed to hostel to grab our bags before leaving on bus back to Santiago. When we got back, we chilled out with the Ugly Truth and lots of snack food before an early night.
All we had time to do the next day was pack and say goodbyes. It was super sad leaving Julia again but it was so nice seeing her so well settled in Chile. Think that's all for Chile, next update will come post Argentina! Sorry for all the food chat!
Monday 6 May 2013
The city that never sleeps...
After an uneventful flight to Newark airport (which Steph hadn't quite realised was in New Jersey, not New York itself) we got on a bus which dropped us off in Times Square, less than a block away from our hostel. I saw THE Cake Boss leaving his shop, but the heavy bag meant the hostel was the first priority. After dumping our bags we wandered around in Times Square till we found some food we fancied the look of, and after eating we headed to bed.
The next day was my birthday (woo 21 years old), so I was understandably very exciting. Steph less so as we were up at 8:15ish. But we were seizing the day like the early birds we are. First we headed off to High Line, a walk which is an old abandoned railway above the ground in Manhattan. It's been turned into gardens and was a lovely suntrap too. It was nice to be able to be away from the hustle and bustle of the streets as even the short time in Times Square the night before had let me know that Americans definitely did not move out of your way and apologise as much as Canadians... After basking in the sunshine for ages we went down to the South Ferry station and had lunch in a nice beer garden which was also bathed in sunlight. Then, being the savvy New Yorkers we are (well kind of) we got the Staten Island Ferry for a free view of the Empire State building. Then we travelled back and went to the New York Public Library before sitting in more sunshine outside it. I kept reminding Steph to put on more suncream, as she was already burnt from Calgary. After skyping my parents and my brother in order for them to say Happy Birthday, we got changed into nice dresses and went to Ruby Foos (a modern Asian restaurant) for dinner. It was a great birthday meal, I treated myself to a glass of Prosecco and then had a gorgeous duck dish. The manager came over to welcome us, and also brought us mini lemon pies, one of which had a candle in it, lovely! Then, thanks to my wonderful friends, we got to go and see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway which was awesome. All the singers were great and I much preferred it to the film, there's just something about seeing things on stage! Then it was time for much needed sleep!
Day two started off with a lot of just chilling at Central Park which is really big, like massively big! Sat by a lake which was really nice and wrote a few postcards which I forgot to post so will be sent from Miami! Then we walked to the Met and had a look round, before going to the MoMa which was much more mine and Steph's style of art. After a leisurely walk back via the Rockerfeller Centre to book tickets for the next day we had a quick rest at the hostel before going to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It was Steph's first experience at Hard Rock, but I think the plate of Nachos the size of her body won her over for sure!
The next day we went to the UN building which was disappointingly boring and plain looking before getting the Roosevelt Island aerial tram to get a different view of the skyline. Then we headed to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play Oakland. After a bit of a kerfuffle with different metro lines being shut we made it there. We quickly determined that baseball was a bit like rounders and they were clearly making it look harder than it was. We bought ourselves some Yankees hats as a good bit of memorabilia! Obviously we won (4-2) so that was great. Steph and me went for a celebratory tan in Times Square before heading back to hostel to put on a few more layers before dinner at a great little bar which had the hockey on. Then we went to Top of the Rock (the viewing platform at the Rockerfeller centre), I loved it, but Steph was a wee bit nervous with the height!
After an early start to make sure we were packed up and ready to leave hostel at 10 we got the metro to Coney Island. I being the excitable child I am was bouncing up and down by the time we got there. It was nice to be by the sea again, something I actually really miss while in Calgary. After a stroll down the boardwalk we assessed the rides available, I remembered how afraid of rollercoasters I am so headed to the arcade. While Steph may be better at driving games then me, I fully dominated at the dance mat! We then went on one little ride before stopping for lunch. I had a hot dog from the famous Nathan's hot dog place. It tasted just like any other hot dog, but still, always good to try the famous things. Steph then told me I had to do a proper ride, and unfortunately the Soarin' Eagle had started operating by then...not only was it a ride that flipped you upside down but you were lying on your stomach and went down drops headfirst. Needless to say it was not an enjoyable experience! After grabbing our bags from the hostel we headed to JFK for our flight to Chile and Julia...more on that next blog!
The next day was my birthday (woo 21 years old), so I was understandably very exciting. Steph less so as we were up at 8:15ish. But we were seizing the day like the early birds we are. First we headed off to High Line, a walk which is an old abandoned railway above the ground in Manhattan. It's been turned into gardens and was a lovely suntrap too. It was nice to be able to be away from the hustle and bustle of the streets as even the short time in Times Square the night before had let me know that Americans definitely did not move out of your way and apologise as much as Canadians... After basking in the sunshine for ages we went down to the South Ferry station and had lunch in a nice beer garden which was also bathed in sunlight. Then, being the savvy New Yorkers we are (well kind of) we got the Staten Island Ferry for a free view of the Empire State building. Then we travelled back and went to the New York Public Library before sitting in more sunshine outside it. I kept reminding Steph to put on more suncream, as she was already burnt from Calgary. After skyping my parents and my brother in order for them to say Happy Birthday, we got changed into nice dresses and went to Ruby Foos (a modern Asian restaurant) for dinner. It was a great birthday meal, I treated myself to a glass of Prosecco and then had a gorgeous duck dish. The manager came over to welcome us, and also brought us mini lemon pies, one of which had a candle in it, lovely! Then, thanks to my wonderful friends, we got to go and see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway which was awesome. All the singers were great and I much preferred it to the film, there's just something about seeing things on stage! Then it was time for much needed sleep!
Day two started off with a lot of just chilling at Central Park which is really big, like massively big! Sat by a lake which was really nice and wrote a few postcards which I forgot to post so will be sent from Miami! Then we walked to the Met and had a look round, before going to the MoMa which was much more mine and Steph's style of art. After a leisurely walk back via the Rockerfeller Centre to book tickets for the next day we had a quick rest at the hostel before going to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. It was Steph's first experience at Hard Rock, but I think the plate of Nachos the size of her body won her over for sure!
The next day we went to the UN building which was disappointingly boring and plain looking before getting the Roosevelt Island aerial tram to get a different view of the skyline. Then we headed to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play Oakland. After a bit of a kerfuffle with different metro lines being shut we made it there. We quickly determined that baseball was a bit like rounders and they were clearly making it look harder than it was. We bought ourselves some Yankees hats as a good bit of memorabilia! Obviously we won (4-2) so that was great. Steph and me went for a celebratory tan in Times Square before heading back to hostel to put on a few more layers before dinner at a great little bar which had the hockey on. Then we went to Top of the Rock (the viewing platform at the Rockerfeller centre), I loved it, but Steph was a wee bit nervous with the height!
After an early start to make sure we were packed up and ready to leave hostel at 10 we got the metro to Coney Island. I being the excitable child I am was bouncing up and down by the time we got there. It was nice to be by the sea again, something I actually really miss while in Calgary. After a stroll down the boardwalk we assessed the rides available, I remembered how afraid of rollercoasters I am so headed to the arcade. While Steph may be better at driving games then me, I fully dominated at the dance mat! We then went on one little ride before stopping for lunch. I had a hot dog from the famous Nathan's hot dog place. It tasted just like any other hot dog, but still, always good to try the famous things. Steph then told me I had to do a proper ride, and unfortunately the Soarin' Eagle had started operating by then...not only was it a ride that flipped you upside down but you were lying on your stomach and went down drops headfirst. Needless to say it was not an enjoyable experience! After grabbing our bags from the hostel we headed to JFK for our flight to Chile and Julia...more on that next blog!
Tuesday 30 April 2013
The end of the adventure...but not really an end at all!
First an update on things I've done since last chatting! Did all my finals, got thoroughly stressed but made it through. Had dinner with Kate and Chris and Steph at Double Zero which truly did do amazing pizzas. Even though will be spending a lot of the time I'm back in Calgary with them, still felt sad that next year our wine evenings will have to be via skype. Went out to Wreck City (a few houses which are being demolished and artists decorated in crazy fashion) with Hannah which was lovely, even though I definitely looked like a country singer. Had meal out at Original Joes for Claire's birthday. Was so nice to have the majority of us there for a final time. Plus our server was such a sweetie. Then I've had my final night at work with a quiet drink afterwards. I'm really going to miss work, it's been such an enjoyable part of my year abroad (not something you'd normally expect from a job). So that's it, now I'm just packing and cleaning the flat before leaving for travelling. If you can't deal with reading soppy, sentimental mush I suggest strongly that you stop reading now as that will be majority of rest of post.
Obviously over the past few days I've been looking back on the year and how different it has been from my expectations. I honestly didn't expect to fall so in love with Calgary, much as I complain about all it's shortcomings, it's such a great city with such an amazing spirit. Yes, its weather is messed up (it was +20 a few days ago and now it's snowing again), but it gives you something to moan about.
A lot of people have asked me what I'll miss about Canada the most, and while I may answer wing nights, or hockey really there is no one particular thing that I'll miss the most because everything has just been so great. Before coming out here me and Steph had chatted about things we wanted to do. These varied hugely with things such as "go to Walmart" featuring next to "go horseback riding in the Rockies". I can safely say that we achieved all of that but were dreaming too small because the best thing that I've done is found another home here and a group of people who will welcome back whenever I come back out here.
I can't stress enough just how much I love all the people who I've met out here, you are all people who I've been blessed to meet and I'm so grateful with the welcoming way you've greeted me and made me feel at home even though I'm so many miles away from the UK. Whether I know you from class, or rez, work or IVCF (Christian group), you've all had such a positive impact on my life and I'm glad that I got the chance to meet you. You are all welcome to come visit me whenever and I only hope I can show you the same hospitality that you've shown me!
Year Abroads are kind of weird, because you go from reading about a place to realising that everything you've read doesn't cover what you experience, because you're not just a tourist, you're a resident and you find that perfect bar which you love to visit, you know which bus goes where at what time, you can direct people to different places and best of all you become part of the group of people who live there, understanding their slang and their culture. I'm proud to say that as well as being British, there is now a part of me that is Canadian, and that will never change.
So now looking forward, tomorrow I jet off to New York where I will spend 5 days before travelling to Chile for 7 days, Argentina for 8 days, Miami for 3 days, Vancouver for 3 days then road trip back to Calgary. I'll be in Calgary from 26th to 31st and I'm hoping to catch up with as many people as possible before leaving. But when I do come to say goodbye to people it won't really be goodbye, it won't really be goodbye as I know that I'll definitely be returning at some point, after all I've still got so much more to discover about Canada!
Sunday 21 April 2013
Only finals still to go...
So classes are over. It's odd to think I may never have another lecture at U of C again, and much as I've complained about the work load I have to say I've had some amazing profs and will really miss some of the courses I've taken and people I've got to enjoy studying Linguistics with.
But before end of classes I had the excitement of getting to go see the Flames play the Canucks with Claire. For those of you who don't know, these are NHL (National Hockey League) teams: the Flames are Calgary's team and aren't that good, whereas the Canucks are Vancouver's team and are very good. There's quite a bit of rivalry and although we knew we would lose, until the last 15 minutes we were drawing 1-1. Okay so maybe the end score wasn't quite the same but let's not mention that. It was a great evening, me and Claire got all geared up in the Flames clothes and had great times dancing along to the cheesy songs.
On Thursday me and the IVCF group went to Peter's Drive Thru and then went 5 pin bowling. It's like 10 pin bowling, but with 5 pins...crazy Canadian things. Turns out I'm actually pretty good, came 3rd overall, mega win (not that I'm over competitive or anything). We had one round of normal bowling, the a round of crazy bowling...definitely not so good at that! But it was hugely hilarious and a great way to round off the bible study which has just been such a massive and amazing part of my time here.
Thursday was also the final Den of the year (well it wasn't there was one the week after but no-one cared about that one) so went out with the usual crowd. The Den was as sweaty and nightmare inducing as ever, but everyone getting home in one piece is always good! Friday was Phil's birthday so we went to a nice bar in Kensington and had some lovely cocktails. Claire managed to come down on her crutches which was great, even if we did get a mildly moody bus driver!
That Saturday some of the British girls had decorated their flat for a Midsummer Night's Dream party so we got all fairy-ed up and had a lovely time. A massive snow storm meant that going out wasn't really tempting so I had an early night instead. The Tuesday was the final official day of classes which is also known as Bermuda Shorts Day (BSD). I worked in the morning, then in the afternoon had pizza while watching Made in Chelsea before heading out to Cowboys for the party. It was crammed full of people but nice to have a dance, especially with some of the girls who I've not seen in a while.
Since then I've pretty much been writing my term paper, then doing Dance Fest shifts...oh dance mums, my favourite type of people. This Saturday went to Jamesons with the work crowd (well deserved after Dance Fest) and Jeff which was lush. I had an amazing steak sandwich, it was so super tasty. Then we chilled out and just generally had a great time. Now I've got a lot of studying to do what with finals coming up etc. but I've got so many great things to look forward to that it's okay!
But before end of classes I had the excitement of getting to go see the Flames play the Canucks with Claire. For those of you who don't know, these are NHL (National Hockey League) teams: the Flames are Calgary's team and aren't that good, whereas the Canucks are Vancouver's team and are very good. There's quite a bit of rivalry and although we knew we would lose, until the last 15 minutes we were drawing 1-1. Okay so maybe the end score wasn't quite the same but let's not mention that. It was a great evening, me and Claire got all geared up in the Flames clothes and had great times dancing along to the cheesy songs.
On Thursday me and the IVCF group went to Peter's Drive Thru and then went 5 pin bowling. It's like 10 pin bowling, but with 5 pins...crazy Canadian things. Turns out I'm actually pretty good, came 3rd overall, mega win (not that I'm over competitive or anything). We had one round of normal bowling, the a round of crazy bowling...definitely not so good at that! But it was hugely hilarious and a great way to round off the bible study which has just been such a massive and amazing part of my time here.
Thursday was also the final Den of the year (well it wasn't there was one the week after but no-one cared about that one) so went out with the usual crowd. The Den was as sweaty and nightmare inducing as ever, but everyone getting home in one piece is always good! Friday was Phil's birthday so we went to a nice bar in Kensington and had some lovely cocktails. Claire managed to come down on her crutches which was great, even if we did get a mildly moody bus driver!
That Saturday some of the British girls had decorated their flat for a Midsummer Night's Dream party so we got all fairy-ed up and had a lovely time. A massive snow storm meant that going out wasn't really tempting so I had an early night instead. The Tuesday was the final official day of classes which is also known as Bermuda Shorts Day (BSD). I worked in the morning, then in the afternoon had pizza while watching Made in Chelsea before heading out to Cowboys for the party. It was crammed full of people but nice to have a dance, especially with some of the girls who I've not seen in a while.
Since then I've pretty much been writing my term paper, then doing Dance Fest shifts...oh dance mums, my favourite type of people. This Saturday went to Jamesons with the work crowd (well deserved after Dance Fest) and Jeff which was lush. I had an amazing steak sandwich, it was so super tasty. Then we chilled out and just generally had a great time. Now I've got a lot of studying to do what with finals coming up etc. but I've got so many great things to look forward to that it's okay!
Fun at Flames
Magical Fairies
Work crew
Sunday 7 April 2013
From snow to spring to snow...
I think for once I'm actually going to be writing a blog post where I don't have ridiculous amounts to tell you, in fact you might be able to read this all in one easy sitting! Shocking I know!
So first things first, boring things - it's getting to the end of the semester, term officially ends on the 16th of April, so the amount of assignments and stuff has been building up and I've been doing a lot of work. I finally finished all my midterms on 28th of March (how that is MIDterm I've no idea, but ah well) and now I'm left with 5 assignments, 1 term paper and 3 finals to go. Crazy how in my final few weeks here I'm still doing more than I would be in a whole term back in Glasgow! Although for anyone ever considering a year abroad do NOT let the work put you off. Somehow working doesn't seem anywhere near as bad when you're abroad because you're abroad and you've always got fun things planned too!
Now onto the more exciting things! After my last update, the sun decided to come and warm Calgary...we reached 17 degrees and it was generally lovely! Spent a lot of time lounging about in the sun. On the Wednesday Jeff took me to Moxie's for the awesome brownie (I would recommend it to anyone!) and then we just chilled at mine for a bit. Thursday brought my final midterm (I will NOT miss having midterms when I'm back at Glasgow, yes it takes pressure off for final exam and does help you study, but even so, lots of extra stress!) The Friday was my first taste of dance shows at work...well dance mums are kinda crazy and it's definitely hectic, luckily I'm only working 3 shifts of it so I won't kill anyone or have a mental break down (in theory!)
For Easter Sunday I went to Steph's family's for dinner. It was so lovely to see all her family and meet her parents who were visiting. The food was also good, home cooked meals are lush, and I've been eating leftovers all week! Perfection!
On Wednesday went to Value Village with Jeff and got some gorgeous new heels, Steve Madden, original price tag $125, bargain price of $20! Win at life! Then we got some fantastic dinner, pulled pork is really one of my favourite things to eat! Afterwards we saw Rocky Horror Show at Mount Royal, it was nice to be able to see Mount Royal uni (although Calgary Uni is definitely nicer) and the show was hilarious. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Friday went shopping at Market Mall with Claire and bought a few dresses, as you know summer is well on the way and a girl can never have too many dresses. Then Jeff came over and we just chilled out with a movie. Saturday was going to be a productive day but the trip to change our NHL tickets took a lot longer than expected. At least now, me and Claire have better seats than before and her knee will be comfortable during the match. Then sat and ate a lot of popcorn and watched Iron Man, perfect evening!
Unfortunately it's been snowing all weekend so the short patch of sunshine was perhaps a false alarm and spring may not have really started. But with travelling coming up soon I can at least look forward to some sunshine then! I think that's all the updates for now, the rest of the time has just been assignments, assignments and more assignments unfortunately!
Saturday 23 March 2013
March: Finally the month I got to see the workings of a Canadian hospital
Did I honestly last update you in February? Well that just shows how crazy busy March has been! The first thing which really happened in March was Chris' birthday, so me, Steph and Hannah all headed downtown to the Rhino for a few drinks and a dance. It was a great night, not least because the barman gave me my orange juice for free (no alcohol for lent!)
On the 7th of March, William Lane Craig came to talk at Calgary uni about "Is the Physical World All There Is?" Not only was it a great speech but it was so encouraging seeing so many people turn out and people seeming open to hearing about God and how the existence of God is fully logical.
The Friday of that week had a games night with loads of the people from work. Was so lovely, and discovered an interesting version of Articulate which has a fun little machine with buttons and stuff! Very over exciting and fun. Also once more, Randall turned out to be evil in Werewolves and Villagers! She has been tainted for life, but we still all love her anyway!
That weekend we went skiing. It was an early start but started to get excited as saw the mountains. Had some gorgeous runs and even got Claire and Phil down a black without any broken bones. However unfortunately our luck on no injuries was not to last as Claire had a "high speed fall" (medical terminology!) and ended up going first to the doctors at the bottom of the slope, before being left with me and Steph and instructions to get her to hospital. Now you may think this would be a relatively easy task, however while the gondola ride down to the carpark was fine (if a little bit squished), lifting her from her wheelchair into the taxi without bending or hitting her damaged leg was a wee bit harder. Once at the hospital we waited around for a long time and amused ourselves and unfortunately were once again tempting fate by saying that we didn't think it was broken and was probably just a sprained knee or something. Turns out she'd fractured her tibia at the top and needed surgery. Oops! At least we got a ride back with Claire's friend Dev's parents rather than a $200 taxi to Calgary - it's the small things in life!
Spent the next few days in a blur of hospital visits and studying. Luckily the hospital is super close to campus and we could get a bus so that was easy. Claire had her surgery on the Monday and got out later that week. We had a curry and watched Bring it On to celebrate. It was beautiful. She has 24 staples in her leg, plus multiple pins and plates, very exciting and she now gets to be one of the people who sets off airport security machines, what a perk eh!
That Friday had a coffee with Jeff, was supposed to do some studying but epically failed at that. Showed him the TFDL (library) and he concluded it was much better than Mount Royal (another uni in Calgary)'s library. WIN. Then pushed Claire in her fancy wheelchair to see a prof who didn't seem to quite believe that she had injured herself until Claire was actually in front of her. It was a bit of an adventure, but we worked out the step free access route, and there is a little elevator which we're pretty sure only Claire uses, therefore it's exclusively hers.
The weekend was pretty much fully work and studying, however did go out with a few work people after work on Friday which was really nice, plus managers bought me dinner on Wed, Fri and Saturday: my job is infinitely more awesome than yours! Went to see 'Oz the Great and Powerful' on Tuesday, which was okay, but definitely not a film I'd go to see again. On Thursday I cooked for Jeff which was really lovely, not least because it gave me an excuse to cook chocolate and raspberry brownies (I'm not sure I really need an excuse, but it's good to have one anyway!) Then Friday bought around the IVCF (Christian group)'s Games Night...but not just any Games Night...Japanese Games Show Night. Now if you haven't seen any Japanese Game Show, they are crazy and insane and ridiculous but also hilarious, and the night definitely followed suit. After some amazingly well spiced chicken the games began: blindfolded musical chairs, who can lick most ritz cheese crackers off a window in 30 seconds and silent library... All had moments where you worried about the health and safety risks but were definitely great fun, and not least because my team won. Then we had a quick game of Dutch Blitz, me and Victoria nearly beat Taylor and Lucas (which is very impressive) before I headed home for some much needed sleep.
I think that's you all up to date now, feel free to prod me if I don't update soon enough please!!
On the 7th of March, William Lane Craig came to talk at Calgary uni about "Is the Physical World All There Is?" Not only was it a great speech but it was so encouraging seeing so many people turn out and people seeming open to hearing about God and how the existence of God is fully logical.
The Friday of that week had a games night with loads of the people from work. Was so lovely, and discovered an interesting version of Articulate which has a fun little machine with buttons and stuff! Very over exciting and fun. Also once more, Randall turned out to be evil in Werewolves and Villagers! She has been tainted for life, but we still all love her anyway!
That weekend we went skiing. It was an early start but started to get excited as saw the mountains. Had some gorgeous runs and even got Claire and Phil down a black without any broken bones. However unfortunately our luck on no injuries was not to last as Claire had a "high speed fall" (medical terminology!) and ended up going first to the doctors at the bottom of the slope, before being left with me and Steph and instructions to get her to hospital. Now you may think this would be a relatively easy task, however while the gondola ride down to the carpark was fine (if a little bit squished), lifting her from her wheelchair into the taxi without bending or hitting her damaged leg was a wee bit harder. Once at the hospital we waited around for a long time and amused ourselves and unfortunately were once again tempting fate by saying that we didn't think it was broken and was probably just a sprained knee or something. Turns out she'd fractured her tibia at the top and needed surgery. Oops! At least we got a ride back with Claire's friend Dev's parents rather than a $200 taxi to Calgary - it's the small things in life!
Spent the next few days in a blur of hospital visits and studying. Luckily the hospital is super close to campus and we could get a bus so that was easy. Claire had her surgery on the Monday and got out later that week. We had a curry and watched Bring it On to celebrate. It was beautiful. She has 24 staples in her leg, plus multiple pins and plates, very exciting and she now gets to be one of the people who sets off airport security machines, what a perk eh!
That Friday had a coffee with Jeff, was supposed to do some studying but epically failed at that. Showed him the TFDL (library) and he concluded it was much better than Mount Royal (another uni in Calgary)'s library. WIN. Then pushed Claire in her fancy wheelchair to see a prof who didn't seem to quite believe that she had injured herself until Claire was actually in front of her. It was a bit of an adventure, but we worked out the step free access route, and there is a little elevator which we're pretty sure only Claire uses, therefore it's exclusively hers.
The weekend was pretty much fully work and studying, however did go out with a few work people after work on Friday which was really nice, plus managers bought me dinner on Wed, Fri and Saturday: my job is infinitely more awesome than yours! Went to see 'Oz the Great and Powerful' on Tuesday, which was okay, but definitely not a film I'd go to see again. On Thursday I cooked for Jeff which was really lovely, not least because it gave me an excuse to cook chocolate and raspberry brownies (I'm not sure I really need an excuse, but it's good to have one anyway!) Then Friday bought around the IVCF (Christian group)'s Games Night...but not just any Games Night...Japanese Games Show Night. Now if you haven't seen any Japanese Game Show, they are crazy and insane and ridiculous but also hilarious, and the night definitely followed suit. After some amazingly well spiced chicken the games began: blindfolded musical chairs, who can lick most ritz cheese crackers off a window in 30 seconds and silent library... All had moments where you worried about the health and safety risks but were definitely great fun, and not least because my team won. Then we had a quick game of Dutch Blitz, me and Victoria nearly beat Taylor and Lucas (which is very impressive) before I headed home for some much needed sleep.
I think that's you all up to date now, feel free to prod me if I don't update soon enough please!!
Chris' birthday celebrations
I love the nutters I work with
Claire and Steph, both excited to see the Canadian medical system in action...
Post work night out
Getting ready for blindfolded musical chairs
This is just Victoria's normal look!
Sunday 24 February 2013
Snow on the ground but spring in the air.
So once again it's got to the stage where I feel I have enough exciting things to tell you about to merit an update of my blog. This stage also coincides with the ever increasing need to do work and start revising for my midterms.
On Friday 8th it was Scott's birthday so partied it up in Cascade. Got to wear my new Black Milks out for the first time (who doesn't want the map of Rohan and Gondor on their legs?!) Didn't go out after, instead went to Claire's to have chips with lashings of ketchup.
The Sunday held a lot of exciting things. Not only was it Chinese New Year but also had Benjamin Francis Leftwich that evening. For Chinese New Year the sun was shining so we headed downtown to see the celebrations and then get some food. Unfortunately the restaurant which Cooper informed us had the best dim sum ever was (somewhat predictably) packed. After visiting a few more restaurants (I have no shortage of knowledge of where good Chinese restaurants are now) we finally ended up at a little restaurant without too much of a wait. Much of the entertainment came from Lucy's attempts to use chopsticks (she is now a pro) but also we got visited by a Chinese lion who ate some lettuce then spat it back out (some of it landed on Hannah) which apparently gives the restaurant good luck for the coming year.
That evening was the Benjamin Francis Leftwich concert. It was at the Palomino which is a lovely small venue in the basement of a bar which apparently does great food (shall have to return at some point!) We arrived and got a drink just before the first support act came on, Kris Ellstad. He had some great self-deprecating humour and is definitely someone I'd listen to again. Wasn't a fan of the second support so much, mainly because he wasn't that great a singer in my opinion, but also he kept his eyes shut the whole way through songs...too absorbed, not enough interaction! Finally Benjamin Francis Leftwich came on! He was amazing live, was really great and intimate, sang a lot of his songs in front of the microphone and for an encore came and sat down in the crowd to sing Atlas Hands, it was beautiful! Afterwards got to meet him and he signed our tickets and had a chat and photo with us, what a genuinely nice guy, and good chat!
On Wednesday 13th me and Jeff went to go see The Seagull by Antony Chekov. While I've been working multiple shifts of the play I was really keen to go and see it. Although definitely not a play for everyone, we both really enjoyed it and it came in useful when a few days later a patron had to leave at half time and I was required to explain the plot of the second half to her (for anyone who's ever seen it, I'm sure they'll agree it's a bit of a challenge!)
Friday 15th marked the start of reading week for me, while many people choose to go off travelling or something, as I've got such major travel plans in May I couldn't really afford to do much so I've used it as a useful week for catching up no all the textbook reading I need to do. Speaking of travel, last Tuesday I had to go and have multiple injections for my future travels. Not fun but at least I shouldn't contract any nasties when I go abroad now! Luckily my week hasn't all been work work work as I managed to get away on Friday to go skiing. Me and Jeff drove to Sunshine and got there at perfect time in order to park, get ski passes then be on the first lift up. The snow was absolutely fantastic, deepest powder I've ever skied in for sure. It was really nice to explore some more of Sunshine as previously I'd only done greens with Steph. We met up with Steph, Claire and Hannah for a well earnt lunch before taking Claire away to do her first black diamond in Canada - super proud moment! Steph even manage to do a blue before the end of the day so all definitely improving. The one downside of doing blacks for 90% of the day is that it's much more of a workout, and my legs are still aching now, but it was a truly fantastic day.
And that's us pretty much up to date I think :) We've had a lot of sunshine and some gorgeous days which have led to a lot of the snow melting, however I feel it's going to be a long time before proper heat. Been busy planning travels in May so that's all exciting. And as ever I've been doing a lot of work! Will update some time soon!
On Friday 8th it was Scott's birthday so partied it up in Cascade. Got to wear my new Black Milks out for the first time (who doesn't want the map of Rohan and Gondor on their legs?!) Didn't go out after, instead went to Claire's to have chips with lashings of ketchup.
The Sunday held a lot of exciting things. Not only was it Chinese New Year but also had Benjamin Francis Leftwich that evening. For Chinese New Year the sun was shining so we headed downtown to see the celebrations and then get some food. Unfortunately the restaurant which Cooper informed us had the best dim sum ever was (somewhat predictably) packed. After visiting a few more restaurants (I have no shortage of knowledge of where good Chinese restaurants are now) we finally ended up at a little restaurant without too much of a wait. Much of the entertainment came from Lucy's attempts to use chopsticks (she is now a pro) but also we got visited by a Chinese lion who ate some lettuce then spat it back out (some of it landed on Hannah) which apparently gives the restaurant good luck for the coming year.
That evening was the Benjamin Francis Leftwich concert. It was at the Palomino which is a lovely small venue in the basement of a bar which apparently does great food (shall have to return at some point!) We arrived and got a drink just before the first support act came on, Kris Ellstad. He had some great self-deprecating humour and is definitely someone I'd listen to again. Wasn't a fan of the second support so much, mainly because he wasn't that great a singer in my opinion, but also he kept his eyes shut the whole way through songs...too absorbed, not enough interaction! Finally Benjamin Francis Leftwich came on! He was amazing live, was really great and intimate, sang a lot of his songs in front of the microphone and for an encore came and sat down in the crowd to sing Atlas Hands, it was beautiful! Afterwards got to meet him and he signed our tickets and had a chat and photo with us, what a genuinely nice guy, and good chat!
On Wednesday 13th me and Jeff went to go see The Seagull by Antony Chekov. While I've been working multiple shifts of the play I was really keen to go and see it. Although definitely not a play for everyone, we both really enjoyed it and it came in useful when a few days later a patron had to leave at half time and I was required to explain the plot of the second half to her (for anyone who's ever seen it, I'm sure they'll agree it's a bit of a challenge!)
Friday 15th marked the start of reading week for me, while many people choose to go off travelling or something, as I've got such major travel plans in May I couldn't really afford to do much so I've used it as a useful week for catching up no all the textbook reading I need to do. Speaking of travel, last Tuesday I had to go and have multiple injections for my future travels. Not fun but at least I shouldn't contract any nasties when I go abroad now! Luckily my week hasn't all been work work work as I managed to get away on Friday to go skiing. Me and Jeff drove to Sunshine and got there at perfect time in order to park, get ski passes then be on the first lift up. The snow was absolutely fantastic, deepest powder I've ever skied in for sure. It was really nice to explore some more of Sunshine as previously I'd only done greens with Steph. We met up with Steph, Claire and Hannah for a well earnt lunch before taking Claire away to do her first black diamond in Canada - super proud moment! Steph even manage to do a blue before the end of the day so all definitely improving. The one downside of doing blacks for 90% of the day is that it's much more of a workout, and my legs are still aching now, but it was a truly fantastic day.
And that's us pretty much up to date I think :) We've had a lot of sunshine and some gorgeous days which have led to a lot of the snow melting, however I feel it's going to be a long time before proper heat. Been busy planning travels in May so that's all exciting. And as ever I've been doing a lot of work! Will update some time soon!
Look how beautiful those leggings are!
Benjamin Francis Leftwich
Me and Hannah with the man himself!
Gorgeous roof of Chinese Centre of Culture
Lucy; chopstick pro!
Tuesday 5 February 2013
Time flies when you're having fun
Now if any of you have spoken to me in past few weeks you'll know I was practically drowning under the amount of work I've got. But I wouldn't be updating this blog if all I'd done was work, and looking back it seems like I've actually done a lot of fun stuff!
The first update is I dyed my hair red! Or rather Kate dyed my hair red, while Steph sat and ate popcorn and made concerned faces. Although it's faded quite a lot in past few weeks I still love it, as it just makes my hair a little more auburn and less brown. Its first proper outing was at the Den for some Thursden fun. Had a great night dancing away with the girlies.
On the 26th, it was Arn (manager at work)'s last shift so naturally we celebrated with cake, and lots of it. So called "Cake Day" probably involved me eating my weight in cake, plus Mo's amazing curry and samosas...in fact I ate so much at work that I had no need to eat anything else all day. While it was sad to see Arn grow, it was great to spend the day (literally 10am to 7pm) with the work bunch, just chilling and eating butterbeer cupcakes guaranteed to give us diabetes!
The next day was the gorgeous Anna's 21st birthday so bright and early we headed to the Calgary Tower (I swear the workers are going to think I have a tower addiction) and went up to the restaurant for a champagne brunch. After getting a little bit confused about what bits of the restaurant actually revolved we sat down to enjoy some gorgeous food and champagne with beautiful views. That evening we all went out to Commonwealth, and, it being a Sunday, managed to throw some pretty awesome moves on the dance floor.
Tuesday meant the fabulous Cooper's 20th birthday, no longer a teenager! So on Wenesday we went to Wurst to have some awesome German food. Although we were all very hungry, the wait for the food was well worth it, SO tasty! Great to celebrate with Coops although had to leave early to finish some work off.
That week was hectically busy as I had so much work to do. But I managed to get it all done, and the weekend was set to be fantastic so that kept me motivated. The reason this weekend was set to be so good was because it was the Winter Retreat for IVCF (my Christian group). But it wasn't just us UofC IVCF-ers, it was all of Alberta! A little later than planned, me Jess, Jessica and Taylor set off for Pioneer Ranch, which is near Rocky Mountain House (this is a place, not an actual house...), and right on the shores of Lake Crimson. After stopping off in Sundre for dinner at A&W we arrived and of course straight away started up a game of Dutch Blitz (a.k.a. Racing Demons). We then registered, and sorted out cabins. I was in a cabin with Jess, Jessica, Anna, Victoria and Toni. The cabins were gorgeous log cabins heated only by a woodburner. After dumping our stuff and getting a fire going we went back for more Dutch Blitz, and some Canadian line dancing (I actually know the moves for some of them now!) before worship and a talk. Feeling pretty sleepy we went to look at the bonfire down by the lake before heading to bed.
We woke up bright and early (and cold as the fire had gone out!) to the sound of people walking past our cabin. Unfortunately we had all forgotten to set an alarm for breakfast, so we hurriedly got dressed and went to enjoy the gorgeous pancakes and bacon. After another game of Dutch Blitz we did a manuscript study. It was a great, but challenging passage. Then we ate lunch before another round of Dutch Blitz. We then headed to the lake to build a snowman. Although we were greatly hindered by Taylor's efforts to make us look like a snowman we managed to construct one taller than me and settled it by the previously built snow lady and gave them a dog as well. Next we went horse riding, while I had just managed to dry off in the sun from the amount of snow Taylor had thrown at me, this was all in vain as I was quickly covered in snow by Jeff. The snow was so deep that the miniature horses' bellies were dragging in the snow. I rode Babe, and she was lovely. It was beautiful riding through the forests just completely covered in snow. After returning back it was the camp wide game (not the same as Lymington's wide game for all my UK camp friends). After extending my arms by at least 3 inches during kick the bucket, my team moved on to snow sculptures, not to be out done by the previous team who'd sculpted a massive turtle, we decided the natural progression was a huge narwhal with a snowman riding it eating the turtle. This was the obvious choice and it turned out fantastically. While we were making it, the setting sun turned all the clouds red (which is the reason the lake is called Crimson). Truly shows the beauty of God's creation. Next up was human curling. After being sent across the pond as a stone I feel I can fully endorse this as a future Winter Olympic sport, super fun! Finally chuck the chicken before rushing to dinner. Post-eating we played a bit more Dutch Blitz (anyone would think we are addicted!) before going to evening worship and talk. Then caffeined up by one of Taylor's pepsis it was time for a bit of table tennis before (you've guessed it) more Dutch Blitz. A quick shower before collapsing into bed concluded the night.
The next day we had actually remembered to set alarms so woke up and tried to get most of our packing done before eating some breakfast. Then it was final worship and talk with some really challenging questions about how we're showing God on campus, definitely a lot to think about and act on. Afterwards we went for the yearly Northern Alberta vs Southern Alberta broomball. Now this name is half a lie, it does involve a ball, but no brooms...or at least not what I'd call a broom. Basically they were long sticks. No good for sweeping, that's for sure! We took an early lead, but then the North equalised (with a somewhat contested shot...did it come off his foot or the "broom"?). At the end of full time it was 1-1 so it went into extra time. Unfortunately, facing into the sun meant we let in another goal and the North had the victory once more. We still celebrated with lunch, before saying goodbye to people and cleaning the ranch up. Then we piled back into Jess's car and drove home, exhausted and aching all over but having had a great weekend.
So we're practically up to date...just one more thing: last night I went to see Muse with Hannah! Was very odd being at the Saddledome and not seeing hockey. Muse were really good, and it was cool hearing British accents again. It's odd how few Canadians have actually heard of Muse! Now, finally, you are up to date! I shan't bore you with each of my assignments, but suffice to say that on top of this I've been working like a crazy person! Hope you're all well, update you all again soon!
The first update is I dyed my hair red! Or rather Kate dyed my hair red, while Steph sat and ate popcorn and made concerned faces. Although it's faded quite a lot in past few weeks I still love it, as it just makes my hair a little more auburn and less brown. Its first proper outing was at the Den for some Thursden fun. Had a great night dancing away with the girlies.
On the 26th, it was Arn (manager at work)'s last shift so naturally we celebrated with cake, and lots of it. So called "Cake Day" probably involved me eating my weight in cake, plus Mo's amazing curry and samosas...in fact I ate so much at work that I had no need to eat anything else all day. While it was sad to see Arn grow, it was great to spend the day (literally 10am to 7pm) with the work bunch, just chilling and eating butterbeer cupcakes guaranteed to give us diabetes!
The next day was the gorgeous Anna's 21st birthday so bright and early we headed to the Calgary Tower (I swear the workers are going to think I have a tower addiction) and went up to the restaurant for a champagne brunch. After getting a little bit confused about what bits of the restaurant actually revolved we sat down to enjoy some gorgeous food and champagne with beautiful views. That evening we all went out to Commonwealth, and, it being a Sunday, managed to throw some pretty awesome moves on the dance floor.
Tuesday meant the fabulous Cooper's 20th birthday, no longer a teenager! So on Wenesday we went to Wurst to have some awesome German food. Although we were all very hungry, the wait for the food was well worth it, SO tasty! Great to celebrate with Coops although had to leave early to finish some work off.
That week was hectically busy as I had so much work to do. But I managed to get it all done, and the weekend was set to be fantastic so that kept me motivated. The reason this weekend was set to be so good was because it was the Winter Retreat for IVCF (my Christian group). But it wasn't just us UofC IVCF-ers, it was all of Alberta! A little later than planned, me Jess, Jessica and Taylor set off for Pioneer Ranch, which is near Rocky Mountain House (this is a place, not an actual house...), and right on the shores of Lake Crimson. After stopping off in Sundre for dinner at A&W we arrived and of course straight away started up a game of Dutch Blitz (a.k.a. Racing Demons). We then registered, and sorted out cabins. I was in a cabin with Jess, Jessica, Anna, Victoria and Toni. The cabins were gorgeous log cabins heated only by a woodburner. After dumping our stuff and getting a fire going we went back for more Dutch Blitz, and some Canadian line dancing (I actually know the moves for some of them now!) before worship and a talk. Feeling pretty sleepy we went to look at the bonfire down by the lake before heading to bed.
We woke up bright and early (and cold as the fire had gone out!) to the sound of people walking past our cabin. Unfortunately we had all forgotten to set an alarm for breakfast, so we hurriedly got dressed and went to enjoy the gorgeous pancakes and bacon. After another game of Dutch Blitz we did a manuscript study. It was a great, but challenging passage. Then we ate lunch before another round of Dutch Blitz. We then headed to the lake to build a snowman. Although we were greatly hindered by Taylor's efforts to make us look like a snowman we managed to construct one taller than me and settled it by the previously built snow lady and gave them a dog as well. Next we went horse riding, while I had just managed to dry off in the sun from the amount of snow Taylor had thrown at me, this was all in vain as I was quickly covered in snow by Jeff. The snow was so deep that the miniature horses' bellies were dragging in the snow. I rode Babe, and she was lovely. It was beautiful riding through the forests just completely covered in snow. After returning back it was the camp wide game (not the same as Lymington's wide game for all my UK camp friends). After extending my arms by at least 3 inches during kick the bucket, my team moved on to snow sculptures, not to be out done by the previous team who'd sculpted a massive turtle, we decided the natural progression was a huge narwhal with a snowman riding it eating the turtle. This was the obvious choice and it turned out fantastically. While we were making it, the setting sun turned all the clouds red (which is the reason the lake is called Crimson). Truly shows the beauty of God's creation. Next up was human curling. After being sent across the pond as a stone I feel I can fully endorse this as a future Winter Olympic sport, super fun! Finally chuck the chicken before rushing to dinner. Post-eating we played a bit more Dutch Blitz (anyone would think we are addicted!) before going to evening worship and talk. Then caffeined up by one of Taylor's pepsis it was time for a bit of table tennis before (you've guessed it) more Dutch Blitz. A quick shower before collapsing into bed concluded the night.
The next day we had actually remembered to set alarms so woke up and tried to get most of our packing done before eating some breakfast. Then it was final worship and talk with some really challenging questions about how we're showing God on campus, definitely a lot to think about and act on. Afterwards we went for the yearly Northern Alberta vs Southern Alberta broomball. Now this name is half a lie, it does involve a ball, but no brooms...or at least not what I'd call a broom. Basically they were long sticks. No good for sweeping, that's for sure! We took an early lead, but then the North equalised (with a somewhat contested shot...did it come off his foot or the "broom"?). At the end of full time it was 1-1 so it went into extra time. Unfortunately, facing into the sun meant we let in another goal and the North had the victory once more. We still celebrated with lunch, before saying goodbye to people and cleaning the ranch up. Then we piled back into Jess's car and drove home, exhausted and aching all over but having had a great weekend.
So we're practically up to date...just one more thing: last night I went to see Muse with Hannah! Was very odd being at the Saddledome and not seeing hockey. Muse were really good, and it was cool hearing British accents again. It's odd how few Canadians have actually heard of Muse! Now, finally, you are up to date! I shan't bore you with each of my assignments, but suffice to say that on top of this I've been working like a crazy person! Hope you're all well, update you all again soon!
Moose for Anna's birthday
Gorgeous sunset
Narwhal!
Friday 18 January 2013
It's 2013 - new courses, new job, new blog post!
Sorry for the long gap between updates, things have been busy (as always)!
So when I left you last, we were in the hostel, about to head off skiing the next day! We woke up very early (in fact extra early due to Steph forgetting her phone is set 10 minutes fast), and after a breakfast got on the bus to Sunshine with lots of other sleepy looking powder obsessed people! I think my grin was actually reaching insane levels by the time we arrived at Sunshine. In the queue for our lift passes we got given free hot chocolate - I really do love Canadian hospitality! It was greatly appreciated, but in no time at all we had our lift passes and were in the gondola! When we reached Sunshine base camp, me and Steph had great fun attempting to teach Sarah to ski...however, we were perhaps not as successful as we had envisioned and she ended up booking a lesson for that afternoon which left me and Steph to go off so she could show me her improved ski skills! I have to say I was impressed at just how much better she had got! The runs were lovely, and full of fresh snow! So much fun! While Steph did have a bit of a freak out on one run because she saw mountain edges everywhere (there were no mountain edges anywhere, there were slightly steeper bits of the slope) no one got injured at all, which I count as a highly successful skiing day! Even Sarah got down a green with her instructor!
That evening we had been planning on heading to Banff city centre, but were so sleepy we ate in the hostel and then went to the hostel bar to bring in the New Year. The countdown started two minutes early, but considering we'd said Happy New Year to each other at 5pm (UK midnight) we weren't too fussed. Met some lovely Canadians and spent ages chatting to them (and looking after the slightly drunker member of their group!) The next day we went to the Elk and Oarsmen for brunch, love that restaurant! Ended up eating a lot of food and revelling in the gorgeous sunshine that there was. Then we headed up to sulphur mountain to soak our skiing aches away in the hot springs - it was very different from the last time I was there, the steam basically made it impossible to see anything, but it was truly gorgeous! Unfortunately lack of hair dryer kind of made my hair freeze afterwards, oddest feeling ever. We then went back to the hostel to grab our bags before heading for the greyhound. It was a bit of a military operation with some very well planned bus changes. Then came the waiting for the greyhound. We took shifts going to the nearby Timmies in order to warm up, as typically the shelter was shut and it was -20 something. Not pleasant at all. But it was nice and warm when it arrived and before long we were back in Calgary.
During the rest of Sarah's stay, I attempted to show the best parts of Calgary. Luckily we had a chinook so things were warm, but she still got excited at the sight of snow on the ground! We went up the Calgary tower both during sunset then also after night, and also walked around the Bow River (truly stunning at sunset, especially with the chinook clouds). We also went to Hitment vs Moose Jaw Warriors, and we won! VERY exciting. Plus we had a meal out at the Ship (everyone loves the Ship and Anchor, such good value)! As well as all that we watched a lot of rom coms, ate some great food, and went to the first proper Cascade party of 2013 (which even though term hadn't started got shut down by the CAs, spoil sports! Luckily Brewster CAs seemed much more accommodating so we carried on the party there)!
The room of my floor looked very empty without the mattress which Sarah had been sleeping on but the day after she left was the start of classes so pretty hectic. Unfortunately none of my profs seemed to understand that the first day back should be a gentle introduction, and all gave very long lectures - one of them even over ran! Ridiculous! The course I'm taking this semester are Syntactic Analysis (the higher level of the syntax class I took last semester), Speech Language Pathology (basically speech therapy, very interesting), Second Language Acquisition and Semantics. They all seem to be a lot of work (and the textbooks cost ridiculous amounts) but ah well, such is life! Apart from uni work I've also got a job at the theatre on campus. It's great fun, everyone who I work with is absolutely lovely and we seem to get paid for not doing much which is good!
Having people slowly return to Calgary has been lovely, so nice seeing people again (even though it's sad that some people aren't here). Since people have got back we've watched a few movies, had a few nights out (although not actually made it out, the queue for the Den was just too long) and generally had a lovely time catching up. There has also been about a foot and a half of snow (we laugh at the measly snow which is terrorising England!) Also as per most New Years Resolution-y people I've been hitting the gym with renewed vigour, and today did a brutal zumba class! Last night, Steph, me and Kate went to Original Joes and indulged in a lot of very good food and half price wine, lovely!
I think that's all I need to update you on, I'm probably missing something, but that'll teach me for leaving it so long in between blogs! Sure I will have more to update you on soon!
So when I left you last, we were in the hostel, about to head off skiing the next day! We woke up very early (in fact extra early due to Steph forgetting her phone is set 10 minutes fast), and after a breakfast got on the bus to Sunshine with lots of other sleepy looking powder obsessed people! I think my grin was actually reaching insane levels by the time we arrived at Sunshine. In the queue for our lift passes we got given free hot chocolate - I really do love Canadian hospitality! It was greatly appreciated, but in no time at all we had our lift passes and were in the gondola! When we reached Sunshine base camp, me and Steph had great fun attempting to teach Sarah to ski...however, we were perhaps not as successful as we had envisioned and she ended up booking a lesson for that afternoon which left me and Steph to go off so she could show me her improved ski skills! I have to say I was impressed at just how much better she had got! The runs were lovely, and full of fresh snow! So much fun! While Steph did have a bit of a freak out on one run because she saw mountain edges everywhere (there were no mountain edges anywhere, there were slightly steeper bits of the slope) no one got injured at all, which I count as a highly successful skiing day! Even Sarah got down a green with her instructor!
That evening we had been planning on heading to Banff city centre, but were so sleepy we ate in the hostel and then went to the hostel bar to bring in the New Year. The countdown started two minutes early, but considering we'd said Happy New Year to each other at 5pm (UK midnight) we weren't too fussed. Met some lovely Canadians and spent ages chatting to them (and looking after the slightly drunker member of their group!) The next day we went to the Elk and Oarsmen for brunch, love that restaurant! Ended up eating a lot of food and revelling in the gorgeous sunshine that there was. Then we headed up to sulphur mountain to soak our skiing aches away in the hot springs - it was very different from the last time I was there, the steam basically made it impossible to see anything, but it was truly gorgeous! Unfortunately lack of hair dryer kind of made my hair freeze afterwards, oddest feeling ever. We then went back to the hostel to grab our bags before heading for the greyhound. It was a bit of a military operation with some very well planned bus changes. Then came the waiting for the greyhound. We took shifts going to the nearby Timmies in order to warm up, as typically the shelter was shut and it was -20 something. Not pleasant at all. But it was nice and warm when it arrived and before long we were back in Calgary.
During the rest of Sarah's stay, I attempted to show the best parts of Calgary. Luckily we had a chinook so things were warm, but she still got excited at the sight of snow on the ground! We went up the Calgary tower both during sunset then also after night, and also walked around the Bow River (truly stunning at sunset, especially with the chinook clouds). We also went to Hitment vs Moose Jaw Warriors, and we won! VERY exciting. Plus we had a meal out at the Ship (everyone loves the Ship and Anchor, such good value)! As well as all that we watched a lot of rom coms, ate some great food, and went to the first proper Cascade party of 2013 (which even though term hadn't started got shut down by the CAs, spoil sports! Luckily Brewster CAs seemed much more accommodating so we carried on the party there)!
The room of my floor looked very empty without the mattress which Sarah had been sleeping on but the day after she left was the start of classes so pretty hectic. Unfortunately none of my profs seemed to understand that the first day back should be a gentle introduction, and all gave very long lectures - one of them even over ran! Ridiculous! The course I'm taking this semester are Syntactic Analysis (the higher level of the syntax class I took last semester), Speech Language Pathology (basically speech therapy, very interesting), Second Language Acquisition and Semantics. They all seem to be a lot of work (and the textbooks cost ridiculous amounts) but ah well, such is life! Apart from uni work I've also got a job at the theatre on campus. It's great fun, everyone who I work with is absolutely lovely and we seem to get paid for not doing much which is good!
Having people slowly return to Calgary has been lovely, so nice seeing people again (even though it's sad that some people aren't here). Since people have got back we've watched a few movies, had a few nights out (although not actually made it out, the queue for the Den was just too long) and generally had a lovely time catching up. There has also been about a foot and a half of snow (we laugh at the measly snow which is terrorising England!) Also as per most New Years Resolution-y people I've been hitting the gym with renewed vigour, and today did a brutal zumba class! Last night, Steph, me and Kate went to Original Joes and indulged in a lot of very good food and half price wine, lovely!
I think that's all I need to update you on, I'm probably missing something, but that'll teach me for leaving it so long in between blogs! Sure I will have more to update you on soon!
Skiing Pros
Sunshine in the Rockies
Sunset from Calgary Tower
Hitmen win
Excited to be back to Cascade parties!
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