Wednesday, October 24, 2007

'Canada, eh'

Hm, I've recieved some news from home that you're all waiting for a new post. I can surely understand why, it's been I while since I last wrote.

To be honest, it doesn't happen much of interest here in Boundary Creek, New Brunswick, right now. I have my share of happiness and misery, sometimes I really wonder what I'm doing here and I wish I would be back at my dear Stagnelius and in spend the days with my lovely class mates in SP3C. But as it is for now that is not the case, I'm far away, in a different country on a completely different continent.

But I'm not entirely complaining, most of the days are good. Every morning I ride with the traditional yellow school bus and I go to my five classes. It seems like the whole school knows who I am, since they been presenting me at all the assemblies and everything. It's not too bad, I've got people to talk to and usually someone to hang out with at lunch time.

In the afternoons almost everybody goes to work or simply takes the bus home. I've tried to attend some of the school activities, but there aren't that many since the school is so small and most of the kids work after school. I thought about trying out for the basketball team but when I heard there are always some people throwing up in the garbage bin on the try-outs, I gave it all a second thought.

I love the life here on Salisdairy farm (yes, that's the name of it). I almost live for the coffee breaks when the dad comes up from the farm and has his afternoon coffee. It's right when we come home from school so I usually spend half an hour after school drinking coffee and chatting a bit. It's cosy, makes me feel at home. I like the evenings to, when me, my host mom, Wiebe and Baukje all cuttle up in the sofa and watch the OC. It's true, I've become an OC freak, hit me if you must ;)

In the evening and sometimes in the afternoon I say 'hi' to the horses in the barn and do some barn chores. I love it, especially mucking the stalls. You get a chance to work with your body and the brain can go for a break. And you feel useful. And you get to be surrounded by the wonderful smell of horse. I might sound sarchastic, but I'm actually not. Last week I went with Bruno (from Brazil) and Christof (from Austria) to the mall (They are exchange students in Moncton), and god I felt misplaced. There were fancy, fashionable people everywhere and all these expebsive formal clothing. Uah, I just wanted to go back to the farm. Last weekend I went horseback riding two days in a row too. Man, I thought I would day when I got out of bed on the third day, my legs hurt so badly ;P

I don't say 'no' to some traveling sometimes though. Last week we went to Fredericton (the capital of New Brunswick) with the cross-country team to attend the NBIAA Provincial Cross-Country Champs. It was fun, at first I didn't think I wanted to go there but the coach convinced me, and it turned out to be worth it big time. I got to know some people a lot better, I got to see parts of Fredericton which is a beautiful city and I got to wear one of the famous JMA Armstrong High team sweater with the high fashionable colour combination of dark red and light blue (I know, no wonder no country chose those colours for their flag).

Last week their was an assembly in the gym called Pepperoli (I'm not sure that is how it's spelled). The school does it before the last game against Peticodiac, which is their rival school, and people dress up in the school colours (which I've already described) and some people even paint their hair and faces.In the gym the whole high school sits down and watch all the different chool teams being presented (including the cross-country team =D), they showed a movie from the year book staff (which I'm a part of =D) and then it ends with everybody singing or screaming along to the school anthem. It was so much fun, I will honestly bring it to back to Stagg.

Sometimes I get the question if I've noticed anything special with the Canadian English. The most obviuos thing I can think of is the Canadians way of saying 'eh' after almost every sentence. 'I know, eh', 'Nice weather today, eh'. I have to admit that I'm about to start with it myself, I can't help myself, it is such a nice way to end a sentence, don't you think, eh?

I'm adding some pictures from our turkey thanksgiving dinner (and some other random pictures). Turkey is not a part of the family's thanksgiving traditions but I made them buy with the argument that I havn't come the whole way to North America to not it turkey at Thanksgiving. So, we had turkey.

Tomorrow and Friday are 'Parent Teacher days', which fortunatly means that we've got those two days off. Ah, time to sleep in and rest, we definatly deserve it after a hard three day week ;P On Friday I'm going to help Paige baby sit three small kids. Wich me good look, we're gonna carve pumkins. It'll be interesting, bringing pumkins and small children together *gulp*. By the way, thank you dad for the Donald Duck magazines! I am very greatful for those, they are nowhere here to be bought. I find that strange since Donald himself is actually born in Canada's country neighbour the United States.

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Fall in New Brunswick

I am so sorry for the delay, everyone! I understand if you begin to wonder if I'm still alive or not, but for your information; Yes, I'm alive.

I have a really good feeling right now, but as with everything else in an exchange year, everything goes up and down. Sometimes I wonder what I'm doing here and sometimes, quite often actually, everything feels right and I feel strong, grown up and independent. It's a wonderful feeling.

Soon I've been here in Canada for two months, time flies by so fast sometimes I can't even see it. I'm going to school with the school bus every day, trying the best I can to fit into the school (ehich isn't easy, believe me. They've known each other for 12 years. But I'm doing okay anyway). I have one quite good friend. her name is Paige and she is so nice. She takes me to things and her family almost starts to feel like my second host family. With her dad teasing me all the time about swedish meatballs and her boyfriend and sister and mom. They are all wonderful, thank you so much for everything!

Yesterday I had thanksgiving dinner with Paige's family. That was very nice. We didn't eat turkey though, but that's okay, I made my host family make turkey for our thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. Baukje and Wiebe are threatening with stuffing it down my throat if I don't finish it (they would rather like to have chicken). Hmhm, we'll see about that is my response.

Today we went apple picking. It was really nice, beautiful autumns day, I felt like a real canadian climbing those trees (especially when the ladder fell completely over, hehe). But no more apples for today, I see apples everywhere, even when I close my eyes.

Hm, do I have anything more to tell you... yes, sorry for not answering things, like emails and stuff, I realise I'm not very good at that. It's not because I don't want to talk to you, it's just that I don't really have time and when i have time I forget or don't really feel like it. I'll try to improve, promise! Yes, another thing, we made up countries in the political scinece class and presented them in front of the class. People said I looked so confident and acted like it was perfectly natural that our country existed. For that I must thank the Model United Nations, finelly I got to use my cool MUN attitude. It really helps you, anyone who ever doubted about the meaning of MUN, never again.