We have a long weekend here in lovely Alberta so we have been super buzy. (Here they call it heritage day-according to signs, in lovely bc it is bc day) Well I should update you on the week so far
FLASHBACK! To thursday
I get up at 7:45 to get ready for work, and I am ready with my lovely ginger Willie at 8:20 like normal...we wait, 8:30 rolls around and we start getting worried...9 we start wondering where our work partner was...we try calling and cannot get anyone... by 11 our lovely PL (who was away for 48 hours for a meeting and her 24 off) and she told us to stay home and just help clean. I WAS SO BORED!! I didn't want to step on the house managers toes and try to help clean, so I just cleaned the basement and laundry room, put things away in the living room, and then I also did laundry...I WAS BORED!!!
Friday we went to work, sprinkler management...sucks so much. But I love working in the sun, and I love working near the birds. I am also really lucky to work with Willie, he is very nice and is always smiling.
Saturday and Sunday we volunteered at the Heritage Acres Antique Farm Show. It was fun, we played with the kids. I got to run the fish pond (EVERY CHILD GOT A PRIZE!) which was fun because I didn't have anyone getting upset. We also had to stop cars at the gate and ask them questions to help with the fair. I hate talking to people, but I actually talked to people...Katimavik is definately helping with my shyness. We went around to all the booths, and I bought an orange cameo necklace, its super pretty:D Willie got swindled by a lovely old lady, she kept buttering him up, calling him adorable and sweet telling him he needed to gain weight because he was so thin. Then she told him to buy her cookies...and he did. Later Saturday night we went to a barn dance. It was fun, there were mostly elderly people there. We danced like fools, it was fun. I had a lot of dance partners, Helena, Jaz, Erin, and Willie. It was fun, an elderly couple tried to teach us how to dance. Apparently the woman works in Fort Mcleod so she is going to try to help us plan more activities there, volunteering and such. We slept in a barn too! It was two stories, horses were below us and we kept hearing them all night. It was nice...I actually loved it. Sterling in the morning started playing the piano, he is truly amazing. I wish I could play that well...then Willie decided he was going to play...HE PLAYED ZELDA!! Made my weekend. I have no idea what we are doing tommarrow, so this could be interesting. Have a great long weekend:D
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Kapeekapo
Ah my lovely Katimafamjam. How I love them <3...it feels like we have been together can you really believe that tommarrow it will only have been three weeks with these people that I have come to know. I love my group....My group has to be one of the best out there. But anyways I shall now update you on my last three weeks! and of our future plans in kapeekapo village!
Well week one, hectic. I seriously cannot remember any of it. Well we made whole wheat bread, went over some of the rules with the medicine hat group (Did I mention I got to go to medicine hat?!?!)...also the rules are all really obvious (curfew is 12 on weekdays and 2 on weekends:D YAY!) We met our amazing PL Erin...seriously you are lucky if you ever get her she is the most amazing young adult I have ever met. I have no idea of anything time wise so how about just a big blurb until I get back to present time and day? Our basement flooded...and I couldn't use the group computer to update, and I felt bad bumming someone else's computer. We didn't have our basement for a long while, until thursday or friday...but now we have it back. SO WE CAN HANG OUT DOWN THERE AGAIN!?! We went for a hike in the coulees (small hills) and that was fun, got to see the high level bridge from up close. We went to watch a soccer game, Lethbridge university vs. Calgary university (Calgary won). We volunteered at the South Country Fair, pretty much a hippie fest. It was fun though, Jas, Willie, Helena and I danced in this misty thingy, and got drenched. The music was epic, and we got so many compliments from the people who saw us helping. Also we met a lot of past participants there. We also got to start working! I am working at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale...I get a ride to work everyday in the most epic orange car that blasts tons of 80's and 90's music (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air lol) So far I have got to help clean out bird baths, clean bird cages, put up the bird cages and take them down, water tree (apparently that's my main job this summer :( ) oh well... But hey I got an epic STAFF t-shirt the other day:) Great fun that is. Except the centre closes for the season on September 10th and we don't leave Lethbridge until September 28th...so I might have to work in the Mouse House for two weeks...ah la vie! French lessons started...I think they seem like a total joke...seriously the woman is telling us verbs but not how to conjugate them...and then she taught us numbers and the alphabet today like argh! It is so frustrating I wish she would teach us practical application of french...looks like I am f-ed for Quebec City. oh well...I have Helena...aka the best person to know in Quebec! :) Oh...For one of our meals our PL tied all of our hands together...not the best experience in the world, but somehow still fun. Now onwards to more recent times....(aka Cause I don't remember anything else!)
Well Saturday we played a game called "Bigger and Better" where you start off with a paper clip and have to trade up getting bigger and better items. My group (AKA team kickass, Kristen and me) traded our paperclip for a weird/creepy doll -> Squirt gun -> pair of sunglasses (Kristen then found a duck on the side of the road that we added to our pile) -> old atlas, giant candle, bedskirt -> painting, purse, and still the old bedskirt -> trampoline! YES!!! Other groups had great success too, in total we had groups bring home: GROUP Connor, and Cedric, two old tvs, camping stove, and one more thing, GROUP Morgan and Willie a bean bag chair, weird giraffee statue, and a lamp, GROUP Sterling and Helena a lamp, and GROUP Cole and Jazz a weird soccer ceiling fan. Pretty good right, all for a paperclip...yeah!
Sunday we got to volunteer at the Lethbridge International Airshow! It was fun, while we were driving in though Erin our PL hit a gofer. She squealed and me being in the backseat laughed thinking she was squealing about the air show and being super excitied...well no it was because she hit a GOFER! Anyways the airshow was fun, we were on recycling detail. Except Liz (Family Centre lady) was all like "Hey Keagan, wanna hop on my tractor and help me with loading up the recycling" of course I was like "Yes" because I had never been on a tractor before....fun for the first ten minute and then boring as sin...hop of the tractor grab recycling throw it into the back, get back on the tractor. Except I had ripped my pants riding behind Liz on the tractor...lol at least she's an authorized driver:) Except tragedy struck, and my foot got slightly run over by an ATV while putting cardboard in another tractor. It hurts, but it's not swollen or sprained...all I have is weird red indents on my foot. But we also got fed there too! Great fun times.
MONDAY WE GOT OUR LAST GROUP MEMBER! Jillian arrived monday, much to our excitement and now I have a bunk buddy! She is on the top of my bunk, and I am on the bottom.
What else....homesick as crazy but not as much anymore. I feel like my homesickness is a cup filled to the brim. If I don't think about my family, home, my twin, anything to do with B.C. (Shaking the glass) then I'm fine, as soon as I do that I feel sad and homesick. But it is only like four and a half months away from them:) But then that makes me sad to think that I have to leave my katima fam who I have grown to love.
Happier things today:)
PEACE OUT!
Well week one, hectic. I seriously cannot remember any of it. Well we made whole wheat bread, went over some of the rules with the medicine hat group (Did I mention I got to go to medicine hat?!?!)...also the rules are all really obvious (curfew is 12 on weekdays and 2 on weekends:D YAY!) We met our amazing PL Erin...seriously you are lucky if you ever get her she is the most amazing young adult I have ever met. I have no idea of anything time wise so how about just a big blurb until I get back to present time and day? Our basement flooded...and I couldn't use the group computer to update, and I felt bad bumming someone else's computer. We didn't have our basement for a long while, until thursday or friday...but now we have it back. SO WE CAN HANG OUT DOWN THERE AGAIN!?! We went for a hike in the coulees (small hills) and that was fun, got to see the high level bridge from up close. We went to watch a soccer game, Lethbridge university vs. Calgary university (Calgary won). We volunteered at the South Country Fair, pretty much a hippie fest. It was fun though, Jas, Willie, Helena and I danced in this misty thingy, and got drenched. The music was epic, and we got so many compliments from the people who saw us helping. Also we met a lot of past participants there. We also got to start working! I am working at the Alberta Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale...I get a ride to work everyday in the most epic orange car that blasts tons of 80's and 90's music (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air lol) So far I have got to help clean out bird baths, clean bird cages, put up the bird cages and take them down, water tree (apparently that's my main job this summer :( ) oh well... But hey I got an epic STAFF t-shirt the other day:) Great fun that is. Except the centre closes for the season on September 10th and we don't leave Lethbridge until September 28th...so I might have to work in the Mouse House for two weeks...ah la vie! French lessons started...I think they seem like a total joke...seriously the woman is telling us verbs but not how to conjugate them...and then she taught us numbers and the alphabet today like argh! It is so frustrating I wish she would teach us practical application of french...looks like I am f-ed for Quebec City. oh well...I have Helena...aka the best person to know in Quebec! :) Oh...For one of our meals our PL tied all of our hands together...not the best experience in the world, but somehow still fun. Now onwards to more recent times....(aka Cause I don't remember anything else!)
Well Saturday we played a game called "Bigger and Better" where you start off with a paper clip and have to trade up getting bigger and better items. My group (AKA team kickass, Kristen and me) traded our paperclip for a weird/creepy doll -> Squirt gun -> pair of sunglasses (Kristen then found a duck on the side of the road that we added to our pile) -> old atlas, giant candle, bedskirt -> painting, purse, and still the old bedskirt -> trampoline! YES!!! Other groups had great success too, in total we had groups bring home: GROUP Connor, and Cedric, two old tvs, camping stove, and one more thing, GROUP Morgan and Willie a bean bag chair, weird giraffee statue, and a lamp, GROUP Sterling and Helena a lamp, and GROUP Cole and Jazz a weird soccer ceiling fan. Pretty good right, all for a paperclip...yeah!
Sunday we got to volunteer at the Lethbridge International Airshow! It was fun, while we were driving in though Erin our PL hit a gofer. She squealed and me being in the backseat laughed thinking she was squealing about the air show and being super excitied...well no it was because she hit a GOFER! Anyways the airshow was fun, we were on recycling detail. Except Liz (Family Centre lady) was all like "Hey Keagan, wanna hop on my tractor and help me with loading up the recycling" of course I was like "Yes" because I had never been on a tractor before....fun for the first ten minute and then boring as sin...hop of the tractor grab recycling throw it into the back, get back on the tractor. Except I had ripped my pants riding behind Liz on the tractor...lol at least she's an authorized driver:) Except tragedy struck, and my foot got slightly run over by an ATV while putting cardboard in another tractor. It hurts, but it's not swollen or sprained...all I have is weird red indents on my foot. But we also got fed there too! Great fun times.
MONDAY WE GOT OUR LAST GROUP MEMBER! Jillian arrived monday, much to our excitement and now I have a bunk buddy! She is on the top of my bunk, and I am on the bottom.
What else....homesick as crazy but not as much anymore. I feel like my homesickness is a cup filled to the brim. If I don't think about my family, home, my twin, anything to do with B.C. (Shaking the glass) then I'm fine, as soon as I do that I feel sad and homesick. But it is only like four and a half months away from them:) But then that makes me sad to think that I have to leave my katima fam who I have grown to love.
Happier things today:)
PEACE OUT!
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Katima Family
In Order of appearance: Yaritza (Jaz), Cedric (With an accent over the e), Cole, Morgan, Kristen, Willie, Connor, Me in all my awkwardness, Helena, and of course Sterling
Ah My lovely family:) Aren't we adorable. Blog post tommarrow!
Friday, July 8, 2011
I've landed
My first plane ride was fun, it felt like a roller coaster taking off though, seriously I don't like watching a plane turn, it makes my stomach drop. This is only the second day! Yay...seriously it has been so buzy! We got in on Thursday morning at four am. Very tired participants. But then once we got up that morning we talked, had breakfast, and then went to the SAAG (South Alberta Art Gallery) where we then got to learn all about our work partners. Then today we went to the rest of the workpartners. Birds of Prey (Get to work cleaning cages, doing stuff with mice...won't even mention the mouse house) Family Center (Get to work with Kids) St Teresa, and St. Michael (Get to help with the elderly) Safety City (get to teach kids safety) Fifth on fifth (get to help people get jobs) ummm I have a horrible memory so I apologize to anyone I didn't mention
Seriously though, I am homesick...I miss my twin. I feel like the awkward one trying and failing to make conversation...any ideas on how to make the shy awkward kid, less of that?
I should go hang out with my group, see ya!
Seriously though, I am homesick...I miss my twin. I feel like the awkward one trying and failing to make conversation...any ideas on how to make the shy awkward kid, less of that?
I should go hang out with my group, see ya!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Down the Rabbit Hole
I leave for Katimavik today! It seems weird saying that, the months of hype and now its finally here. Weird... Anyways my room is looking bare, I had to clean it and strip my bed and now it just looks sterile. The sun is shining (not into my window still a little early for that) casting everything into light, that must be a good sign. We haven't had sun, mostly rain this year, so this must be great. I am nervous and scared yet extremely excitied! I have never seen any other province (other than B.C.) I have never been in a plane (that is where all of my nerves are coming from) Katimavik is going to give me a lot of firsts!
Well...I leave at around 12ish probably. My dad took my bags with him this morning to work. I am going to take the bus, and then the skytrain and hang around metrotown (a mall) with my mother and twin sister until my father finishes work. Then we will meet up with him and my bags. He will then proceed to take us to the airport (like a chauffeur) and then I will meet Cole (a groupmate who lives in Vancouver) and hopefully a girl named Erin (I believe she is in the medicine hat group, but she is going to travel with me and Cole) We get on a flight to calgary that takes off at 615, then we get to go to our katimavik group sitting in the airport. Then we all get into a bus, drop other groups off in our cluster and go to lethbridge (at 4 a.m.!!!)
CRAZY EXCITIED!!!
Well...I leave at around 12ish probably. My dad took my bags with him this morning to work. I am going to take the bus, and then the skytrain and hang around metrotown (a mall) with my mother and twin sister until my father finishes work. Then we will meet up with him and my bags. He will then proceed to take us to the airport (like a chauffeur) and then I will meet Cole (a groupmate who lives in Vancouver) and hopefully a girl named Erin (I believe she is in the medicine hat group, but she is going to travel with me and Cole) We get on a flight to calgary that takes off at 615, then we get to go to our katimavik group sitting in the airport. Then we all get into a bus, drop other groups off in our cluster and go to lethbridge (at 4 a.m.!!!)
CRAZY EXCITIED!!!
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