48 hours

48 hours off! YES! For those who don't know...it is two days where we get to be teenagers and do nothing that involves Katimavik! (Basically for most people it's their excuse to get some alcohol...not for me though!) I have a love/hate relationship with my 48 in Lethbridge I did the Galt museum, fort whoop up, and other random things which you can read in the previous posts. Here...I have no plans other than sleeping in. I might go to the museum de la civilization here in Quebec City with Helena and her parents (*might!) but other than that I am doing my christmas shopping because I won't get another chance to do it. I also bought a small bonhomme for myself! The picture above. I love him...I feel like a child when I see him. He is adorable and I wanted something to remember him by when I leave. So volia a little bonhomme stuffie:) I am happy. Well onwards to my 48 hours...then house managing! YAY buzy buzy buzy!



And just for a giggle...this is my job...in picture form:)

Tying up the loose ends

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNBDn-Gp6WU
Our groups final video for Lethbridge

One other thing...we donated blood as well before we left! YAY! Well...a lot of us tried, some couldn't for medical reasons, some were sick, some the nurses couldn't find the viens, fun times. It was fun! We took up almost the whole clinic! I am now a registered blood donor, round of applause! This makes me really excitied, I would encourage everyone to go donate blood you save lives (cough cough like mine:) )But I got in the chair they jabbed me with the needle a lot, and alas they couldn't find a vein, because they kept jiggling and moving the needle while it was in my arm it hurt. At least they only poked one of my arms, a poor guy in my group they poked both sides and still couldn't find a vein. Alas! WAY more water next time I think. Ah well, five of us were actually able to donate blood. We can donate again on November 11th but I don't know if we can because we are in Quebec, hopefully we can its a great thing to do. I want to continue donating blood for the rest of my life if I can, it can save someones life.

Quebec...oh Quebec...

I am really starting to hate you! Our group was a happy little family in Lethbridge, we had adjusted quite happily to our quiet life in little Lethbridge (We were adorable Lethbians, inside joke) but now...I feel like we left too much of ourselves in Lethbridge. I for one know I left a lot, a lot of my heart (family I love, my job, Erin, the view, the beautiful city that I will probably never see again) its hard now. We had gotten used to Lethbridge, and we have been pulled and replaced. I am scared because I don't think things can go back to the way they were before.

We are fighting a lot, stupid things are blowing up in peoples faces. Oh this person said this thing about me two months ago, oh this person forgot to put the toliet seat down, this person can't cook, why does this person keep talking, that person keeps glaring at me, its frustrating. We weren't like this before and now we are acting like children. We're adults, come on guys I thought we were better than this! But we've been through worse, and I know we will survive. Although everyone is in countdown mode, which isn't good. If you're counting down the time you're not going to enjoy what is around you.

I'm fearful of the end to tell you the truth. There will be a void in my life once again, what with leaving school (I miss Gleneagle) and not going back until september, and going straight into Katimavik I didn't have time to have a break, and now...what will happen to me? It's not like everything will have frozen and stayed the same from the time I left my family in the Vancouver airport four or so months ago. Nothing will ever be the same again...that scares me. I want the normality of going to school again, where my biggest stress in life was getting good grades...I don't want the real world. Part of me wishes I could stay in Katimavik forever, but even I know that I grow bored of this. I feel in a rut, like I was when I was almost finished school, COAST, the summer, anything. Like when I finish I will be the happiest person on earth, but two months later I will hate myself and wish I could go back. All I want right now is my twin, my family. That is the only reason I am excitied to go home. It's hard to be so far away from those that I love...Katimavik has given me a new appreciation for my family.

When I get in moods like this it's my black hole...I cannot get out. One more day of work this week, then my 48 hours (aka christmas/birthday shopping) then I am house managing next week. November we billet the 4th until the 13th then work work and more work, then the 28th until the 4th I am house managing again with Cole. November 3rd and 4th were trying to plan a trip to Montreal. Last day of work is December 9th...I think. and we go home December 16th. Just two months left of this adventure...I'm happy but sad. Bipolar with emotions once more.

Pictures!

Lots of pictures. We are currently cooking our Katimavik Thanksgiving! Buzy day...so glad I am not house managing, although I am helping...making rolls, and I did some dishes.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend:)

Quebec City

Weird, I have been here for a little over a week and it seems like I have spent a lifetime here. So here goes a blog post because I should update you on the situation here. Well Travel day was hectic and crazy and I didn't sleep at all. It was really sad because I hugged Erin and she wouldn't let go! When the bus pulled away she was in the dining room and the lights were all on and all I saw was her cry and place her head on the table. Jaz and I were really sad we were crying on the bus as we traveled to Calgary. Next time I fly it will be back to the people that I love! (cough cough, I come home December 16th)

QUEBEC CITY!? Really, little old me is in the big city. By that I mean I live in Ste-Foy, Quebec which is like a half hour bus ride to OLD QUEBEC! I love it. We had work place tours the day after we got here, La Baratte-soup kitchen and meals on wheels for the old people, Morrin Centre-an english library, Ozanama-a thrift store, YWCA-thrift store as well, and another job which I don't remember, La Rivere-cleaning paths, planting trees, raking, etc., Petro Laval-a community centre where little kids get to do sports and such, L'arche-a place where you get to work with people with mental disabilities. My favourite choice....MORRIN CENTRE! But sadly I didn't get to work there. And the winner is...La Barratte. The reason why I hate life at the moment. Out of seven it was my last choice. I get to cook...ALL FREAKING DAY! I really hate working there. But the question is do "Work at a job I hate, and hate my monday to friday just to live in the city I love, and sacrifice my happiness monday to friday. Or quit and make no one happy" Ah well

Old Quebec is amazing. I love all the history and stories that accompany it. It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. (as you can tell I have been out of school WAY too long because I use a lot of amazing in this blog post) If you ever have a chance to go to Quebec City go to Old Quebec and just get lost it is beautiful. I will update my next blog post with pictures. I had real "squeaky" poutine and beaver tails for the first time! I love Old Quebec, the history, the stories, the atmosphere, the beautiful architecture, everything about it!

The only weird thing about Quebec is the french. Not that french is weird or anything its just...difficult to describe. I feel like an immigrant in my own country. Imagine your only asset (English) being used against you everyday! My biggest skill for me is my language and being unable to actually speak and tell everyone how I feel is very hard. It's like being mute and deaf, everyone else can understand each other yet you are the only one who doesn't speak and cannot hear. That's the best way I can think to describe it. It's difficult, people ask me to do stuff at work and all I can do is just look and nod at them. It's frustrating, I just want to sit and cry because I don't understand. Seriously people I'm English, not stupid!

The final days in Lethbridge

Debriefing, looking back on the last three months. Heartache, despair, happiness, anger, love, everything has happened to our group within these last three months so reflection on all these events is good. I find Katimavik is very reflective they love to make us look in on ourselves for some inner reflection. So the past few days have been a fluster of activity.

Our debriefing started with us taking two pictures the other day. We took a picture of ourselves how we felt at the start of the program. I don't have the photo but when I do I will put it up. It was hilarious seeing it, no one was standing close together, everyone was apart. I was hiding behind cole and looking at my feet. Everyone was...well strangers. Then in the second photo, we were all sitting together hugging, smiling, happy. I saw the pictures and I have to admit that it's true. We did do a complete 180 degree turn. Our group of teenage strangers, now some of the closest people alive.

Another debriefing activity was a leaf, a stick, and a rock. We gathered one of each of these items and then you had to say one thing you wanted to leave behind(leaf) one thing you wanted to stick with you (Stick) and one thing that rocked (rock) It was sweet, for my leaf I said I wanted to leave my shyness/awkwardness behind. I mean I'm not as shy as I was at the start of the program but I still want to work on that. The one thing that rocked was my job being able to hold the birds, I remember when we were learning how to hold them, and Willie and myself kept passing Mario back and forth, like we were playing catch (we didn't throw the bird, no worries) The stick for me had to be that I know that if we get in a bad state (like some people did once) and need help I know that my whole group will be there helping me and protecting me.

A debriefing activity that we did last night was the coolest I think. It was a bead activity, we all picked beads that we believed represented everyone in our group and then presented it to the others. So in the end you would have 10 other beads representing you. I have my beads and the story behind them below.
Jaz's bead-a closed shell because at the start you were more closed up and now you have opened up so much more so we're able to see the inside and see how beautiful you are
Sterlings blue bead- small little black because you tried to hide in the background and not be noticed.
Helenas bead- star because youre a star
Connors white and pinkish bead- the bead is kind and nice, its also a very pretty bead
Kristens gem like bead- because you are a gem to us
Jills flowery big bead- flowery and bright because you are bright and flowery.
Willies wood block- you know why, we work together
Morgans button- Its a button because you aren't a bead. Buttons are important. The group wouldn't be here without you, you are the button of our katimavik sweater
Cedrics small cylinder black one- representing how I was at the start of the program and how I have changed now. The black representing how in the background I was because of my shyness
Coles beadshell because I am from bc and we have the better ocean

Then cleaning the whole house, and now I am waiting for the bus to pick us up in two hours...probably going to go clean some more

Next blog post in QUEBEC CITY!

Last day of work

This is my last view of Birds of Prey, probably for a really long while. Taken as we were leaving work for the last time.

My last two weeks at work were interesting. We watered trees, cleaned out nest boxes(This took an eternity because there were so many! They are all over the centre and the centre is massive!) raked, got stung by a wasp...AGAIN!(It hurts by the way, on my foot my thigh, and thumb this summer! Argh!) Pretty much every odd job they could find for us!

My last day was crazy and hectic. We got to work and had to clean out the gift shop/kitchen(Where they have a fridge of dead chicks, a sink, etc.) because Bing the baby short eared owl had left a mess in the kitchen, so bird poop everywhere! So I cleaned the kitchen and Willie cleaned the messy gift shop. Cleaning the kitchen meant scraping the poop off the floor, then using a scrub brush to get the rest of it off, then finally taking a mop to finish cleaning it. IT TOOK ALL MORNING!

The afternoon we had to fill in a review/assessment of our work habits with our work supervisor. Then we gave Marianne our gift for her, and she laughed and said she would have our reference letters and a small gift for us tuesday (At our goodbye party) We watered trees as well. We got to help out in the freezer (where they put the dead things that the birds eat) This involved throwing dead frozen ducks around, hauling large bags of frozen fish, and throwing hunks of butcher meat around the place. The weirdest thing ever is there is a stack of dead birds of prey in the corner, like ones that were brought into the centre to determine a cause of death and ones that people tried to save but the centre had to put them down. Then we got to go into the Mouse House, scaping mouse poop out of trays, what fun. Then work was over...Im done at birds of prey...weird to think

Billeting (August 26th to September 9th)

Billeting Round One Can we just tell head office that we did billeting but instead just go off camping or something for two weeks...please?

So read on if you want to hear the horror story that is my billeting experience.

Well let's start off with the first week i was here. Friday after we met with the MP of lethbridge we all trucked it back to the house and waited for our billets to show up. Jill and I were running around the house trying to keep a lid on all the mess being house managers and all but to no avail. Then all of the sudden we kept dropping like flies. First it was Kristen and Morgan's billets arriving, then Cedrics, then Jill's, then jaz's, then sterlings, finally it was just me helena and connor left. Sadly Cole wasn't there since he had to work (poor thing missed out on our pizza lunch since his work desperately needed him that day) Then my billets came...I should have know right then and there that it wouldn't be the fairy tale happy perfect experience that I had played it up to be in my head. The two children a one and a half year old and four year old were in the back of the car, the dad (who shall henceforth be known as billet dad, and billet kids) grabbed my stuff and out we walked with him slipping his nice new 140 dollar check into his pocket. The children didn't even say hello to me. When we were driving to their home the only thing he said to me was "I hope you like waterbeds". Trust me I about screamed for him to turn the car around at that moment... if only I did. He brings my suitcase downstairs where I am staying. I feel like harry Potter, seriously though I was in a storage room with a water bed. My dresser is non-existant, and all of my clothes were piled in my suitcase until the day I left. He tells me to settle in and unpack my things (where would I unpack them?) then I go upstairs. CHAOS! The children leave their toys everywhere and when I tried to put them away the kids got mad saying they were still playing with them even though they had left them nearly two hours ago. Dinner that night was white cheddar noodles, he kept telling me sorry we just came back from banff, and We didn't even know if we were getting a boy or a girl! He also kept calling me Teagan for the first week I was here...whenever I corrected him he would just nod. (He since corrected this, finally he learned the first letter of my name!) But anyways then he shows me the television, and it is like 7 o'clock by now. I sit down next to him on the sofa trying to be social, he hands me the remote gets up and leaves while saying "Have fun" (authors note: HE DIDN"T COME BACK FOR TWO HOURS! I don't want to watch tv for two whole hours!) I pretty much lost it there. The next morning I get up (were on saturday if you kiddies are paying attention) its early, the kids are so loud in the morning pouding upstairs and running all over the place. I eat breakfast, and then the plan is to go to the farmers market. we get to the farmers market and spend 10 minutes there, seriously!? We get home and the kids are going to have a playdate. Cool, I will not have to hang out with this child any longer. No playdate....its almost three o'clock I have had this child hit me repeatedly with her stuffed animal, kick me in the leg, and blow over and over into my face. I have never wanted to hit a child more in my life, although I did restrain myself and not raise my hand. At three I was like AH helk no! (there was an expletive in there by the way) I leave the house (awkwardly) and then meet up with Jill and Cole. Bawl my eyes out, and say that I never want to go back to that house ever. Realize I have to go back if I want to stay out, go back and ask if I can stay out. Then don't return until 11 that night. We went to the Katimahouse. I cried on the front steps, asking if we could please just return (It was only the second day after all) When i went home they were in front of the television watching tv. I went to bed. Sunday I got left alone with my billet dad, he didn't want to do anything so I read all day, then in the evening I went out with my friends. At least the weekend was over, maybe during the week they would have something to do...WRONG! I tried being here, but it gets so boring when all they want to do is watch that damn television. So I ditched a lot of the time after work and supper/dinner.

Second week, Friday night I stayed in and watched some weird foreign film called Apron Strings, and then something called community (a funny nbc show). I don't like just sitting there watching television! Saturday I spent the whole day playing with the kids (who when their parents are there are the nicest little things in the whole world) big surprise we stayed inside all day...no wait they went to a family breakfast and surprise surprise I wasn't invitied. So I was home alone for like two hours. Saturday night I just read a book. Seriously I was bored out of my mind here. Sunday big surprise here, NOTHING TO DO AT ALL! My billets went couch shopping I was invited but no, that wont let me experience my host city. I disappeared at five until 10 then went to bed. I tried sleeping in but to no avail. The kids upstairs woke me up. And wait get this Monday was a holiday so I had to spend it with them! Please kill me now! It was the most boring time in my life. We went to the park with the children, fun times. Then we were going to go for lunch but sadly the restaurant that they wanted was closed, so that was a no go. Then that night I went out with the gang and we chilled in a park and had a nice long chat, about a lot of things. Also the Japanese Exchange student arrived monday, she took forever in the bathroom, its like having 12 people using it! (Joke in relation to the fact that at our katima house there is only one bathroom) Tuesday night I hung out with the family. yeah not exciting but I feel like I should. The dad gave me some crystal deoderant that apparently is the best thing ever (I don't know if he is being nice or saying that I smell) We watched Rango, and me feeling tired went to bed right away. Wednesday it was work then yoga then call my parents then bed. Thank goodness I got to spend all the rest of the week working, wednesday night was yoga, friday night was home so IM DONE BILLETING!

On a bright note, the billet mom cooks amazingly, and she leaves me snacks in my room. (She is the silver lining of this hateful, horrible experience.) She also packed my lunch in the morning, and gave me chocolate. Apparently food is the answer to my heart. <3 The bad thing is she worked in the evenings and was hardly ever home.

Billeting hopefully you turn out better in Quebec. My group (mostly Willie) keeps telling me that I will get a WAY better family in Quebec City. Keep your fingers crossed for me!