My Goodness Gracious

Wow so I have not blogged in FOREVER! I have to talk about apple picking, tree-go, and the phantom tour! Then in later weeks, the relay for leukemia, packing, travel travesty and everything else that's happened in the last 19 days. However I don't have time so I thought that I'd just post a little preview to let you know whats been going on. Hopefully I'll have time to blog later.
Talk to you soon!

Let's play some FOOTBALL!

Hello y'all! it's been a pretty normal week of work. However yesterday we went to a FOOTBALL GAME! It was the university league and the teams were Quebec City (Laval) VS Montreal. There were so many people there and some got really into it. The guys in the picture were so nice (even though they smelt like beer) and spoke to me in English, yay! it's a weird feeling when you talk to someone in french but they can hear your accent and reply in English, its like right people can speak that here. And there were real cheerleaders! They were pretty cool and there was pump up music playing throughout the game which made it a lot more interesting if you don't really understand the game and want to play cards... not saying that was me or anything.

So we did that then we came home to eat dinner which kinda took a while then we went back to Quebec and did a scavenger hunt! It was pretty fun and we had to go around getting pictures and napkins from restaurants and business cards and stuff. We finished around ten thirty and some people went clubbing after, there was a bit of a miscommunication and Matt and Pete ended up waiting for Lauren and Rosie even though they had already left to catch the ferry. So Matt and Pete ended up missing the 1:30 ferry which you have to take it you want a chance to make curfew of 2:00. So while they were waiting at the ferry for the 2:20 ferry they ran into Etienne, our PL who told us to MAKE SURE WE CATCH THE 1:30 FERRY! I think they got into a bit of trouble which sucks cause they were just waiting for everyone to go back as a group.

Anyways today we've got a bunch of meetings and stuff but we had the morning off which was nice cause we got to sleep in. I think I'm getting sick because yesterday I had a sore throat and now I'm wheezy and my nose is kinda runny. SHIT! I hate being sick.
XOXOX Marina

PS It's been ten years since 911 and I can't believe how quickly time passes. Heart goes out to everyone who lost someone that day, or any day for that matter. Always tell loves ones how you feel about them, because you never know what might happen.

We'll Pass the Time Away in Quebec

Hello ok so it's Sunday and leave is almost over :( After a normal week of work we finally had our 72 hour leave.

We went to Quebec City friday after work and stayed there for two nights. It was pretty fun, we went to Dag (the big club) again friday and then went shopping the next day. We explored a lot of the city and after shopping we went out to dinner with Robyn (Boobie) and her boyfriend George who is visiting. After paying our very large bills for the fancy dinner we went to the FREE Cirque De Solei show. I didn't really get the plot since it was pretty short (only an hour) and we were sitting behind this big tent thing so we missed half of it, but other than that I thought it was really cool. It was called Le Royaume de Tôle (Kingdom of Tin) and there were so many people there. The music was really cool too.

Then today Beth and I went back to Simons but it was closed so we all checked out of the hotel and carried our heavy one suitcase down back to the ferry. We took the bus back cause it was pouring rain and went to the mall. Needless to say that I spend quite a bit of money this weekend. I can't see myself buying too much more though because

1) I don't have room in my suitcase
2) I don't have a lot of money left

Well now we're going to play some cards so I'll let you know what trouble we get into later. Bye!!


XOXO Marina

Camp De L'Arche

Wow, so I'm blogging after finally coming to terms that I'm totally not the type of person who is good at blogging. I put it off at camp cause I thought the internet would be too slow and then when we got home I got distracted and now... I have no excuse.

Ok so first things first is we did our billeting at the gorgeous Camp de L'Arche. We chopped firewood almost everyday from around nine after a nice breakfast and ended at 3. We ate really well, I loved the lady who ran the place and campfires were a welcome addition to the starry nights. We spent a lot of our time down at the tiny little lake, playing battle boats (canoes), giving each other ballpoint tattoos, and just enjoying the summer weather. It rained once (I think) when we were there and they let us set up their projector and borrow movies, so every night we watched a movie or had a campfire. Lots of the time at the lake I was worried about the huge leaches we saw (and caught) but that didn't stop us from swimming or skinny dipping one of the first nights, which was one of the best decisions ever lol.

Ok after that when we got home I promptly found the package my mom sent me filled with typical mom stuff. She sent me thank you notes, nail files and a pocket notebook thing, all matching. Included was a handwritten letter that was filled with what she did that day and telling me how proud she is of me and how amazing I am. Needless to say I started crying and wrote a thank you note to the Camp for being so nice to us the past week. Like mother like daughter, except Kathy doesn't cry as much as me.

This week has been kinda weird since we had a temporary Project Leader named Will. He did his rotation in Wolf-ville last year and has implemented some temp rules to help us restrict technology in common areas and last night we played this crazy game that we named Beelzebub. We turned of all of the lights and one person (at first) was designated the Beezlebub. Everyone had to search for the hidden flashlight somewhere in the house to "kill" the Beelzebub before they kill you. It was so fun and scary and I'm going to have to bring it and battle boats back to osoyoos to teach everyone.

Will's leaving tomorrow so tonight we watched Food Inc. to teach everyone about our food industry and encourage us to shop at local food markets. I think it'd be cool to try and reduce our impact on the world and the movie served as a good refresher to remind me that even making food from scratch and not buying packaged foods isn't the only way to eat healthy.

Everyone is hoping that this week will pass quickly because this weekend is our 72 hour leave. Robyn, Brandi and I wrote a letter proposing our need for 72 hours instead of just the regular old 48. Thanks to our superior writing abilities and the fact that our group has been through a lot during the past two months, it was approved and now everyone's super excited. The girls are going to stay a couple nights in Quebec City and do the touristy stuff while the guys are visiting Alex's town which is near Montreal. Boobi's (Robyn) boyfriend George is coming to visit tomorrow from tuesday until after leave so we're all apprehensive to meet the much talked about Jonathon aka George.

Ok well that's everything kinda. I've skipped some stuff because I don't have time/can't remember everything that's happened so if I remember, I'll make sure to let you know.

Have a great day and talk to you later.

XOXOX Marina

August 6th

Hey so it's been a long time since I last posted anything and a lot has happened since then.

First off on Wednesday we went to this really cool circus show in this old Anglican church. It was like cirque de soleil but funny and on a smaller stage. There were about 9 performers and each one did a different act. There was a contortionist who did this creepy ankle thing with super high heels on (looked like she was breaking them...ugh) and this cool guy who spun around in a giant metal hoolahoop. Two other guys did some cool balancing acts and there was a lot of jumping, flipping, teeter tottering and hoops to jump through. I'm really glad we went and it was a really cool show. After the show we went to the world famous "Chocolat Favoris" ice cream parlor.

They do this cool thing with soft serve that's dipped in chocolate. Oh yeah Marina, they do that in lots of places..Big whoop! Well here it's milk chocolate thats probably better than any chocolate bar you've ever had and then somehow they make the chocolate SO THICK! its like a centimeter thick and it hardens into the richest best thing ever. But the last two times I've went I've felt kinda sick after so you have to get a smaller portion..even if you really want a big one.

Ok then the next day Pete and I needed to go grocery shopping. After the oven decided to stop working, it was necessary to only cook with the stove top. From Sunday to Wed I made tzatziki, gyros on naan, an asian noodle dish and hamburgers. It was time to stock up the fridge. Sarah, one of the higher up supervisors of Katimavik was staying a couple nights to help Neil out with some organizing and stuff cause he seemed to be having some troubles. So that morning Sarah said she would take us grocery shopping so Neil could have a break. After shopping we went back to the ice cream place cause sarah said we deserve some ice cream. After settling down with our tasty treats, she broke the news that we would be getting a new Project Leader. Neil had been fired/let go. Not because he's a bad person nor that he was bad with us, he was actually really good with us, but it was because the stress of the job and all of it's responsibilities were a bit too much for him. Which really sucked. We're gonna miss him.

Later that day after we helped Neil get his stuff together and give him some company, I made Napolean. Which is the best dessert ever. The bottom is vanilla pudding, then a layer of graham crackers, then whipped cream on top. I made the whipped cream from scratch and although it was kinda frustrating at first I actually got pretty good at it. I'm sure I'll make it a couple more times in the next few months. Then Sarah went and collected Rosalie and Stephane, our two new housemates. It was Rosalie's 18th birthday so we all went down to the Corsaire (the pirate bar) and celebrated their arrival and also said goodbye to our Taiwanese friends, Mark and Harkat.

Yesterday we volunteered at a Festival for Levis (they have so many) and it was pretty good. Brandi and I just strapped little kids (and some lg's and lb's) into these belt things for this weird haning rope/log game/ride. It's hard to explain but basically they get strapped by their belt to a long rope that gets clipped into the roof? its weird and then the kids have to walk and balance on these log things so I guess the rope is meant to catch them.

There's been some more drama in the last few days and for a while tension was high. After cleaning the whole house today for the morning everyone has been kinda tired and cranky so hopefully after some much needed naps and snacks people will calm.

Wow this has been a long post and I don't even know if anyone reads this but at least I'll have a reference to look back on my trip and reflect.

Miss all of you and I hope everyone's having a good summer.

XOXOX Marina

August 1st

Hi! Even though I'm not working there at the moment or even next week, I'm finally posting some pictures of the CPE (Centre de les Petites Enfants) where I usually work. It's really cute and clean and I can actually see myself working in this type of environment (or at least early childhood) later on in life. Like sister like sister?

July 30th

Hey y'all! The last three days have been pretty similar. We've been directing traffic at a parking lot for a free shuttle to the Celebration de Levis, and we decided not to go to the land of heros show on friday because we were all pretty tired and the show seemed pretty lame. Then yesterday most people left the lot right after we were finished and Beth and I went home with Neil to pick up Robyn and then trying to get back to the festival the traffic was so bad that we had to turn back. So it was kinda lame that Beth, Robyn, Neil and I didn't get to go to the festival. Then tonight after staying until like 9:30 (when we were supposed to be done at 8:00) we finally got to see a show. ROD STEWERT! Alex, Matt and Pete went to Quebec to visit Alex's friend Laurence and the rest of us went to the show. It was pretty good and I had a lot of fun dancing and singing along to the music. I thought that I only knew that "if you think I'm sexy song" but it turns out we all know a lot of Rod Stewert songs, we just don't know that they're his songs. Then we came home and I finaly finished my laundry that's taken me soo long to finish. I'm thinking that I should put up some more pictures and maybe start posting pics daily. Anyways it's pretty late (2:25 am for me) and I should be getting to bed. Talk to you later!

Marina

July 27th..well kinda

Ok so I know that technically since it's after midnight it's actually the twenty eighth today. But I haven't gone to sleep yet so it's still wednesday.

These past couple of days have gone by kinda quickly but work has been pretty slow. It's been raining and cloudy and since we didn't have the proper tools we couldn't lay down the newspaper and mulch and stuff. So Pete and I have been measuring the trails and drawing them out on a map (Geo 12 is applicable in real life! gasp?) which is actually pretty difficult. Yesterday we were in the bug infested forest when BUCKETS of rain feel down upon us. I was showing Pete a wormy thing on a leaf and when I pointed at it it just FELL down on me. What the heck kind of defence mechanism is that? Something comes close to me so I just fall on them? stupid. and scary. I hate bugs. Anyways just then it started to rain and we had to run out of the forest and collect our stuff for the 10 minute walk to the office. Luckily one of the volunteers saw us and gave us a ride back. Today and yesterday afternoon we basically drew out the map and cleaned out a store room..kinda (played some mind trap).

After work around 5:30 we went down to the beach had a picnic dinner of wraps that Alex prepared and played games like soccer, jackpot and frisbee. It was pretty fun and after we all went out to the bar. There's a bar pretty close to us (15 min walk) and then a really cool pirate bar near the ferry (another 15 min walk) so we went there too. It's really interesting to go to these bars and meet other people. There's a lot of bilingual people here and we've met some interesting folks. Seeing as how I have to work tomorrow and then volunteer at the Celebration de Levis until midnight I think I should go to sleep. Talk to you later gator!

Marina.

July 24th

Ok so a lot has happened since I last blogged. Where should I start...

One of our housemates, Damon, was kicked out of the program this week. There were just a few minor things that added up and one comment that led to instant expulsion. When he drank he got a little aggressive and some jealousy issues led to some punching of furniture. Then after me, Pete and Damon were picked up late (we car pool together) and dropped off about a forty minute walk from our house, Damon got really angry and made the joking threat that he was going to "kill Maude" the lady who drove us. If something went wrong he got pretty angry about it and when Neil heard about the threat and mentioned it to someone of higher power they told him that it deserved to be kicked out immediately. So everyone was pretty bummed out about that because we already lost Valerie during the first five days and now Damon was kicked out. Another girl from Quebec is coming in August and I hope that she blends into the group nicely. We've already kinda formed this tightly knit group and hopefully we are very welcoming.

Friday night we went to the pirate bar down by the ferry but were later interrupted by the guys. It was pretty fun but there was some drama later on. But what can you expect when you have 14 young adults living together. I really like the atmosphere at the pirate bar because its way busier, they have more drinks and food and its PIRATE THEMED! duh. But yeah being legal is pretty cool. I don't go out and get hammered but it's a pretty cool social experience.

Yesterday we all went to where Pete works at the park and helped out. Some people shoveled the dirt into buckets and others wet newspapers to lay down under the dirt. It was pretty easy and I think that I wont mind working there for the next three weeks. I have to work there because my boss at the daycare is going on vacation for the next three weeks and the park needs help. During those weeks Pete and I will also be house managers. House managers stay home for a week and clean and cook for the rest of us. I'm kinda looking forward to it but we'll see how it goes. Pete and I are going to be spending a lot of time together in the next couple weeks. And to be honest we have a love-hate relationship. He's not bad but both of us have what I like to call the "right complex". We both have to be right all the time and the two of us... kinda clash. But I think by the end of this we'll either be besties...or hate each other... I'm going with hate.

Ok so now too much going today. Meetings and stuff, I'm in the second language committee so I'll keep you posted on the fun activities I plan. BYE

Marina

July 19th

Yo! So i was sick this past weekend and just when my sore throat goes away and I start to feel better....I lose my voice! crazy I know I know. Marina? Losing her voice? Thats not possible? right? Well apparently it is. Anyways, aside from the fact that I sound like a combination of rape whistle and...well I'm not really sure. Anywhoozle everythings pretty good. Seeing as how I'm sick today I didn't work with the kids and instead swept, raked, cleaned, laundered (not the money type) and organized toys. I really like this job and the people i work with. Today I helped Marie the cook with lunch and cleanup. I was just doing what needed to be done (without being asked..thanks mom for that lesson) and Renee (the directrice) and Marie said that I look like I've had two months experience already. I tried to say thank you but instead choked out a pathetic whisper. I hate this stupid voice. And the other day I was completed my Renee on my use of verbs. I don't know if that'd be a big deal for anyone else but I was like.... dang I cant do a sound effect. eeh. kinda? haha I was excited. Today I was going to get a ride with Pete and Damon's workplace cause usually Renee drives us. Well I was finished work at three thirty and we didn't get a ride until four forty five! I read so it wasn't that bad but then when the girl dropped us off about a forty minutes walk from our house I was kinda mad. We called Neil to come get us after about fifteen minutes cause we missed dinner and were about to miss our first class of french.

French was good except I couldn't speak and it was really frustrating. Since Matt and I are the only people with any background of french we started with things like my name is... and hello. So it looks like it'll be slow going in the french classes. Hopefully Matt and I will be able to move ahead and work on more complex things.

Talk to you later!

Mina

July 18th

Hi! Just wanted to update y'all about what I'm up to. Yesterday we had a baker come to our house to teach us how to make bread! horrah! It was delicious and we also made pizza dough. The pizzas were great and everyone helped out. Tonight was great because Matt and Robyn are house managers and they had the house clean and dinner started when we got home. I want a house husband when i grow up. I don't even care if we have less money. Dinner ready and waiting for you is the best feeling in the world....after taking off your socks after a long day.

July 13th

Ok so today went pretty well. I walked to Renee's house (our ride) with Pete and Damon. I was kinda nervous this morning about the french and what I'd do etc. Overall it was easy and I think that I really connected with some kids. I was in the younger group but not with the baby's. We played and I read to them (in french..its sooo cute hearing these little kids speaking french) and I get to have snacks. I get two snacks (morning and afternoon) and lunch plus a half hour break. The only time I didn't really know what to do was when the kids were napping. Once they were asleep (we rub their bellies and backs.. adorable) Helen told me I could take my break and do my chores that Renee told me to do earlier. Well getting the mail took like two minutes and I swept the outside area in about ten. After that I spent some time weeding (yes mom I know I hate weeding at home but it's not bad when it's part of your job) and I went outside and the older kids were waking up from their nap. This one little kid named Felix is so smart and helped me learn some new words. We played charades with a bunch of them and eventually it was time to go and see my original group. Pete and Damon came shortly after and we went home.

Overall it was a pretty good day. There was some drama with dinner because Christine (a katimavik workshop leader) came and we were just starting to cook. For some reason I get kinda stressed in those situations when everyone's cooking and trying to get things done and others are just not into it you know? So I was kinda cranky (plus Pete woke me up from my nap) and kinda snapping on people telling them to be more mature. Sorry for being cranky guys.

Last night with the gang at the bar was pretty fun but I've noticed that I haven't really been my bubbly self on this trip. I've had some good times don't get me wrong. But I don't feel that ever occurring happiness that I usually feel. Hopefully this passes quickly but maybe being quiet for once will be a good thing.

July 12th

Hey! ok so today we went and met with all the work places managers/representatives. It went really well because we just had a quick speed dating setup which made it all very casual and light. They asked why you chose Katimavik and why you would be interested in their organization. The choices were
- A day care for younger kids-Me!
- A program that's kinda like Leah's Sun Fun Summer program (over 900 kids)-Brandy and Marc Olivier
- A restaurant where they prepare cheap food- Lauren
- A soup kitchen - it'll be closed until Sep.
- A free grocery store (attached to soup kitchen)- Beth
- A cafe that sells free trade products- Matt
- A Library/book store that recycles books (over 5 tonnes a year!)- Robyn
- Helping build a park- Pete and Damon
- A place down the street that helps people with mental disabilities interact-Alex


Everyone seems to be happy with where they are placed and most people got their first choice (me). I'll be working with little children for the next three months at the day care so hopefully everything goes well and I dont like lose one or something. I will carpool with Renee the lady who interviewed me and she lives just down the street from us. The drive is about twenty minutes and we're also driving Damon and Pete to the park that is in the same area. Let you know how everything goes tomorrow.

Marina

July 11th

Today was pretty long and eventful. We drove around in the katimavan and met all of the future work partners. It was pretty cool seeing what we could be doing for the next three months. Tomorrow we have interviews and I'm kinda nervous about them cause I don't interview well...

After going to 8 places and a looong day of driving around and listening to french we came back for some needed down time. We ate and Neil tried in vein to get us to do a workshop complete with skits and enthusiasm. I guess he forgot who he was dealing with cause it did not work out at all. Petey kinda directed the conversation to who wants to do which job and we got distracted. We decided to just flip quickly through the professional work material and decided that was good 'nuff.

After this we begged Neil to take us to Wal-Mart and finally he agreed. We bought some essentials and the girls decided that we wanted to dye our hair. So we did. Robyn showed me this stuff that she uses all the time. Blond highlights that you do with one of those weird looking plastic caps that you pull hair through you know? Well Pete and Alex decided it'd be hilarious to take pictures of me in this embarrassing state and they'll probably post some pics on facebook. Great. It actually turned out pretty well and it went pretty blond. I was surprised that an at home hair dye could be so effective and look so well in the end. Beth is dying her hair a deep auburn brown colour, Robyn bright red (so excited to see it. she's in the shower now), Lauren a red and Brandy put some of my blond in and now has two streaks of blond.

I haven't really introduced you guys to my house mates but since I have an interview tomorrow I don't want to stay up too late posting this. Maybe I'll do one post per person, that could be cute.

Ok I gotta go but I'll be sure to keep you posted

Bye!

- Mina

My House

This is me and my house today.

July 7

Ok well it`s my third day in quebec and it`s been pretty hectic so I haven`t had a chance to blog yet. Our wireless doesn`t work yet so all fourteen of us have to share one computer haha. Our house is really cool, it has three floors, but we only have access to two because someone else lives downstairs. There are three bathrooms and lots of bedrooms. A big kitchen with dining room and living room. I`ll try to post some pictures once we get wireless and I can use my laptop. I`m rooming with Beth from Calgary and living with this many people is pretty interesting.

Yesterday we all took the ferry over to Quebec City to meet with the other Katimavik groups and go over the rules and regulations of the program. The material was pretty dry and we`ve already gone over the stuff a couple times so I was glad to leave and explore the city (had some quebec poutine). This month is the festival of summer in quebec and there was lots of live entertainment to see and shops so we looked around. My group and I went to the St Patrick`s pub. I love how I can go to pubs and buy booze now! lol We`re not supposed to get drunk out of our minds but having a drink at the beach on thursday night was pretty fun.

Yesterday the group was anxious to get back to Levis and have some quiet time so they left around seven thirty. I wanted to stay and watch the live music so it was just me and Neil my project leader. We met up with the katimavik group from Quebec City so we danced and I bought a CD by this cool african group called Freshly Ground. The lead singer actually cowrote that wakka wakka song that they used for the FIFA world cup this year with shakira. I also loved the next group we saw. They were called Nomadic Massive and were from Montreal. We got home and I hung out with Valerie and Marc (les quebecois minus Alex). Overall it was a pretty exciting day and when we found out that the ferries run from Levis to Quebec until two in the morning (our weekend curfew) we all decided that we`ll have to go back and hit up a few pubs or clubs.

Today Lauren and I found a volleyball and played pass for a bit. It`s so hot though its hard to do any physical activity during the afternoon, and we think we`ll get the group to go to the beach volleyball courts near our house. We also did a treasure hunt and I got to use my french. I was the only bilingual person in the group so it came in handy more than a few times. Then when we were finished we came home and we`re waiting for lunch. For this first week we have our own cook. Her name is Marie and I think she did Katimavik a few years ago. She`s one of the few people I`ve met here that have actually been to Osoyoos.

And thats it for now. Hope everyone`s doing well and I hope to hear all about Osoyoos and your crazy adventures.

Marina xoxo

The countdown begins!

With only thirteen days left before I leave for Levis QBC, I'm starting to feel the time slipping by at an alarming rate. This is my first time writing a blog about myself so I'm not sure how to start. This blog will serve the purpose of letting everyone know what I'm up to because I'm lazy and don't want to explain what's going on every time I talk to someone from home. So here I go and I'll try to post fairly often and not drag on rambling about nothing. Here we go...