Le vent et le rafting

My foot is asleep. It is all tingly and cold. That is what happens when you sit crosslegged, typing typing typing, for too long.

This morning, I woke up at 5:30am. It was beautiful. The wind was slamming against the house, and the aftermath of rain was splattered against the patio doors. The sky was gray and cold, and I was loathing the idea of being in a wetsuit. But I sluggishly prepared my delicious and nutrional lunch: a wagon wheel, a chocolate/almond/caramel granola bar (why even bother with the granola?), fatty yogurt, a carrot (yes!), and a sandwich. Mmm. Has anyone ever heard of milk bread? I think it may be something beyond just white bread, because white bread isn't indulgently unhealthy enough. That is what I made my sandwich with, that and a fat slice of processed cheese, black forest ham, and a few redeeming pieces of lettuce.

I showered much too slowly, then ate breakfast. Then I realized that I had been dawdling for too long, and had only seven minutes to get to the college. Which is a problem because, as I've said before, it takes about 30 minutes to walk there. And, usually, at least 10 minutes to bike. So, I raced out the door, and pedaled as fast as I could, then ran to the meeting place. And, I made it! Just in time. Thank goodness.

We took the buses to the rafting prep building, stood in line there for the washroom for 10 minutes, then were outfitted in stinky wetsuits, life jackets, helmets, and shoes. The shoes were the worst. Filled with sand and sopping wet and completely worn out. But, definitely a better option than soaking my own only decent runners. So off we went to La Rivière Shipshaw... or something along those lines, and were grouped into rafts, and given a safety talk. The guide giving the talk made a mistake while speaking and swore, then apologized, saying he had learned his English in BC.... hahaha.

The rafting was a lot of fun, though not quite as intense as I had been hoping. Although there were definitely a few good waves! The last rapid was the most exciting. In some of the other rafts, people actually fell out. Thankfully, the water wasn't that cold, and they all made it back to their boats. We stopped partway through the trip, and went cliff jumping. It is always so exciting to build up apprehension and expectation as you climb, then overcome your fears and just jump. And afterwards, when you have resurfaced and are floating in the water, with your helmet, shoes, and lifejacket all still attached to you, you feel happy, and want to do it again.

At the end of the trip, we had to carry the rafts through the underbrush to where the trucks would pick them up, then hike up to our buses. After that, we had some time to eat while everyone took turns changing. We left for the Cégep as the second group of rafters arrived, and made it back for 1:45 pm.

Now, what to do with a wonderful, windy Sunday afternoon? Bike of course! I was too tired to be social, and so decided to turn my ten-minute bike ride home into a thirty-minute leisurely period of exploration. The wind was perfect. It was forceful and cool, and blew hard against me, flattening my jeans to my calves. I love love love wind. I also think that Sunday is a sort of laundry day, because I saw a lot of clothes hanging out to dry at many different houses. There was one white house, with a blue and white flag of Québec flung back in the wind, that had blue and white laundry to match. C'était très agréable. I also found a house with a small watermill that had trees growing and hanging about everywhere. It made me think of mushrooms and dwarves and deep forests. I eventually headed home, and lay on the grass in the front yard for about an hour. Just feeling the wind against me. Thinking, not thinking, dozing, daydreaming.

Samedi le 17 juillet - Cap Trinité

So, this entry has been a long time in coming. I am terribly sorry about the wait, but here you have it.

What a wonderful, exhausting, beautiful weekend.

We left for Cap Trinité early Saturday morning. (Now over two weeks ago!) My friend Emily and I spent most of the 1.5 hour bus ride talking to one of the monitors named François, hearing about his various football injuries. One of these involved his calf muscle protruding from his leg. All I could think of was how glad I was that all of the descriptions were in French, because if I had thoroughly understood everything he was saying, I am sure I would have been a bit more queasy. Or maybe I am finally toughening up.

At Cap Trinité, we were left to find our own way up the mountain.

Having been told that some sort of statue and an incredible view awaited us at the top, we set off with our backpacks and cameras. It quickly became apparent that this was not going to be a simple stroll. A sign posted at the beginning of the trail told us that the hike up was 3.5 km, and that the trail's level of intensity was difficile. It definitely was.

The hike started off innocently enough, but soon led to flights and flights of stairs and trails that were all straight up the hill. Everyone was sweating within a few minutes, and the humidity was no help. After we had been hiking for a little over an hour uphill, the trail began to turn downwards. This was slightly disconcerting, because we had all thought that the statue and view would be at the very top of the hill. But, since there was only one trail, we trudged on for another half an hour, and finally made it to our destination.

(from left to right: Erica, Sarah, Emily, Anita, Myself, Morgan)

The view really was beautiful, and the statue was interesting, but not spectacular. Lunch however, was.

(from left to right: Myself, Bronwyn, Rong)

Once fed and rested, we headed back up, and then down, the hill. It felt so good to just sit at the bottom, and think of how much good we had done ourselves.

On the bus ride back, we talked with two of the monitors about everything from rabbits and fishing, to politics and abortion and music.

It was a very interesting discussion, one that left me feeling quite energized and excited about how much more French I had learned. Plus, good conversation is just energizing in general!

That evening, after a shower and short rest, Megan and I were ready to meet our respective friends for dinner.

Unfortunately.... it was pouring. Il pleut à boire debout - a Québecois expression for when it rains ridiculously hard, and which definitely applied in this situation! So... we wimped out and called a cab.

A few minutes later, I arrived at Le Barillet and met my friends for dinner, which was delicious! We were all feeling very hungry, and veritably gobbled up our food.

After dinner, we took a cab to a corner store, Le Corneau Cantin, and bought Nanaimo bars and something else that was delicious and sugary. Mmm!

We then walked to Anita and Erica's house, and watched 27 Dresses. When it came to watching the movie and actually eating the snacks, we were so filled by the sugary unidentified snack that we decided to save the Nanaimo bars for whale watching the next day. All in all, a most excellent day, and I'd have to say that the delicious dinner and snacks were definitely well-earned.

I also took a cab home after walking Morgan to her house, since it was almost midnight. First time doing that alone! Haha, exciting things happen here in Québec.

La Nourriture

Mmmm. We had two hot dogs smothered in chili and cheese with fries for dinner. With no veggies. Again. Now don't get me wrong, I love my host family, and the food that my host mom cooks is delicious. But when you indulge in potatoes and meat and fish and fries on a regular basis, isn't there at least some need to try and complement the carbs and protein with maybe some.... carrots? Or a salad? Or at least something green?

The cafeteria at the college isn't much better. The veggie/fruit options are kind of weak, with the carrots, celery, and apples being soft and flavourless. For salad, if you have already taken a meal plate, you are limited to filling up a tiny paper cup that is comparable in size to a cupcake wrapping. My favourite way to "be healthy" for lunch is the little plastic bowls that contain a variety of canned fruits, such as those delicious, sweet mandarin orange pieces that swim in juice.

There is one mystery vegetable that shows up from time to time as a part of the meals. My friends tried to guess what it might be, and figured it could be a parsnip. Funny how we all had heard of parsnips, but none of us actually knew what one looked like. After a Google search, it turns out that the mystery vegetable is a parsnip! We are now all much more enlightened.

Today I bought two grapefruits, and a health smoothie that told me it would provide me with two fruit/vegetable servings. I was unbelievably excited.

Val-Jalbert and Pédalos

I realized that I still have not written anything about last Saturday, which is a shame because Saturday was quite an enjoyable day.

On Saturday, (over a week ago now) we took an hour long bus ride through some of the most gorgeous countryside I have ever seen. Bright fields of yellow, beautiful forests... and, locals are proud of Lac St. Jean for a reason - as we passed it, there were audible gasps all along the bus aisles. It is a tremendous lake that stretches nearly to the horizon. Positively stunning, and just so... immense!

There was a little town, called Chambord I believe, that was situated on the lake. It was filled with white houses and pretty views and looks like a place where I would like to live for maybe a little while. Like a place out of a story book where a young teacher comes to work, and is all alone but then finds love and fulfillment with teaching the young children of the town. Something cute and cheesy and heartwarming like that.

Our bus ride took us to the historic village of Val-Jalbert, a now-abandoned town where the economy used to revolve around a pulp mill built at the foot of a waterfall. The town was built in the early 1900's, but was deserted after 25 years of occupation when the pulp mill was closed down.

It was a lovely place, with a beautiful waterfall, hiking trails, a télépherique (mini gondola),

and, of course, deserted buildings.

There was one house in particular that I would thoroughly enjoy living in. The house was filled with colours, none of which matched the others, and all sorts of old furniture.

An old school building also stood nearby, with somewhat ineffective period actors, although their presence did serve as a reminder that nuns were the teachers at the school.

I bought an overpriced iced tea, and looked in the recreated "General Store", where there were equally overpriced souvenirs. And large patterned furry coats for sale. I suppose those are appropriate to the time period... Overall the day was grand. I am reminded again and again of how much I love the outdoors. God is so beautifully displayed in His creation!

On the bus ride home, nearly everyone fell asleep. Back in Jonquière, my friend Emily and I wanted to go paddle-boating, but by the time we arrived at the rental shop, they told us it was too late to go out. Instead, with another group of girls from the Explore program, we met a funny elderly Québecois gentleman.

The conversation started as someone asked him to take a photo of our group, and he positioned the camera with the lens facing towards him. He looked taken aback, and exclaimed that he couldn't see anything. (In French, of course.) Someone helped him flip it around, and the photo was taken. We were all barely holding ourselves together, as it was quite the amusing display! We continued talking with him after, as he asked each of us where we were from, and how we were liking our time here, questions about the college, stuff like that. I somehow managed to explain to him in French how the educational system in the rest of Canada differs from the educational system of Québec. It was a bit of a challenge, but it felt so good to see him finally understand, to know that I had succeeded in saying something of use, using words outside of my normal vocabulary!

It was Sunday evening, after the Fjord en arbre, that Emily and I went down to the river (La Rivière aux Sables) and succeeded in renting a boat to take out on the river. We were with

three other friends, Sarah, Anita, and Erica, and as such, being an odd-numbered group of people, had to take out one pédalo (pedal boat) and one canoe. I sat in the bottom of the canoe while Sarah and Emily

paddled... :) .... and Erica and Anita took the pédalo.

The sunset from the river was gorgeous! I must say, I like the colours of the sky here in Jonquière. Or maybe I just like sky.

Afterwards, we went to a little place called Ici le café, and ordered delicious drinks that were more like desserts when you considered the amount of whipped cream that topped them. All in all, a very enjoyable day!

Language

Language is a beautiful thing. The only thing separating an English sentence from the same French sentence is the way someone positions their tongue and mouth, the way they use their vocal chords to make the sound come out a different way. It means the same thing. Yet, when we don't understand a language, it becomes meaningless background noise. Nonsense.

Here in Jonquière, I have become somewhat accustomed to hearing and speaking French in school and in various activity situations, but I still marvel when I hear French spoken in everyday life, in settings that I have no part in. I love hearing the little kids giggle and annoy each other at the waterpark. I love passing by ten-year-old boys on their BMX bikes at the skate park, as they talk about whatever it is that ten-year-old boys talk about. I like listening to local teenagers speaking to each other on the street, shooting my friends and I curious glances, because somehow everyone in the town knows who the new students are. I love trying to speak with the elderly gentleman we met in the park who didn't know how to take pictures with a digital camera.

Today, I came home and my host mother's 21-year-old daughter Marie-Julie was sitting in the living room, calling her boyfriend's dog over to her. Viens, viens ici! I loved the rerealization that French isn't just something foreign to be learned, it is simply another way to express oneself. There isn't anything integrally different from Viens, viens ici!, than from telling a dog to Come, come here!

Another language isn't simply a bunch of grammatical rules and verb tenses, it is an expression of life and thought just as central and natural to other people as English words are to me. And that is the real objective: to so thoroughly know a language that it is no longer English translated into something else; it is direct expression, it is thought instantaneously translated into sound and life.

Treetop Adventures

Québecois bikes really don't like me. Or something. Earlier this week, Megan and I tried biking to school, and my bike's seat kept shifting up and down, like a bull trying to throw off its rider. It also chose to shift gears without any prompting from me. And yesterday! As I was biking to the college for my treetop adventure (I took the other bike this time) I heard a put put put, and my bike stopped. The tire was flat. And not just flat, but off the bike too, so I couldn't even walk it to the school, because it wouldn't roll! So I intermittently lifted up the seat and rolled it on the front tire, and carried it to the school. Thankfully I arrived in time! After the Fjord en arbre, one of the monitors at the school helped me reinflate the tire and put it back on the bike. Unfortunately, it later deflated again, but wonderfully enough, it stayed on the wheel, and I rolled it home! I suppose the bright side is that I learned some new French vocab about bicycles and tires.

Fjord en arbre

I arrived home feeling hot, sticky, and a bit dirty, but also fit and adventurous. My time in the trees was a lot of fun, and quite the workout. The course progressed from very easy to rather challenging by the end, with the grand finale being a huge zipline. There isn't much to write about, other than the fact that it was basically a giant high ropes course, and we were in

charge of carabining ourselves from one place to another. It made me miss camp. And, the view was

spectacular! Anyways, instead of writing more, I will supply photos. Most of the photos are of my friend Emily. Haha... I was one of the few people who was able to actually bring my camera all that way up, because I supplied myself with a fanny pack from my host mom. They are incredibly practical things! Really! They are the perfect size to hold all of your important belongings, and you can easily access everything. Especially in the one I had, because there were so many pockets! A thing of beauty.

It was like a giant playground in the trees!

One thing that surprised me, was that I was actually one of the more "experienced" people there, relative to the people around me. It was a pleasant surprise, and I have camp to thank. Those two summers spent in the high ropes course at Gardom Lake carabining campers from one rope to the next certainly paid off.

After I finished the course, which ended with a wonderful, long zipline ride through the trees, I headed back to the main building area, and played cards with some of my friends.

We ate a dinner of slightly mushed Caesar salad, spaghetti, and flavourless cake, then headed back to the college on the bus.

The view on the bus ride was also gorgeous. The landscape of Québec reminds me of BC, only without the mountains. I miss seeing mountains in every direction! Although it truly is beautiful here.

First Full Week, Part 1

Wow. I have been here for one week as of this evening, but I feel like I have been here for weeks, months maybe. It has been incredibly hot every day so far, except for Friday, and today. Friday was 25-30 degrees Celsius. A nice respite. Although the humidity index was still about 94%! The level of humidity here is insane, especially when coupled with thirty minute walks both to and from the college. It makes me incredibly thankful for the basement room with a fan that my roommate and I share! So, let me recount to you some of this week's events. First, the basic schedule is:

- Wake up at 7 am.

- Shower if I didn't the night before.

- Eat breakfast.

- Walk to school.

- Classes start at 8:30 am.

- Break from 10-10:15 am.
- Lunch at 11:30 am.

And then afternoons vary.

Monday

We headed to school for 8:20 am, and had a big group meeting, then were assigned to different classrooms to take placement tests. After that, we had lunch, then regrouped in the main meeting area. We were given an orientation, and then headed out for a scavenger hunt! It was a fun concept, as it took us all over the town so we got to know our way around, but it was incredibly hot. In the downtownish area, there are these lamposts with flags on them from countries around the world, and they have different stats, some on the Francophone

populations there. It is really interesting!

Megan (my roommate) and I walked home for dinner. And it started to pour. We were honestly drenched to the skin by the time we walked in the door.

Later that evening, there was a mandatory dance. I was rather nervous for it, because I had no idea what to expect. I had never been to a dance, as my school doesn't hold them. As it turned out, it was basically just fun mingling, and getting to know people. Not so bad! The basic conversation consisted of getting to know a person's name, and then asking where they are from. In my case, I usually say either Vancouver, or Kelowna. If I say Kelowna and the other person gives me a blank look (which is most of the time), thenI say, Je viens de Kelowna, c'est proche à Vancouver. I have said variations on that sentence many times now. Generally, the only people who know where Kelowna is are fellow British Columbians, and some Albertans. Of course it varies a bit, and it is always exciting when someone from across the country knows about my city!

Tuesday

Classes officially began, and I was placed in Intermediaire II/III. Right in the middle! It is perfect.

Our class at this point consisted of six boys and six girls. I got to know

one of the girls in my class named Emily, and since then she and I have hung out a lot.

In our class, we do a lot of discussion, and a bit of grammar. Each day, someone brings in a newspaper article and explains it to the class. We aren't allowed to write down what we are going to say. Every day, someone also finds a Québecois saying, and tells us what it means. Whenever we learn a new word, it is always explained in French, rather than just immediately translated into English. I love this, because it helps us really associate French with our thought processes, and actual actions, rather than just with an English word.

During class, we signed the "pledge", stating that we would only speak in French during the program. That pledge is proving rather difficult and inconvenient to keep! I have two friends here who are from Vancouver, Janice and Philip, and they have never taken any French classes. Until now that is. It is so incredibly courageous of them!

That afternoon, we signed up for activities, and got our photos taken for our student IDs. I have yet to discover a use for the ID cards.

Later on, I went swimming in the college's Olympic sized pool. With a swim cap. First time with one of those! I really appreciate the sanitary benefits they provide.

That evening, I went for a short nighttime stroll with Megan. I adore the colours of the night sky.

Fjord en arbre

"I've never thought of you as a climber; I never knew you could climb!"

Excellent words to hear after signing up for the treetop adventure. The greatest. Yeah, it's not like I was a little hesitant about signing up for an activity that involves rock climbing and ropes and ziplines and bridges suspended high above the ground. I don't need a boost in my confidence or anything. Haha, oh Anna, just the words I wanted to hear.

So, today was the first official day of classes at the college, and we signed up for the activities we want to take part in during the program. I signed up for whale watching, river rafting, a trip to Québec City, a theatrical presentation, and.... Fjord en arbre - the "treetop adventure". Hopefully that adventure will be a positive one. Hopefully I get past my lack of upper body strength and have fun in the trees! We'll see how that one goes....

Bienvenue à Jonquière!

Salut! Maintenant, je suis en la ville de

Jonquière! French, French, everywhere! It has been quite the adventure so far. I took the bus Saturday morning from Montréal to Jonquière, and said sad and nervous good byes to my parents and Michelle and Franz. Thankfully, I met several people on the bus also going to the Explore program, and they were all equally nervous and excited.

We changed buses in Québec City, and wished we didn't have so much luggage, as it prevented us from exploring. Oh well, I am looking forward to the trip there with the college!

So, we arrived at the bus terminal in Jonquière. And it is a small place. We got off the bus and were greeted by monitors in red vests, then taken to a large van. Unfortunately, the combination of luggage and bodies filled up the van pretty quickly, and a second trip was made for the suitcases. We arrived at the college around 6 pm, and it is really a beautiful building! The rest of the monitors met us in the entrance area and gave us a brief orientation. They are all very young and fun. The students who were going to live in residence left, and the rest of us waited for our host families to come and pick us up while other students arrived.

So, host families came and went, and the people I met kept leaving. I was wondering where my family was, and was told that they hadn't picked up the phone when they were called by the college to be informed of my arrival. So I waited. And waited. The college kept calling, and I kept meeting more people as students passed through. There was one girl from Louisiana, and another girl all the way from Ireland! By 8:30 pm, they had left for their host families as well, and I was the last student left. One girl who was living in residence walked in and we talked, so thankfully I had company! But I was feeling very abandoned. At last, someone picked up the phone at my host family, and the daughter of my family, named Emilie,

came for me at 9 pm. The mom was out, and Emilie had a friend's birthday party she had to go to, so I was all alone in the house! An unusual welcome. As it turns out, they hadn't been expecting me until Sunday at noon, which explains the confusion and apparent abandonment!

On Sunday, I got a better taste of what the family is like. I slept in late, and ate breakfast before getting a ride from Emilie to the college, where I met up with some friends. We walked around the town for a couple hours, and got a little bit of an idea of what Jonquière is like. Rather small, but not ridiculously so. We enjoyed watermelon lemonade at a café in the downtown area, as it is incredibly humid and hot here. Hot and humid as in, tomorrow's (Tuesday's) weather forecast in the afternoon is for 29ºC, feeling like 35ºC, with a humidity index of 62%. Wow. Quite the departure from Kelowna's dry heat. Despite the humidity and heat, it was fun to get to know a few people a little bit better. Most people here

are from Ontario, especially the Toronto area.

Jonquière has some beautiful old churches. I love that about the Eastern part of Canada - there is so much more historical architecture, and it is beautiful!

I walked back to my home a little later, and ate dinner, as we awaited the arrival of the other student who is staying with the same family with me. Dinner was positively delicious! My host mom made potatoes with a sort of pie crust, spaghetti, and pan-fried sole! C'était tellement bon! In my host family there is another daughter besides Emilie, and she is older. Her name is Marie-Julie, and she is very nice. She has done a lot of artwork that is hanging around the house! I really like some of the pictures she has painted. After dinner, the other student arrived. Her name is Megan, and she is from Montréal! She is practically fluent in French already, but is hoping to refine her skills here, and be forced to speak French all the time. It's been great getting to know her over the past day and a bit.

We went to bed at a decent hour Sunday night, as our classes today started bright and early! But more on that later.

Montréal

My feet feel as though they are going to cramp up, curl, and die. We probably walked 100 km today. No, that would be an exaggeration. But we did walk, A LOT. It makes me understand how running shoes can really be great, because cute sneakers often are lacking in arch support. At the same time though, I definitely would not want to trade the experiences that come with walking for the lazier, more environmentally unfriendly and relaxing option of riding in a car. There are incredible graffiti murals everywhere, beautiful little boutiques and coffee shops, and gorgeous architecture. Needless to say, walking is worth the work, and makes sleep so much sweeter!

On Thursday, we started off with a picnic

in the park near our friends', Michelle and Franz's, apartment. The park is situated right near the base of Mt. Royal, and is lovely, and huge! It was a feast - Michelle brought dishes and cutlery and a tablecloth. We picked up delicious croissants, Michelle made a wonderful fruit salad, and we had really thick, creamy yogurt. Franz added some yummy grape and blueberry jam. The wind picked up, so we went back to the apartment to put on more layers, then headed back out. We walked around the McGill campus. It is so beautiful, with so many old buildings! Very collegiate and ideal.

So, the above was written on Friday, and today is Sunday. The content of Saturday and Sunday has been very different compared to Thursday/Friday, but for this post, I'll finish with the Montréal experience.

Thursday

Unfortunately McGill was closed, so we didn't actually get to go inside the buildings, but it was fun to get a feel of the place. We then headed for an art museum, which was showcasing furniture throughout history, as well as glass artwork. Some pieces were beautiful, others bizarre, but overall, just a lot of fun! There was also an exhibit across the street with 20 spectacular necklaces based on the different Cirque du Soleil performances. Amazing! They were all set with precious gemstones, and were simply gorgeous.

After that, we had lunch at a fantastic Lebanese restaurant, called Boustan. Seriously, if you are ever in Montréal, and want to eat something delicious, go there. And order the Creation. It isn't on the menu, but it is positively amazing! It has chicken, potatoes, eggplant, pickled turnips that add just the right amount of crunch, and some kind of delicious sauce. Mmm! Fantastique!

As we were walking around, we came upon a book bazaar at a monastery, and so of course we had to go in. So so many beautiful old books! Mostly in French, but my mom found a copy of Macbeth in English, and it is so cool! For those of you who know me, you would know that I was basically in heaven. I bought a couple of French books - one, because the story looked interesting, and the other, just because it had a beautiful cover! And we definitely got Macbeth as well. For a dollar each, how could you go wrong?? That was so much fun :) It started pouring afterwards, and so we headed for the métro station. A whole band was in there! From the Montréal Jazz Festival I believe, and they were incredible! Brass in the subway.... so great!

Eventually we headed back to the apartment, had a snack and a rest, then headed out to the Jazz Festival. There was a jazz piano trio playing, and I think it was pretty much straight improv. Absolutely incredible.

Michelle and I walked to a 24-hour bagel place later that evening, and had the most delicious fresh sesame bagels, warm, fresh from the oven.

Friday

It was after this day that my feet started to really and truly hurt. But it was worth it! My feet could use some toughening up anyways. Well, Michelle, my mom and

I went grad dress shopping. And.... I found the most exquisite dress! It feels too early to go into too much grad excitement, so for now I'll forgo going into all the details. I am very excited about it though :)

After spending most of the day shopping, my dad arrived in Montréal, and all five of us left for dinner at Schwartz's. It is a famous cafeteria-style smoked meat restaurant in Montréal, and it was by far one of the best sandwiches I have ever had! It made me think of my brother, who eats sandwiches with just mustard and meat all the time. If the meat we have was always that succulent, then I would consider doing the same. The combination of smoked meat sandwich with mustard, pickle, coleslaw, fries, and cherry cola was perfect.

After dinner, we went to the Jazz Festival again, and saw the most astounding performer!! He was a young pianist from New Zealand named Aron Ottignon, with his band Aronas. Absolutely incredible. It would be hard to describe the genre.... a kind of jazzy dance experimental tribal fusion... An amazing concert. We left the Festival shortly after, and took my dad to the 24-hour bagel place again, for more fresh bagels. It is amazing how much expertise goes into making the bagels, and we got to watch them as they worked.

When we got back to the apartment, we fell into our beds, feet aching. Sleep was well-earned.

80 lbs

There is something to be said for packing light. For example: If you pack light in the first place, you avoid realizing that your one huge suitcase weighs about 80 pounds. You avoid frantically tossing things out of your suitcase at 4:20 in the morning. If you pack light, you avoid having to drag two suitcases everywhere. You also miss out on digging through both suitcases for 10 minutes to find the shirt you want once you've arrived at your first location. You avoid having no idea where anything is because of the aforementioned frantic repacking.

Yes I have two suitcases - 80 lbs of luggage. In my defence, I had only one day to pack, having just been at camp, and I have not been told much about what sort of clothing to bring to Jonquière. I mean, it is five weeks! It is necessary to be fully prepared for every option.

Needless to say, we did make it to Montréal yesterday, myself with two carry-ons and two suitcases in tow, and took the bus to our family friends' apartment near Mt. Royal. This city is beautiful; it is so artistic and historic.... and brick-filled! More on that later - we are now off to check out McGill and walk around.