It's starting to get a bit cold..
In Canada the winter comes quite quickly.
It reminds you that you're not here to wear hot summer clothes all year round, even though you're an exchange student who's living abroad.
Which is why you make plans before you arrive to go to a warm place, like Cuba.
Anywho.
I'm still alive and kicking. Well, not quite kicking right now as I just returned back from a bar and am laying in bed. It was nice, I saw some skinkas that would've been fun to push around a bit but that's not something that people here do. So I tried to behave myself too.
Like I already mentioned in a blog, people here are polite. And they apologize for weird things. When I went to the cinema the lady misunderstood and charged Fred for only one ticket so I had to pay for my own ticket (like had originally been the plan anyway) and I told her "Nah it's fine, no worries" - or something remotely translating to that in crappy French with an Icelandic accent - to which she still replied that she was terribly sorry and had misunderstood.
Oh no, it's horrible, I'm actually paying for a movie ticket myself. Shame on her for not taking the money from the male here, who should be paying for the movie.
For those who are interested, Uni has been quite ok so far. Some of my classes are still weird but I guess you cant win them all. I've probably said it before. As much as I love this university - peut-être because of the fact that I can eat hafrakökur here at uni because they are nut free! Whoop whoop - some things could be a bit more clear.
It's only in certain classes though, in most other classes it has quite a strong case against Uni. Iceland if they were ever to battle it out.
Which brings me to the next thing. It's really expensive to play handball here, I've just found out. I'm kind of battling with reason and lack of money here, wondering if I should continue or not. That happens when you live in a country where the state doesn't sponsor handball. Which I kind of understand, it isn't hockey...
So I think I've come to the decision to stop playing, which makes me really really sad but I guess I'll find something smart to do with the money instead. Like buying food or paying rent.
[here I fell asleep so what's written after this is not me laying in bed.]
I went apple fetching last monday and ate thanksgiving food last Saturday. In Canada there's thanksgiving too, but for different reasons than in the states:
In Québec it's not exactly like that, it's mostly "hey we get a holiday, lets have a party" which in a way reminds me of Icelandic holiday habits.
Going apple fetching was really cool. There were apples everywhere. Well, not everywhere but on that small patch of land the farmer had assigned for people to pick apples on, there were apples everywhere. Basically we paid $15 for a big big bag and could just fill it up to the point where it still was closable.
So, quite soon I'll be living off apple pies for a while (we've been to lazy to do anything with them...they're just in a bag, waiting to be cooked).
Last night I took out my Cintamani úlpa for the first time as it was friggin' cold after the sun went down. Now I remember why I love that coat so much. I feel like never wearing anything else except that ever.
So fluffy and warm.
I might start sleeping in it. Not that it's cold in here, thankfully our apartment has heating that can be controlled in each room, not centralized as in Lisa's apartment - Lisa being my German best friend, sehr gut - where it seems to mostly get hot in one room while the other rooms are freezing.
I wont swear for this though as I've only spent one evening there. I was quite comfortable though, but we were in the only warm room. The living room/kitchen. And the heater was turned off.
I dont understand you, heating in Canada.
Which is why, just in case, I bought myself a thermos to drink hot chocolate from on the way to uni. With the Université Laval logo and all. Now I've heated water and I'm checking how long the thermos actually keeps it hot. It's been 4 minutes and so far so good.
Other than doing experiments in the kitchen (like trying to figure out if it's better to use hot milk or hot water to make hot chocolate with Nesquik powder - Canada y u no have Swiss Miss..?) I try to do other useful things, like cleaning. I dont think I've ever vacuum cleaned as much in a month ever (or in my life..). Not that I really like it, we just have cleaning days and I kind of have to.
I'm so grown up. Það er ekkert elsku mamma hér!
(Hot water in thermos still hot after 10 minutes).
Last Wednesday I skipped studying and went to a conference about the arab spring organized by CIMAL Laval - Cairo International Model Arab League at University Laval.
Yes, my university has a model arab league. I would so join that organization if I was living here, unfortunately for me they kind of do stuff all year round so it wouldn't make sense to join now as the main goal of this winters activities is to prepare a trip to Cairo in August - God I'd love to go to Cairo - if I understood them correctly. But I think I'll definitely go back to their events if I see them advertised.
I mean, how many times will you be listening to arabic music, while drinking red wine and eating cheese on baguettes - in a catholic chapelle?
Probably not so often.
Anyway and all funny egyptian music videos aside, the conference was really interesting. The Egyptian ambassador in Montréal was there, he was a funny guy. Didn't go to talk to him, I probably should have but speaking French was kind of scaring me. In a hindsight he probably spoke English too and I wasn't at uni so it wouldn't have been a big deal.
Oh well, next time! Then Sami Aoun, a lebanese professor at the Uni. of Sherbrooke who is an expert on the Middle East had a speech/lecture about his views of the arab spring.
It was really interesting to hear him talk about the arab spring and the future of the middle east. In a way it made me feel optimistic about things changing to the better - knowing that it will probably take a long time though.
Why be pessimistic when you can be optimistic?
On those notes, I'm out.
Have a lovely day.
Here are photos of me in Brûlerie St.Roch (café) and me showing the band aids on my fingers after I cut them on some thorns. Kids, never put your hand into a bush with thorns, specially when it's dark and you're not entirely sober. It.hurts.
Chiao!
It reminds you that you're not here to wear hot summer clothes all year round, even though you're an exchange student who's living abroad.
Which is why you make plans before you arrive to go to a warm place, like Cuba.
Anywho.
I'm still alive and kicking. Well, not quite kicking right now as I just returned back from a bar and am laying in bed. It was nice, I saw some skinkas that would've been fun to push around a bit but that's not something that people here do. So I tried to behave myself too.
Like I already mentioned in a blog, people here are polite. And they apologize for weird things. When I went to the cinema the lady misunderstood and charged Fred for only one ticket so I had to pay for my own ticket (like had originally been the plan anyway) and I told her "Nah it's fine, no worries" - or something remotely translating to that in crappy French with an Icelandic accent - to which she still replied that she was terribly sorry and had misunderstood.
Oh no, it's horrible, I'm actually paying for a movie ticket myself. Shame on her for not taking the money from the male here, who should be paying for the movie.
For those who are interested, Uni has been quite ok so far. Some of my classes are still weird but I guess you cant win them all. I've probably said it before. As much as I love this university - peut-être because of the fact that I can eat hafrakökur here at uni because they are nut free! Whoop whoop - some things could be a bit more clear.
It's only in certain classes though, in most other classes it has quite a strong case against Uni. Iceland if they were ever to battle it out.
Which brings me to the next thing. It's really expensive to play handball here, I've just found out. I'm kind of battling with reason and lack of money here, wondering if I should continue or not. That happens when you live in a country where the state doesn't sponsor handball. Which I kind of understand, it isn't hockey...
So I think I've come to the decision to stop playing, which makes me really really sad but I guess I'll find something smart to do with the money instead. Like buying food or paying rent.
[here I fell asleep so what's written after this is not me laying in bed.]
I went apple fetching last monday and ate thanksgiving food last Saturday. In Canada there's thanksgiving too, but for different reasons than in the states:
On Thursday, January 31, 1957, the Canadian Parliament proclaimed:
| “ | A Day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed – to be observed on the 2nd Monday in October. |
In Québec it's not exactly like that, it's mostly "hey we get a holiday, lets have a party" which in a way reminds me of Icelandic holiday habits.
Going apple fetching was really cool. There were apples everywhere. Well, not everywhere but on that small patch of land the farmer had assigned for people to pick apples on, there were apples everywhere. Basically we paid $15 for a big big bag and could just fill it up to the point where it still was closable.
So, quite soon I'll be living off apple pies for a while (we've been to lazy to do anything with them...they're just in a bag, waiting to be cooked).
Last night I took out my Cintamani úlpa for the first time as it was friggin' cold after the sun went down. Now I remember why I love that coat so much. I feel like never wearing anything else except that ever.
So fluffy and warm.
I might start sleeping in it. Not that it's cold in here, thankfully our apartment has heating that can be controlled in each room, not centralized as in Lisa's apartment - Lisa being my German best friend, sehr gut - where it seems to mostly get hot in one room while the other rooms are freezing.
I wont swear for this though as I've only spent one evening there. I was quite comfortable though, but we were in the only warm room. The living room/kitchen. And the heater was turned off.
I dont understand you, heating in Canada.
Which is why, just in case, I bought myself a thermos to drink hot chocolate from on the way to uni. With the Université Laval logo and all. Now I've heated water and I'm checking how long the thermos actually keeps it hot. It's been 4 minutes and so far so good.
 |
| It's Made in China so I dont have extremely high hopes - No offense China - but it looks cool anyway. |
I'm so grown up. Það er ekkert elsku mamma hér!
(Hot water in thermos still hot after 10 minutes).
Last Wednesday I skipped studying and went to a conference about the arab spring organized by CIMAL Laval - Cairo International Model Arab League at University Laval.
Yes, my university has a model arab league. I would so join that organization if I was living here, unfortunately for me they kind of do stuff all year round so it wouldn't make sense to join now as the main goal of this winters activities is to prepare a trip to Cairo in August - God I'd love to go to Cairo - if I understood them correctly. But I think I'll definitely go back to their events if I see them advertised.
I mean, how many times will you be listening to arabic music, while drinking red wine and eating cheese on baguettes - in a catholic chapelle?
Probably not so often.
Anyway and all funny egyptian music videos aside, the conference was really interesting. The Egyptian ambassador in Montréal was there, he was a funny guy. Didn't go to talk to him, I probably should have but speaking French was kind of scaring me. In a hindsight he probably spoke English too and I wasn't at uni so it wouldn't have been a big deal.
Oh well, next time! Then Sami Aoun, a lebanese professor at the Uni. of Sherbrooke who is an expert on the Middle East had a speech/lecture about his views of the arab spring.
It was really interesting to hear him talk about the arab spring and the future of the middle east. In a way it made me feel optimistic about things changing to the better - knowing that it will probably take a long time though.
Why be pessimistic when you can be optimistic?
On those notes, I'm out.
Have a lovely day.
Here are photos of me in Brûlerie St.Roch (café) and me showing the band aids on my fingers after I cut them on some thorns. Kids, never put your hand into a bush with thorns, specially when it's dark and you're not entirely sober. It.hurts.
 |
| Miriam á kaffihúsi í lopapeysu & Miriam með plástra eftir klikkað djamm þar sem þyrnirunni beit í fingur. |
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