We crossed this vast land, he and I, together. And these were the resulting group emails.
Evan and Bernz's Amazing Canadventures (Parts 1-4, complete and unabridged)!!!
Dear all,
How are you? We hope things in Sydney are fine without either of us there to maintain order.
We
are well. We seem to be having some trouble with weather, but
otherwise, we are having an absolute blast! After a few problems in
meeting up at Vancouver Airport, things have been going pretty
smoothly. We’ve been doing quite a bit of sightseeing but also a bit
of relaxing and sleeping-in, however, with the actual tour starting
travel tomorrow, we don’t foresee much of the same in the near future!
So
what exactly have we been up to so far? Well, our first stop was
Montreal. We arrived about a day or two before the Jazz Festival
started, so we had some time to explore all the things Montreal had to
offer.
We attended a Mass at the Notre-Dame Basilica, and since it was all in
French, Evan got a good chance to take in the detailed beauty of this
beautiful building – and for free (they usually charge visitors a $5
fee just to look around)! We also went to Île Sainte-Helène, to Parc
Jean-Drapeau, where we played on some children’s play equipment (what
more would you expect from us?) and got some photos with the famous
biosphere before having a bit of a dance outdoors, thanks to the good
people of Montreal, who put on free line dancing lessons. In the
evening, we had a bit of a wander down around Old Port. We spent a
good part of a day at the Biodome, watching animals and people in these
unnatural natural habitats. We were a little disappointed that we
didn’t get to see the sloth they kept promising, but in all, it was a
good exhibit. A few blocks from our hotel, we found a cute little
café, where we had a couple of breakfasts. They made delicious
pastries and amazing hot chocolates. We hired a quad bike (a mix
between a pedal boat, a bicycle and a car) to see Old Port during the
day. The Jazz Festival was a lot of fun, though smaller than we had
anticipated. We enjoyed a few free concerts, including a highlight
opening concert by Stevie Wonder. Both of us thought that he spent a
little too much time talking about Michael Jackson, but we enjoyed his
music. His daughter, Aisha, also sang a song (I think it was called
‘I’m Gonna Laugh You Out Of My Life’, or something along those lines)
and she had a lovely voice. She was lucky her father was blind,
though, because if he had seen what she was wearing on stage, she
wouldn’t have been let out of the house! We also heard a band called
People Project, who we both really liked.
Our
next stop was Quebec City. By this stage, Evan had gotten over his
jetlag (his first dose of real jetlag). Old Quebec was described by
Evan as being “just like France, only the people are friendly”. Here,
we walked along part of the wall that surrounds Quebec, wandered the
streets of upper Old Quebec, climbed down the Break-Neck Stairs
(Escaliers Casse-Cou) and walked around lower town, marveling at
frescos and pointing out movie-shooting sites, before taking the
Funiculaire (a Great Glass Elevator of sorts) back up to upper town.
We squeezed in a tour of the Citadelle, home of the Vandoos
(Vignt-Deux), the twenty-second regiment of the Canadian military, and
the only Canadian regiment that uses French as a working language. The
Citadelle is also the second official residence of Canada’s Governor
General when he or she visits Quebec (which happens several times a
year). We were also able to get amazing views of Quebec City and the
St Lawrence River from one of the vantage points at the Citadelle. The
mascot of the regiment is a goat Batisse (with a roman numeral because
there are several), a gift from Her Majesty, the Queen of England. The
next day, because we knew we had to leave the day after, we spent the
day eating all the food we couldn’t pack. As a result, Evan never got
to try real poutine.
We arrived in Calgary and celebrated
this fact with a buffet lunch. We explored the uni a bit and we saw
mountain hares, but didn’t get a photo because they’re extremely
jittery creatures and hopped away quickly at the slightest sound. That
night, we had a fancy dinner at Nick’s, to belatedly celebrate our
fourth anniversary, where we got our first (and hopefully not last)
taste of Alberta Beef. It was amazing. The next day, we went shopping
and were amazed and pleased at the difference that a lack of provincial
taxing makes. Evan bought some very nice shirts and a pair of trousers
and a sharp pair of black shoes. That evening, we met up with Patricia
(one of Bernz’s friends, a native of Calgary, who she met during her
studies in Quebec). She took us to a Mormon meeting, where we played
some volleyball and made ice-cream, which was something of a disaster.
Afterwards, she took us to experience Peters’ Drive-In, where you can
either drive up to the windows or walk up to them – there is no
dine-in, but that’s not much of a downer. If you really wanted to eat
there, there are a couple of picnic tables set up nearby. This place
is mostly famous for its milkshakes, where customers can mix and match
up to three flavours out of an assortment of about 30 different
flavours. Evan got chocolate, pineapple and banana. He would describe
it best as a delicious mistake. Bernadette got a peach, mango and
vanilla milkshake, describing it as very Weiss-bar-like.
The
next morning we awoke to find our home-made ice-cream had frozen. We
were pleased we had a fridge in our room, and had the ice-cream for
breakfast. Then, we headed over to begin the tour and after
checking-in, appreciated the comfort of a real bed for a few minutes,
before heading out to explore 8thAve, the heart and soul of Downtown
Calgary. All the cowboy hats and boots are out, and not just in the
shops – at least half the population feels the compulsion to wear these
items of, for lack of a better word, clothing, including the Calgary
Police Force, whose black uniforms complement their black cowboy hats
quite well.
Today, we will go to the Calgary Stampede, which
we are very excited about. Hopefully, there will be enough time to see
and do everything we would like to see and do!
Love, Evan and Bernadette
Dear all,
Hope things in Sydney are still going well. We have been doing enough to warrant another update.
Despite
torrential rain and some hail, The Calgary Stampede was so much fun!
We got right into the spirit of things, donning cowboy hats (great
souvenirs), though it took a while to find ones that didn’t match too
well and make us look like one of “those” couples. The rodeo was
energetic and moved very quickly, but the chuckwagon races were really
fun to watch, especially after we began wagering on their outcome.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have very much money after buying cowboy hats,
but we had also bought some salt water taffy earlier that day so we
used that. Some other things we did at stampede included watching the
SUPERDOGS – a bunch of highly trained, yet still imperfect showdogs and
a singing, dancing, High School Musical extravaganza!! We also went on
a shopping spree at the market tent, buying whatever took our fancy,
provided it didn’t break the bank. Overall, Stampede seemed to be like
a more modest, yet better version of the Easter Show, packed with lots
of fun things to see and do.
We then headed off with the tour
group – all 38 of us (including our tour director and driver), in a bus
with a seating capacity of 57 – towards the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
The drive to Lake Louise was generally beautiful, with majestic
mountain scenes gracing the journey, but that was all forgotten when we
set eyes on Lake Louise itself. With a backdrop of Mount Victoria,
topped by the Victoria Glacier that feeds the immense lake, this was
right up there on our “most beautiful things we have ever seen” list,
this was only helped by the beautiful weather we had that day. The
water of Lake Louise appears a translucent blue-green because of the
minerals that find their way into the water as it travels from the
glacier to the lake and words cannot sufficiently express what a wonder
this is to behold. The rest of the day didn’t pass without more
breathtaking sights, but Lake Louise was easily the most memorable.
The
next day, we were on our way to Jasper. On the way, we saw many
beautiful scenes along the icefields parkway. Our major stop along the
way was at Athabasca Glacier, Columbia Icefields. Athabasca is a word
that comes from one of Canada’s First Nations meaning where the reeds
grow. While there are no reeds growing on the Athabasca Glacier, there
are very many in Athabasca Lake, ultimately fed by the Athabasca
Glacier. We got to walk around on the glacier and marvel at the
grandeur of this natural wonder. It is SO big! Where we were used to
seeing grass, trees or dirt, it was a massive chunk of white, edged by
large, dark mountains. The overall effect was simply mind-blowing.
That
same day was a big day for wildlife. In the morning, we saw a grizzly
sow and her two cubs, foraging for food by the highway. Later in the
day, we saw two juvenile black bears. On the way to the hotel, after
half the bus left to go on an optional rafting adventure, we spotted
some elk, or, as the natives call them, wapiti, meaning “white rump”.
Upon learning this, Evan remarked, “there’s nothing worse than a wobbly
wapiti”. We also saw some white-tailed deer a little further up the
same road. Similarly, we have seen quite a bit of wildlife today,
including a bald eagle, an osprey, more elk, bighorn sheep and some
mule deer. We’ve also seen beaver lodges but no beavers as yet. There
have not been any signs of moose, either.
An interesting
wildlife sighting was had by the entire tour group last night after our
dinner at the hotel. A lady came to talk to us about the wildlife at
Jasper and we were all lucky enough to see the rare grizzly bear in
person – or rather, in the person of Evan, who was dressed up like a
grizzly bear as the differences between a grizzly bear and a black bear
were explained to us. The grizzly has a hump on its back to help it
dig for food, a more scooped profile (whereas a black bear would have a
Roman profile) and longer, lighter-coloured claws. As far as colour
goes, both types of bears come in a variety of colours, so to tell a
grizzly from a black bear by its coat alone would be incredibly
tricky. The coat itself is comparatively smoother and softer on the
black bear. As for size, the grizzly is, on average, larger, but their
size really depends on their diet, and here in Jasper, the grizzlies
don’t get very much bigger than the black bears, so that’s not a
dependable variable, either. If the bear is wearing glasses, it is
most likely Evan, closely (but inaccurately) resembling an immature
grizzly. We also learned about antlers (these are shed and grow back
every year), horns (these grow continuously but are never shed) and the
creatures that boast these magnificent structures. On top of this, we
got some tips on wildlife safety. Notably, always travel with someone
else, preferably someone who can’t run as fast as you can, and playing
dead when a bear is nearby is not a good idea.
Today, we had
a fairly relaxed day, taking a short stroll along Maligne Canyon in the
morning and using this precious free time to have a bit of a swim,
polish off a packet of TimTams and then take a nap to catch up on some
much-needed rest. In the evening, we joined an optional tour to Miette
Hot Springs. On the way, we saw most of the wildlife mentioned above.
The hot springs themselves were wonderful, the water temperature in the
very high thirties in the two larger pools and, in the cool pools, a
refreshing 10-12˚C.
Tomorrow, we will be heading to Banff, where, surely, more exciting adventures await.
Love, Evan and Bernz
Dear all,
How are you doing? What are you getting up to?
We have heard from precious few, and while we have many exciting
stories to tell, we would be glad to know that you are fine, too.
Please remember, it’s not only we who are apart from you, you are apart
from us, as well.
Evan and I spent two nights in Banff, where
all we witnessed was a continuous downpour. Thankfully, this provided
us with a break to do some laundry and go shopping (shops provide a
great escape from the rain!). We had planned to go on an optional
gondola/ski lift ride, but the weather was just so terrible, the tour
group had to cancel it. We enjoyed our farewell dinner, especially the
crème brulée, but the real icing on the cake was when Evan was served a
lone sparkler atop a slice of pecan pie and a chorus of “Happy
Birthday” and given a souvenir key ring – a gift from our tour director.
Today,
we took a ride on the Rocky Mountaineer. They fed us until we were
ready to surrender, and the views were just amazing. We are currently
in Kamloops, just for the night. We continue on our rail journey
tomorrow, pick up is at 7:20am, which we are not looking forward to,
but thankfully, we will be served breakfast on the train. I’m sure
there will be lots more edible torture tomorrow.
We have
probably seen more Fairmont hotels than we would care to remember, but
here’s an interesting fact, a while ago, the Fairmont chain was bought
by Canadian Pacific Rail, so now, apparently, all the Fairmont hotels
belong to a Canadian company.
Today, we also learned about
the life cycle of salmon, specifically sockeye salmon. Their extra
pinkness comes as a result of high stress (bashing against rocks and
things, general fatigue, etc) and low diet (because they are not
accustomed to the freshwater diet) as they follow magnetic lines and
pulls to their spawning ground, and it is exaggerated close to spawning
time. After the fish spawn, they die and their carcasses help to
fertilise the growth of algae on the riverbed. As well as fertilising
algae on the riverbed, fish carcasses that are discarded by hunting
animals and are not eaten by scavenging animals help to fertilise the
growth of forest greenery. The growth of algae on the riverbed is
highly significant because the salmon fry need to feed on some specific
algae to prepare themselves for the winter. These fish spawn four
thousand eggs, and of those four thousand, only about two will make it
back to spawn again.
Anyway, we were just taking advantage of free internet while we had it.
Love, Evan and Bernz
Dear all,
We’re working on the assumption that if you
haven’t replied you’re well, though if you weren’t okay, you probably
would have been least likely to tell us so. We do hope that everything
is going well with you.
Well, our adventure is finally
drawing to a close, and, as we’re sure you’d agree, it was a fantastic
one. Here, we’ll update you on the last week or so, as we prepare to
say goodbye to this magnificent land and this brief, but beautiful
chapter in our lives.
We left you in Kamloops, where we had
some Chinese food for dinner, with fortune cookies that said the most
hilarious things, most memorably, “Foot – a device for finding objects
in the dark”. Early the next morning, we departed to catch the train
down to Vancouver. Again, there were many magical sightings. We saw
numerous bald eagles and osprey once we’d left the mountains, as well
as a couple of bears and some antlered friends. Once we arrived in
Vancouver, we fell into our king-sized bed, appreciated that feeling
for a while and then had a lovely meal at the Elephant and Castle (some
of you may be familiar with this chain of pubs), most notably, the
dessert, apples, caramel and ice cream over a base of puff pastry.
Afterwards, we collapsed on the bed again and promptly fell asleep.
Travelling sure takes it out of you!
The next day, there was
no rest as we were out the door and headed for Salt Spring Island
(a.k.a. Saltspring Island, a.k.a. NaCl Spring Island). We got there by ferry,
which was a rather uneventful trip. The island itself was beautiful,
with small mountains and the sea accounting for most of the landscape.
We really enjoyed the Saturday Markets. The products were all made or
grown by the locals and there was a great vibe to the whole event. Our
only complaint about them is probably the immensity of the crowds, but
who could blame them for wanting to be there? We also went kayaking,
which was a challenge in communication, but we made it without trying
to kill each other, so we’re taking that as a good sign. Other than
that, the people were friendly and laid-back, the scenery was
magnificent and we had pistachio gelato to rival Evan’s favourite
gelato from Italy.
Finally, we spent some time in Victoria,
the capital of British Columbia, with a small, but spread-out downtown
core. We saw many sights, including Miniature World, with dozens of
dioramas, covering battles, fairytales, original science fiction,
circus and fairground scenes and various cities across Canada, the
Royal London Wax Museum, where we learned about one disaster – a light
falling and melting Stalin’s face – and Craigdarroch Castle, an
impressive four-storey mansion built by Robert Dunsmuir, a coal baron.
We had a rather interesting last exploring day yesterday, where we got
a moose repaired and got Evan’s hair cut by an old Chinese man who
couldn’t understand English and breathed like Darth Vader. As a
result, his hair (Evan’s, not the old man’s) has turned out rather...
interestingly, and he now requires a hat at all times. In all, there
was much laughter and lots of fun, which we think can be said for the
entire holiday.
Today, we both leave Vancouver and each
other. Evan goes back to Sydney and is due to arrive on Sunday morning
(Sydney time) and Bernadette is going to spend some time with one of
her Canadian friends before heading back to continue her studies in
Quebec City. We have had arguments and made adjustments, laughed until
we cried and took more photographs that we care to bore even ourselves
with. It has truly been a month to remember, and we hope to one day do
something similar again. Until then, take care and keep smiling.
Love, Evan and Bernadette
As an addendum, Evan's flight home was delayed by about 8 hours, so he was put up in a hotel and landed in Sydney on Sunday afternoon, at around 5pm. Point is, he arrived home safely. Hooray!
Out of an orange-colored, purple-striped, blue and green polka-dot sky...
So I'm still in Canada. Still alive. I'm currently in Vancouver, recovering from one of the most hectic tours I have ever been on (okay, probably the only proper tour I've ever been on). One thing I've noticed about the Summer months (even though it's not Summer yet) is that it gets dark really late here.. like 10pm (so imagine what it will be like when the days get even longer!!). Photos below for the non-believer.
If my parents had said be home before dark and I lived here, I'd be perfectly happy with all that time and I'd be home well before dark! However, I don't think I'd be able to raise a family under these circumstances. Really, if you wanted to send your kids to bed at 9:30pm, you'd better hope you had some seriously awesome-at-blocking-out-the-light curtains -- it's practically still daylight at that time; I wouldn't quite call it dusk.
Vancouver a little before 9:30pm:
Vancouver about half an hour later:
So yeah, dark enough for lights, but not quite the inky blue you see at night... and the sky does eventually become that inky blue about another half-hour later.
Out of an orange-colored, purple-striped, blue and green polka-dot sky...
I'm just bogged down with assignments, so I'm doing a quick update of this blog with thanks to a group email I wrote a couple of days ago while being attacked by the procrastination monster. GRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!!!!!! HIDDLE-BULLABULLABULLABOOD
Hi guys,
Just wanted to say hi and ask how everyone is doing and what you are all up to this year as well as a little update. I hope you're all safe and well. Who's doing honours? Masters? Jumping straight into the wonderful world of work? Who's still on their undergrad and how long do you have left? I miss you all a lot, even though I normally don't get to see you often... Perhaps the distance exaggerates things.
Let me know if you want a letter or a postcard, I have paper and envelopes coming out of my ears! But not stamps or postcards, unfortunately. 2AUD to send a letter overseas? Canada Post, I'm not impressed. Though I guess it's $2.05 for you guys to send things... Australia Post, not impressed either.
I hope you've been keeping posted with what's going on in Canada via Facebook; I did a mass upload of photos yesterday. The arrival of Spring means that it's warming up, no longer is it industrial freezer temperature outdoors, but now, it's more like living in a fridge. A faulty fridge at that, that sometimes goes above 4 degrees C. And that means that, since I don't have a fridge (what? I didn't want to pay $70 for four months of fridge... though I think I will come the Autumn semester), I can't just store things outside my window anymore. For one thing, it's much too obvious what with there being no more snow on the windowsill to disguise things. And the second, well, the temperature just ain't as low as it once was.
Grass is now visible in parts, but some snow is still lingering, and it still snows from time to time. I'm going to miss the snow, but I'm glad Summer is coming, because that means a four month long break. =)
I went to Ottawa for their "mid semester break"... They call it reading week, to catch up on readings, or release week. (Yeah, I know, I'd stick with release week too). Apparently they only have it during the winter semester... I don't know what's up with that. Anyway, Ottawa was buckets of fun, I had a real chance to recharge and get oodles of sleep (something which I haven't been doing very much here), as well as watch a real NHL (National Hockey League... even though it's Canada and the USA) game, shovel some snow, go ice skating on the Rideau Canal and visit parliament. Like I said, photos on Facebook.
More recently, I've been trying to avoid work (hence this email - a terrible reason to send an email, I know, but I'm sending one nonetheless, so that's something, right?). I visited the Ice Hotel the other day, and saw a shooting star. I've also been trying to find constellations (the Northern Star, the Big and Little Dippers...). What else... Oh yeah! Tim Hortons, maker of cheap and delicious Hot Chocolate, doughnuts (seriously, the doughnuts cost 60 Australian cents each if you buy a dozen, in singles they're just over 1AUD each) and other such treats, are running their annual Roll up the Rim to Win (deroule le rebord pour gagner) competition! So far, I've won two free drinks. More hot chocolate? YES PLEASE! I will probably bring back tins of the stuff, so we can have some sort of Timmy Ho's party... but without the delicious munchies... =( But still, Timmy Ho's!!
Please update me on your lives! Feel free to pass this on to anyone who I might have missed (and to anyone who gets this second-hand, I apologise, but I would love to hear from you too!!).
Take care. Keep smiling. Have fun, and have some extra fun for me!!!
Love, Bernadette
Would like to add to this that I also went and did Cabane à Sucre (Sugar Shack!). What a feast! It was the one meal I had all day - and not just because I was low on cash... I was STUFFED! But it was not at all healthy. And there was waaaaaay too much sugar in that one meal. But whatever, it was fun... Oh and I'm probably going again on Easter Monday... =/ ...Well, you know, when you don't have to pay for the ride there and back, it becomes much less dependent on the cash factor.
Carnaval, Carnaval, Carnaval, à Québec, c’est un bon festival !
Well, the Winter
Carnival has come and gone. It’s been
quite an experience.It’s certainly a
lot of fun to go to, even if I didn’t do very much there.What did I do?I had a look around the ice sculptures, scattered
around the Plains of Abraham, ate some Beavertail, watched insane people (one
of whom is a friend living in Lacerte) run around like a bunch of crazies in
the snow wearing nothing but boots, gloves, tuque and swimsuit, had some more
beavertail and hot chocolate, watched half a cooking demonstration and got to
try the result, had some tire sur neige (maple taffy rolled straight off the
snow!), watched the final parade and saw the closing ceremony.
It was quite an
experience!!The highlight would have to
be the bunch of crazies in the snow.They applied to do it and were selected.INSANE!!!I mean who puts their
hand up and says, “yes, I will dance around in the snow, like your average nut”?
Crazies in the snow:
My crazy friend, Patricia (she's behind the sign, throwing the snow into the air):
Besides that, the food
was delicious!The beavertails are now
officially my favourite Canadian food.The tire sur neige was a little sweet for my liking, but still quite fun
to eat and overall, an enjoyable thing – I think being part of the “making”
process contributed to said positive feelings.
See beavertail:
Tire sur Neige in three easy steps:
1. Pour
2. Roll
3. DON'T GET IT ALL OVER YOURSELF! Oh yeah, and enjoy that delicious taste.
The worst part of
Carnaval was trying to find somewhere to eat after the parade, because it took
place on Valentine’s Day.So you can
imagine trying to get a table for three at ANY restaurant a) after the parade
and b) on Valentine’s Day.Hmmph.Thankfully, a Japanese vegetarian place took
us in, and even though they only had a V-Day menu, accommodated us, adding some
extra food and lowering the price per person.THANK YOU ZEN!!I have to say
here that the food was exceptionally good!Presentation, taste and texture were simply delightful.The service was excellent!We gave them a giant tip for all their
troubles and we may even return.
Beautiful food from
Zen:
More beautiful food
from Zen:
Oh yeah, we were told
that the parade would start at 6:30 “just on the other side of that building
there”…Turns out it started at 7 on THE OTHER END OF TOWN, so this is how far we had to walk:
The blue was from
where we were at the Carnaval to the place where we ended up getting the bus
back to the uni and two or three blocks away from where we were during the
parade.The orange is walking from the
bus stop to the pink thing, the residence where I live. Please note that it didn't all fit one one screenshot of Google Maps.
Those were fun
times.No really, it was a fun
experience overall.I would love to come
back and do it again, yes, despite the cold! ...Salut Bonhomme, Salut Bonhomme...
Carnaval, Carnaval, Carnaval, à Québec, c’est un bon festival !
Sunday hit temps of about zero, which was awesome for my body, but not so great for my feet... You see, when the temperature does that, all the moisture on top of everything freezes; in effect, Quebec became one big ice rink.
Anyway, Wednesday of last week, I attended a free concert (which I loved, by the way) and there was a free raffle. I actually won something (I never win raffles) - four tickets to go and see a real live hockey game.
It was good!! Faster than NRL, but not quite as fast as AFL and with about as much action as NRL. Exciting to watch. They've made a fan out of me.
And now for some photos.
The guys in red are the Remparts de Quebec and the guys in yellow, black and white are the Tigres de Victoriaville.
Let's go Remparts, let's go! *clap clap*
It's actually me, at an actual game!
Action shot.
Champion, the Remparts' mascot.
PeeWee Hockey!! The cutest thing on the ice. They fall over by themselves, without any need for ramming into one another. It's so cute!! There was a massive pile-up of little children at one point!
What's a game of hockey without a few fisticuffs?
Maxi: I think he's a sponsor's mascot...
The Tigres' goalie hurt his right leg during the third period. It looked painful.
It's alright for you lot, I've got a very small vocabulary
So I'm here to expand my vocabulary.
Words I have learned and committed to memory:
J'ai du - I had to Les eviers - sinks Les fours - ovens Les plaques - stoves Les cadenas - padlocks viande - meat pâte - pasta (not to be confused with...) ...pâté - pie essuie-tous - paper towels (lit. wipe-alls)
I'm sure there are more...
but last and certainly not least:
Bec - spout.
I'm being told (by Spout, herself) that it has several meanings, depending on the context. It can also mean beak or bill, or pouring lip.
It's alright for you lot, I've got a very small vocabulary
Last night, I had dinner over at Pavillon Parent (one of the other residences) with Anne, Bec, KaHing and Joe. Not sure if I've mentioned Joe here before. He's from Chicago, and he's been in Quebec for about one and a half years.
KaHing made some dumplings (both fried and boiled), Bec made some stir fry, Anne and I contributed a pasta dish with pesto and chicken and Joe, who orchestrated the whole thing, made two different varieties of chicken (lemon herb and BBQ) and some BBQ Italian Sausages. He also made his own mustard, henceforth known as "Joe Mustard". And I brought TimTams to share for dessert.
What a satisfying meal. It wasn't just satiating, it was also enjoyed with good company.
I don't normally celebrate that, but a little more on that later.
So yesterday was Australia Day, at least, it was here in Canada, by virtue of date. To celebrate, I hosted an informal Trivia Night, all on Australia. I'll put the questions down at the end of the post and the answers, so that you can have a go and see how you went.
Who came...
My jumelage buddy (my jumelle), Chantal came to practise her English. Anne and Bec, obviously. KaHing Alana Dana (from London, Ontario, where all the lakes meet) and Rike (Frederike, from Germany, who joined us but wasn't playing), both of whom I only met last night. Lisa (born in Alberta, grew up in BC and moved back to Alberta) also came but had to leave a little early.
It was good fun, people were meeting each other (which I love!!) and everyone got to learn a little bit more about Australia.
Two teams competed, having to name themselves in the the most Australian way possible to gain five bonus points, which, as we now know, makes all the difference. These teams were:
Widgety Grub Stew Australianed by Anne Chantal, Lisa (up until she had to go) and KaHing
The Non-Kiwis Austalianed by Bec Alana and Dana
The bonus five went to the Non-Kiwis - because a Kiwi is the most unAustralian you could ever get, so, by that line of logic, the most Australian you could get would be a Non-Kiwi. They won the night by three points! I have to take my hat off to Widgety Grub Stew, since, at the end of round two, they were trailing by ten points and in the following three rounds, managed to close that gap quite considerably.
The final score was Widgety Grub Stew: 36, The Non-Kiwis: 39 (including the five bonus points).
In all it was a good night, and everyone who came along is welcome to join us for some good ol' fashioned TImTam Slams (now that I have received my package!), whenever we are all next free.
Chinese New Year. Well, I don't normally celebrate it, but I thank Rita for her present anyway. A pocket card that reads "God doesn't expect us to be more than we are; He expects us to be all that we are." on the front, and on the back, "Do your best; and let God do the rest.". That and an awesome photo from our last days at primary school. AWESOME!! THANKS RITA!!!!!!
Australia Day Trivia
Five rounds, each worth 10 points. Ten questions in each round, with each question being worth one point.If a question has multiple parts, you must get all parts of the question right to get the point.No half points are awarded.No bonus points are on offer (for this blog version). All compere's answers are irrefutably correct.
Round One – General Australiana
1.Who is considered Australia's Father of Foundation?
2.What does the first A in QANTAS stand for?
3.Which animals appear on the Australian National Emblem?
4.How many states does Australia have?
5.Name the territories of Australia.
6.What is the national floral emblem of Australia?
7.What sport is Sir Donald Bradman most famous for playing?
8.What is Australia's unofficial national anthem?
9.What was once called Van Diemen's Land is now known as what?
10.What is Australia's Rugby Union team known as?
Round Two – Movies and Music
1.Name the Wiggles.
2.How many films has Baz Lurhmann directed?
3.Australian movie star, Nicole Kidman and Australian country rocker Kieth Urban had a baby last year.What is the baby's name
4.One of Slim Dusty's most famous songs is titled, "A Pub With No what?"
5.Which Australian actor was recently voted the sexiest man alive?
6.What is the Australian equivalent of the Grammy Awards?
7.Jimmy Barnes was the lead singer for which Australian rock band?
8.The same Jimmy Barnes has a son who is also active in the music industry.What is his name?
9.Which member of Midnight Oil is now a Member of Parliament?
10.Name one of the Tropfest Signature Items from the last 10 years
Round Three – Sport
1.Edwin Flack, Australia's first Olympic gold medallist won two gold medals in which sport?
2.In what sport would you wear a baggy green?
3.What is a baggy green?
4.When is the Melbourne Cup held?
5.How many consecutive times has the team of Wild Oats XI won the Sydney to Hobart yacht race?
6.Which two teams play the NRL State of Origin?
7.What sport does Melissa Wu participate in?
8.What is the Australian Men's Field Hockey Team known as?
9.Who won Australia's first Winter Olympics Gold medal?
10.Which Australian swimmer became the first woman to beat the 53 second mark in the 100 metre freestyle in 2007 Duel in the Pool?
Round Four – Australian History and Geography
1.What is the capital city of Australia?
2.What is the name of Australia's largest national park?
3.What is the indigenous name for Ayers Rock?
4.On what date was Australia federated?
5.In 1860-1861, Burke and who led an expedition to cross Australia from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpenteria?
6.What is the name of the body of water that lies just south of the Nullarbor Plain?
7.Who was Australia's first Prime Minister?
8.Who commanded the Endeavour from 1769-71?
9.What is the highest point on the Australian mainland?
10.What was significant about the term of former Prime Minister Harold Holt?
Round Five – Australia and the Rest of the World
1.A few years ago, some controversy arose over a phrase used in an Australian tourism campaign featuring Lara Bingle.What was the controversial phrase?
2.What multi-national conference was held in Sydney in 2007, effectively shutting down most of the CBD?
3.In what year did Melbourne host the Olympic Games?
4.Name two of the four Australian cities listed in the World's Top Ten Most Liveable Cities by The Economist.
5.Name two Australian places or landmarks that are World Heritage Sites.
6.What term is most commonly used to describe several historical policies that intentionally restricted immigration to Australia according to race between 1901 and 1973?
7.On the topic of Australia and multiculturalism, who made the speech in 1996, from which this excerpt was taken?"I and most Australians want our immigration policy radically reviewed and that of multiculturalism abolished. I believe we are in danger of being swamped by Asians. Between 1984 and 1995, 40 per cent of all migrants coming into this country were of Asian origin. They have their own culture and religion, form ghettos and do not assimilate."
8.What two internationally recognised oceans border Australia?
9.There have been 18 Commonwealth Games.How many of these has Australia participated in?
10.Which Australian won the Miss Universe Competition in 2004?
So last night, fhere was a party thrown for all the new students. I went along and we met some new people.
Alana From somewhere in Canada, Ontario, I think... For some insane reason, she works nights on weekends in a bar and during the week, she works in a bakery, in the early mornings. Oh, she attends uni, too.
Ka Hing From Canada too, BC. Thinks she's the only Canadian outside of Quebec who knows about the history of Quebec. She researched it out of interest. Pretty cool.
Ting-Yang From the south of China. She studies and works in Shanghai, has learned English and is currently mastering the French language. Impressive.
Andrea From Saskatchewan. She is a runner for the Huskies, lives at Lacerte, too, on the same floor as Anne and myself.
Ben Can't remember where he's from, but he's in Anne's language class.
Thang From Vietnam, I think he's in Anne's language class, too.
Francois From somewhere in Canada, perhaps Alberta? Didn't get to talk to him for long.
Jeremy His accent sounded genuinely Quebecois, so I will say he is Quebecois. Didn't get to talk to him for very long either.
We watched some theatresports after we left the party (the party got a bit boring after a while). Even though we couldn't understand what was being said exactly, we got the gist and it was still hilarious! And it's on every Friday, at 8 for free. I think if I'm not busy on Friday nights, that will be my hang.
A note on snow, St Patrick's and living at Pavillon Lacerte
The first time I experienced a snowfall, I thought the snowflakes were just bits of dust. Then I realised they were cold.
Snow glitters in the sunlight. A sun-snow is very beautiful.
The snow here is very powdery - it doesn't stick well enough to make a decent snowball, let alone a snowman.
Snow falls in feet here!
Combine the last two tidbits and you get this rule: NEVER WALK THROUGH THE SNOW WHERE A PATH HASN'T YET BEEN MADE! You sink in up to about your knees.
St Pat's is quite small. The building is small, as is the congregation. The congregation strikes me as an old people congregation. I might try the Saturday service and see what the vibe is like there. I met some Filipinos there on Sunday. We all went out for lunch and grocery shopping after the mass. It was nice. Speaking the appropriate language to the appropriate people is a bit tricky. I bumped into a man while I was walking along with these people, talking in Tagalog and went to say "sorry" then realised I should say "pardon". I'm a bit delayed reactiony... Whatever. Hopefully I'll see some of them again on Sunday.
Lacerte is very close to the shops! It's about five minutes from the grocery shore, which happens to be in the first of three malls, all lined up, one after the other - hooray!! The sales are on at the moment, but taxes bug me.
One last thing: I have a mobile number. Please don't call yet. I have to pay to receive calls (what is with that?). +1 418 905 5877 (or as I like to divide it, 90, 55, 8, 77).
I do miss Sydney, but not nearly as much as I thought I would.
A note on snow, St Patrick's and living at Pavillon Lacerte
