I'm in a very reflective mood tonight. After the packing started yesterday, I realised I really don't want to work too hard on my packing. But of course I want to do it well - fit everything properly in my suitcase, don't exceed weight limits, whatever. So I decided to do half today and half tomorrow. Today I decided what to wear, what to put in my carry-on, and what to mail back home (that box is mostly just keepsakes and my long underwear). While doing that, I took down the handmade calendars that I have had on my wall since January. I decided to check them with the main calendar on the wall for the group and make sure I have all of our events recorded. I didn't realise how many things we had done. I've noticed most of the changes in my personality, but all of the things I've experienced here are quite surprising...
- Jan 5, Bread workshop
- Jan 6, Trip to Medabetchewan (sp?) to meat the Masteuiatsch and Dolbeau groups
- Jan 7, "Kati-caching" Picture Scavenger Hunt around Chicoutimi
- Jan 9-10, work placement tours
- Jan 11, interviews
- Jan 12, first day of work
- Every Monday since Jan 16, CinéClub movie night
- Every Wednesday since Jan 18, second language courses
- Jan 21, Badminton
- Jan 23, the exciting arrival of Tong
- Jan 27, Group volunteering at the Red Cross (stuffed 10,000 envelopes!)
- Jan 28, Skating
- Feb 4, Snowshoeing
- Feb 5, Saguenay En Neige winter festival
- Feb 6-9, house managing (cooked: greek salad, chinese noodles, sushi, sandwiches, soup, rolls)
- Feb 10-19, billeting (went bowling, to a sign language concert practice, three hockey games)
- Feb 24, another Red Cross volunteering (another 8,000 envelopes!)
- Feb 25, Cross-country Skiing
- Feb 29, Donated blood for the first time
- March 3, Snow tubing
- March 5-9, house managing (cooked: macaroni, roast pork, yellow thai curry, crepes stuffed with ham & spinach omelettes, hummus, greek salad)
- March 10-11, Quebec City with Wrecking Ball
- March 15, Trip to Masteuiatsch to see the Musée Des Amerindiens
- March 16, Regard Short Film Festival
- March 17, Spaghetti Dinner volunteering (we raised over $6000 dollars for a local service that provides healthy meals to seniors)
- March 18, Sugar Shack
- March 20+22, Katimavik presentations at the local seminary
I can't wait to see what this adventure has in store for me in Alberta. Hopefully I'll be able to keep working on the self-improvement I've started. My current goal is drinking responsibly; since my arrival here I have made some major steps backwards, that I failed to really notice until Wrecking Ball brought it to my attention. I have also found that every time I notice something in someone else's personality that is annoying the shit out of me, I spend some time to reflect and try to find that same quality in myself - because I usually can. Once I've pinpointed that, I try to think of a plan to work on that aspect of myself.
I can't think of a way to conclude this entry... goodnight. I love you all :)
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Katimavik Day 78
This weekend the Katimahouse in Chicoutimi is moving. On Tuesday night, we're leaving for Alberta. So basically, we are doing all the work in a move that makes almost no difference to us. But it's not bad. Packing the house is actually quite fun, as it gives us a chance to pick through all the over-stuffed cupboards and drawers that we haven't bothered to look at before now. Also, we are recycling all the various broken things in the house (which included, quite surprisingly, a rotary phone) and donating huge amounts of things to a local second-hand store, which always feels good.
The volunteering last Saturday night was decent. I doled out spaghetti sauce to about 150 people (there were supposedly 300 hundred in attendance and there were two sauce stations) and then helped with dishes. I assumed I was doing "my fair share" of the work, until Roo approached me and said I was working really hard and she appreciated it. While I did enjoy the recognition, it kind of irked me that my constant yet relaxed pace was comparatively that much. I had preferred to imagine that everyone was working, but apparently half the group was sitting in the dining room drinking coffee.
Sunday's trip to the Sugar Shack was a bit of a disappointment - even the francophones said so. Instead of being a rustic cabin with an all-you-can-eat, maple-syrup-based buffet, it was a backwater cafeteria that didn't even have real orange juice. The "tire à l'érable" (maple pull?) was great though - I took three helpings of the fresh maple syrup that they poured onto the snow. It was also great spending a bit more time with the Masteuiatsch group. They're going to help us move on Saturday too, and I look forward to it. It strikes me as unfortunate that we didn't spend more time with them. I think when we get to Medicine Hat I'll suggest we spend some more time with the other nearby groups.
On Tuesday, Barry and I went to a local seminary school to give some presentations about Katimavik. I found myself surprisingly at ease, talking in front of thirty people in my second language. Once upon a time, during a two minute speech, a teacher of mine said that the rocking I was doing was distracting. The only way for me to stay calm while giving a presentation was to rock back and forth on my heels. But now, I'm much more confident. I gave an hour long presentation, and I was completely comfortable. I felt very proud; I don't know when I developed this confidence but I am so glad that public speaking is no longer an issue for me. It's going to come in very handy later in life, of that I am sure. We have another presentation tomorrow morning, and I'm really looking forward to it. Now that I know how easy I find it - enjoyable even - I can't wait to share my experiences with another group of young people about to graduate. It sounds kind of cheesy, I know, but I hope that even one of those kids will try the program. It's an incredibly rewarding experience.
Though I am very excited to get to Medicine Hat and start a fresh adventure, I am really going to miss Chicoutimi. My work placement, especially, has been one of the highlights of this rotation. I adore every day that I spend at the shelter. I'm certainly ready for a change or two, but I doubt I'll ever forget the times I had there. I could make a woman's day just by helping her to make her bed, or telling her I like her shirt, or drawing some flowers and giving her the picture without her asking. The overall shelter experience seems to be fairly dull for the residents, so I find it's very easy to have a positive influence on their moods with the tiniest of gestures.
Today was B.C.'s 21st birthday but we went to the local pub last night, so tonight we didn't do much. We're all tired after all the packing we did anyway. Thirteen people (Roo's boss was helping us out) can sure make a lot of progress in an hour, but that one hour is some very hard work.
A day and a half left of work, a whirlwind of a move, and two days to "unwind" (I doubt that), and we'll be on our way. It feels so weird to think we're leaving! But I'm ready for it. Bring it on.
The volunteering last Saturday night was decent. I doled out spaghetti sauce to about 150 people (there were supposedly 300 hundred in attendance and there were two sauce stations) and then helped with dishes. I assumed I was doing "my fair share" of the work, until Roo approached me and said I was working really hard and she appreciated it. While I did enjoy the recognition, it kind of irked me that my constant yet relaxed pace was comparatively that much. I had preferred to imagine that everyone was working, but apparently half the group was sitting in the dining room drinking coffee.
Sunday's trip to the Sugar Shack was a bit of a disappointment - even the francophones said so. Instead of being a rustic cabin with an all-you-can-eat, maple-syrup-based buffet, it was a backwater cafeteria that didn't even have real orange juice. The "tire à l'érable" (maple pull?) was great though - I took three helpings of the fresh maple syrup that they poured onto the snow. It was also great spending a bit more time with the Masteuiatsch group. They're going to help us move on Saturday too, and I look forward to it. It strikes me as unfortunate that we didn't spend more time with them. I think when we get to Medicine Hat I'll suggest we spend some more time with the other nearby groups.
On Tuesday, Barry and I went to a local seminary school to give some presentations about Katimavik. I found myself surprisingly at ease, talking in front of thirty people in my second language. Once upon a time, during a two minute speech, a teacher of mine said that the rocking I was doing was distracting. The only way for me to stay calm while giving a presentation was to rock back and forth on my heels. But now, I'm much more confident. I gave an hour long presentation, and I was completely comfortable. I felt very proud; I don't know when I developed this confidence but I am so glad that public speaking is no longer an issue for me. It's going to come in very handy later in life, of that I am sure. We have another presentation tomorrow morning, and I'm really looking forward to it. Now that I know how easy I find it - enjoyable even - I can't wait to share my experiences with another group of young people about to graduate. It sounds kind of cheesy, I know, but I hope that even one of those kids will try the program. It's an incredibly rewarding experience.
Though I am very excited to get to Medicine Hat and start a fresh adventure, I am really going to miss Chicoutimi. My work placement, especially, has been one of the highlights of this rotation. I adore every day that I spend at the shelter. I'm certainly ready for a change or two, but I doubt I'll ever forget the times I had there. I could make a woman's day just by helping her to make her bed, or telling her I like her shirt, or drawing some flowers and giving her the picture without her asking. The overall shelter experience seems to be fairly dull for the residents, so I find it's very easy to have a positive influence on their moods with the tiniest of gestures.
Today was B.C.'s 21st birthday but we went to the local pub last night, so tonight we didn't do much. We're all tired after all the packing we did anyway. Thirteen people (Roo's boss was helping us out) can sure make a lot of progress in an hour, but that one hour is some very hard work.
A day and a half left of work, a whirlwind of a move, and two days to "unwind" (I doubt that), and we'll be on our way. It feels so weird to think we're leaving! But I'm ready for it. Bring it on.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Katimavik Day 73
This week was certainly more difficult than any I have had here so far. At the beginning, my homesickness was sharp but I had so many new experiences to distract me - meeting everyone, orienting myself in a new city, and getting into the routine of my work placement. But this past week was very hard, because my homesickness was sharp and there was nothing new going on - I knew everyone, I knew where I was, I knew what work was like.
Using time as an agent of separation is the best method, to me, for healing pains. On Wednesday I got a little more comfortable still being here. On Thursday, we met up with the Masteuiatsch and Dolbeau groups, which was unfamiliar enough to be incredibly distracting. Yesterday, I found that I was back in my old mindset: I'm happy to be here enough that three more months doesn't sound so awful. I'd really like to thank the words of encouragement left on my last post, as they certainly cheered me up. And letters don't make me homesick, rather they make me glad to be here because getting mail is awesome! You two are great and I look forward to seeing you again when I get home - this summer.
Last night I was able to watch part of the Regard Short Film Festival. It was really great. I was there as a volunteer; my work was to ask people a brief survey before they went into the film session. Happily, after thirty minutes of rather intimidating work - approaching strangers isn't something I'm comfortable with yet - I was allowed to watch the full film session. I believe I watched 10 short films, perhaps more, in my 2 hours there. I really enjoyed it. It's the sort of experience I've never had before, and I don't see why I've never sought out such a thing before. It makes me think again about how little I engaged as a citizen back home. I lived in the community without interacting with it. I'm really eager to change that when I go back.
I'm also getting excited again to go to Alberta. As part of my "pull yourself out of this crap feeling before it ruins your experience" efforts (which included some self-pampering involving food and nail polish, and the creation of some strange art work) I wrote a list of all the good things about going to Alberta that I couldn't get if I went home. One example is the new work placement I'm going to have. I can't wait to find out what I'll be doing when I get there.
It's one in the afternoon, so I should probably get out of bed. Tonight we're volunteering at Cuisiner's workplace, at a spaghetti dinner/dance night fundraiser (he works at an old folk's catering service). Tomorrow afternoon we're going to a sugar shack with the Masteuiatsch group. I really like seeing them. The Dolbeau group really keeps to themselves, but Masteuiatsch is very sociable.
11 days left here in Chicoutimi! I still need to try out the sushi bar on Racine st and a cafe, but after that, I will have done everything I wanted to do here.
Using time as an agent of separation is the best method, to me, for healing pains. On Wednesday I got a little more comfortable still being here. On Thursday, we met up with the Masteuiatsch and Dolbeau groups, which was unfamiliar enough to be incredibly distracting. Yesterday, I found that I was back in my old mindset: I'm happy to be here enough that three more months doesn't sound so awful. I'd really like to thank the words of encouragement left on my last post, as they certainly cheered me up. And letters don't make me homesick, rather they make me glad to be here because getting mail is awesome! You two are great and I look forward to seeing you again when I get home - this summer.
Last night I was able to watch part of the Regard Short Film Festival. It was really great. I was there as a volunteer; my work was to ask people a brief survey before they went into the film session. Happily, after thirty minutes of rather intimidating work - approaching strangers isn't something I'm comfortable with yet - I was allowed to watch the full film session. I believe I watched 10 short films, perhaps more, in my 2 hours there. I really enjoyed it. It's the sort of experience I've never had before, and I don't see why I've never sought out such a thing before. It makes me think again about how little I engaged as a citizen back home. I lived in the community without interacting with it. I'm really eager to change that when I go back.
I'm also getting excited again to go to Alberta. As part of my "pull yourself out of this crap feeling before it ruins your experience" efforts (which included some self-pampering involving food and nail polish, and the creation of some strange art work) I wrote a list of all the good things about going to Alberta that I couldn't get if I went home. One example is the new work placement I'm going to have. I can't wait to find out what I'll be doing when I get there.
It's one in the afternoon, so I should probably get out of bed. Tonight we're volunteering at Cuisiner's workplace, at a spaghetti dinner/dance night fundraiser (he works at an old folk's catering service). Tomorrow afternoon we're going to a sugar shack with the Masteuiatsch group. I really like seeing them. The Dolbeau group really keeps to themselves, but Masteuiatsch is very sociable.
11 days left here in Chicoutimi! I still need to try out the sushi bar on Racine st and a cafe, but after that, I will have done everything I wanted to do here.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Katimavik Day 67
This weekend was our 48 hour break - we were free to do whatever we wanted. So on Friday, Wrecking Ball drove all the way up here and spent the night in the Katimavik house with all of us (well, half of us - several people left for Montreal that night). Then on Saturday morning he drove Rose and I to Quebec City. Rose met her parents for skiing and he and I went for a nice drive before checking into the same hotel at which we stayed the last time we went to Quebec together. We had a lazy day and night and morning, before he dropped me off at Chateau Frontenac from where Rose's parents drove us back to Chicoutimi.
It was wonderful to see him. It made me really want to go home though. It's a lot easier to miss him when it's been long enough that I can't remember what it's like to be close to him. Now that I remember what it feels like...
I don't want to talk about it. This weekend was very special, and I'm going to be selfish about the details.
I am going to have trouble finishing the program. I really, sincerely, can't care about Alberta right now. I want to go home where "missing" him is just going a few days without hanging out. Where my cat is more than just pictures in my e-mail inbox and where my friends are more than text messages.
I don't know if I'm having more trouble with this program than my housemates. I know B.C. is pretty sick of it but he wants to get his travel deposit back at the end. Everyone else seems to be adoring it. But me, I think I've gotten all I can from this program. I've worked my ass off at a women's shelter. I've tried a bunch of new winter activities and I no longer dislike snow. I learned how to cook and I started to love cleaning. I learned to take genuine pride in the work that I do. I got a little closer to knowing what I want to do in life - to the point that I applied for a new school for next year, an art school, and I was accepted a few days ago, and I'm very excited to go. Now, I'm just here for the French immersion but in Alberta there will be a hell of a lot less French - just my housemates. And they all want to practice their English.
I'll take it one day at a time. One day isn't so hard. I just have to do my "one more day" a hundred more times.
It was wonderful to see him. It made me really want to go home though. It's a lot easier to miss him when it's been long enough that I can't remember what it's like to be close to him. Now that I remember what it feels like...
I don't want to talk about it. This weekend was very special, and I'm going to be selfish about the details.
I am going to have trouble finishing the program. I really, sincerely, can't care about Alberta right now. I want to go home where "missing" him is just going a few days without hanging out. Where my cat is more than just pictures in my e-mail inbox and where my friends are more than text messages.
I don't know if I'm having more trouble with this program than my housemates. I know B.C. is pretty sick of it but he wants to get his travel deposit back at the end. Everyone else seems to be adoring it. But me, I think I've gotten all I can from this program. I've worked my ass off at a women's shelter. I've tried a bunch of new winter activities and I no longer dislike snow. I learned how to cook and I started to love cleaning. I learned to take genuine pride in the work that I do. I got a little closer to knowing what I want to do in life - to the point that I applied for a new school for next year, an art school, and I was accepted a few days ago, and I'm very excited to go. Now, I'm just here for the French immersion but in Alberta there will be a hell of a lot less French - just my housemates. And they all want to practice their English.
I'll take it one day at a time. One day isn't so hard. I just have to do my "one more day" a hundred more times.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Katimavik Day 64
This week I am house managing with Dog. It's been going really well. He takes the initiative to clean things and I don't feel at all like I need to ask him to do anything. Between the two of us, the house has been cleaner than it's seemed in weeks, and the food we've been making has been good too. On Monday we made macaroni and cheese and a ceasar salad. Every supper cooked is supposed to have food from each food group in it, and we had no protein in the meal, so when I was making the ceasar salad dressing I blended tofu in with it. Nobody noticed! It was hilarious. About halfway through the meal, Dog asked everyone to guess where the tofu was, and most people assumed it was in the macaroni. I thought it was great that people couldn't taste it because it seems like nobody in the group is actually willing to eat tofu (apart from Rose and I). On Tuesday, I made a pork roast that turned out surprisingly well considering I had only the vaguest recipe (I asked my supervisor what she did to her pork roast last week and she said "mustard and onion soup" so that's what I did) and no idea at what temperature to cook it. It came out well cooked (it could have cooked a little longer but it wasn't undercooked) and still tender and juicy. It was a big hit. Last night we made thai yellow curry with brocolli stir fry and dessert sushi. It wasn't perfect, but people still said it was good. That makes me worry about all the other compliments we've recieved... Oh well. Tonight we're going to have breakfast for dinner, with crepes wrapped around ham and spinach omelettes, topped with hollandaise sauce. On the side is a fruit salad with devon custard, and for dessert it's waffles with whipped cream. Should be pretty good.
I adore cooking. Making bread has been so much fun. Every so often I wonder about what it's going to be like when I finish this program. Will I still want to make my own bread? Right now I think I will, but that could certainly change. Will I still enjoy cleaning bathrooms every day? Probably. I've done them every day this week, and I don't think our bathrooms have been this clean any other week, if I do say so myself. It feels really good knowing that it's me that is doing that.
Running a household for twelve is challenging, especially since people don't seem to care much about picking up after themselves. And maybe I just don't eat a lot, but I feel like everyone else makes it their goal to eat everything in the house as fast as possible. It seems at times like it would be physically impossible to buy too much, or even just enough, of anything. Milk and yogurt and even the bread we make disappears at a frightening speed.
Wrecking Ball will be here tomorrow. I can hardly get my head around it. I'm too excited!
I adore cooking. Making bread has been so much fun. Every so often I wonder about what it's going to be like when I finish this program. Will I still want to make my own bread? Right now I think I will, but that could certainly change. Will I still enjoy cleaning bathrooms every day? Probably. I've done them every day this week, and I don't think our bathrooms have been this clean any other week, if I do say so myself. It feels really good knowing that it's me that is doing that.
Running a household for twelve is challenging, especially since people don't seem to care much about picking up after themselves. And maybe I just don't eat a lot, but I feel like everyone else makes it their goal to eat everything in the house as fast as possible. It seems at times like it would be physically impossible to buy too much, or even just enough, of anything. Milk and yogurt and even the bread we make disappears at a frightening speed.
Wrecking Ball will be here tomorrow. I can hardly get my head around it. I'm too excited!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Katimavik Day 57
It's really hard to remember to update this blog while I'm here. Between my personal journal and my letters to Wrecking Ball, Jewel, and Hey Rosetta!, I am putting most of my experiences into words already and therefore this blog is low on my priority list of record-keeping. But I am trying to keep in mind that for some people (like my sorority sisters) this is the only view of my experience that they really have.
Yesterday after my language course (we have three-hour second language courses every Wednesday) I went and donated blood for the first time. I was so proud of myself when it was done! But very frightened beforehand. I was also frightened during the process. It was funny because about three quarters of the way through it the needle started to hurt my arm, so the nurse moved it a bit. Then it started to hurt even worse so she moved it again. They guessed I was having a mild reaction to the disinfecting agent they had put on my skin and that it was no big deal. But suddenly I was terrified and I wasn't sure I wanted to keep going. I started to cry and they offered to let me stop, but I told them I was OK and I still felt fine, the needle was just scaring me and I wanted to go until the end. I knew I would be very ashamed of myself if I stopped early. It was hard to calm myself down though. I really am quite afraid of needles, and the sensation of pain felt heavy in a way that had me half convinced it was about to rip itself out of my skin. It was awful. But again, I'm so glad I went through with it to the end. I even got a nice little pin of a drop of blood with the number one in the center, so I can openly display that I chose to do this.
Work has been going really well. I adore my time at the shelter. Every day is more or less the same: clear the breakfast table and do the breakfast dishes; wash the two bathrooms, including the showers and toilets, and sweep them; do the wordsearch and sudoku in the paper (this is my own choice, I do it during my breaks); dust the upstairs; help prepare lunch; eat lunch; clean up after lunch, which involves dishes, sweeping, and wiping the kitchen cabinets; read a novel until it's time to go. I do hope I've made a list similar to that for you before, as I want to stress that the work is almost monotonous. I want it to be clear that I have begun to take pride in my work for what it is, and enjoy it as it is, despite the apparent lameness of my schedule. I feel very appreciated for the work that I do there. I know there is too much work for one person, but that the shelter can't afford to hire another daytime staff person. Therefore, everything I do for them is highly appreciated because otherwise my "supervisor" would need to do all of my work in addition to her own, and there aren't quite enough hours in the day for that.
This week we started doing something in the Katimavik house called "Special Friends". Each person who has chosen to participate (a few people weren't interested) picked the name of another participant and at some point during the week they must do a nice thing or two for their special friend. I once gave Rose the link to this blog, so in the interest of secrecy I won't say what I did for my friend this week lest she look here and figure out who I had. For now, I'll just say that s/he loved what I did, and I will give more details after Sunday.
The end of our time here in Quebec is quickly drawing near. We have already started our debriefing activities; Roo wanted to start them early so that we can be relaxed about it. We wrote info sheets about our work placements for the next batch of volunteers and we did a reflection activity on our personal qualities. We needed to find habits to discard, continue, and develop. I chose to try to stop worrying about what others think about me and doubting myself; to continue making efforts to think and read in French (thinking in French as opposed to forming sentences in English and translating before I speak, which is a very tough habit to break!); and to develop more organisational skills (I've been way too slack about keeping my personal shelves and drawers tidy) and better financial habits (I have made great progress in this area but I still make too many impulse purchases).
Though I have known about it for a while I didn't want to say anything for fear it may not happen, but I am ready to share this news now: Wrecking Ball is going to come visit me! We have a 48 hour break (that is, no activities scheduled all weekend) next weekend and he is going to drive here to see me and then take us to Quebec City. I am more excited than I know how to describe. I think I'm more excited to see him again than I was to come here, and that is saying a lot. I'm glad I'll be house manager next week because I just can't imagine focusing at work knowing that every minute is bringing me closer to seeing him again.
I'll do my best to remember to post at least once next week about what it's really like running a household for twelve. Spoiler alert: grocery day is madness.
I'm having a great time but I miss everyone back home!
Yesterday after my language course (we have three-hour second language courses every Wednesday) I went and donated blood for the first time. I was so proud of myself when it was done! But very frightened beforehand. I was also frightened during the process. It was funny because about three quarters of the way through it the needle started to hurt my arm, so the nurse moved it a bit. Then it started to hurt even worse so she moved it again. They guessed I was having a mild reaction to the disinfecting agent they had put on my skin and that it was no big deal. But suddenly I was terrified and I wasn't sure I wanted to keep going. I started to cry and they offered to let me stop, but I told them I was OK and I still felt fine, the needle was just scaring me and I wanted to go until the end. I knew I would be very ashamed of myself if I stopped early. It was hard to calm myself down though. I really am quite afraid of needles, and the sensation of pain felt heavy in a way that had me half convinced it was about to rip itself out of my skin. It was awful. But again, I'm so glad I went through with it to the end. I even got a nice little pin of a drop of blood with the number one in the center, so I can openly display that I chose to do this.
Work has been going really well. I adore my time at the shelter. Every day is more or less the same: clear the breakfast table and do the breakfast dishes; wash the two bathrooms, including the showers and toilets, and sweep them; do the wordsearch and sudoku in the paper (this is my own choice, I do it during my breaks); dust the upstairs; help prepare lunch; eat lunch; clean up after lunch, which involves dishes, sweeping, and wiping the kitchen cabinets; read a novel until it's time to go. I do hope I've made a list similar to that for you before, as I want to stress that the work is almost monotonous. I want it to be clear that I have begun to take pride in my work for what it is, and enjoy it as it is, despite the apparent lameness of my schedule. I feel very appreciated for the work that I do there. I know there is too much work for one person, but that the shelter can't afford to hire another daytime staff person. Therefore, everything I do for them is highly appreciated because otherwise my "supervisor" would need to do all of my work in addition to her own, and there aren't quite enough hours in the day for that.
This week we started doing something in the Katimavik house called "Special Friends". Each person who has chosen to participate (a few people weren't interested) picked the name of another participant and at some point during the week they must do a nice thing or two for their special friend. I once gave Rose the link to this blog, so in the interest of secrecy I won't say what I did for my friend this week lest she look here and figure out who I had. For now, I'll just say that s/he loved what I did, and I will give more details after Sunday.
The end of our time here in Quebec is quickly drawing near. We have already started our debriefing activities; Roo wanted to start them early so that we can be relaxed about it. We wrote info sheets about our work placements for the next batch of volunteers and we did a reflection activity on our personal qualities. We needed to find habits to discard, continue, and develop. I chose to try to stop worrying about what others think about me and doubting myself; to continue making efforts to think and read in French (thinking in French as opposed to forming sentences in English and translating before I speak, which is a very tough habit to break!); and to develop more organisational skills (I've been way too slack about keeping my personal shelves and drawers tidy) and better financial habits (I have made great progress in this area but I still make too many impulse purchases).
Though I have known about it for a while I didn't want to say anything for fear it may not happen, but I am ready to share this news now: Wrecking Ball is going to come visit me! We have a 48 hour break (that is, no activities scheduled all weekend) next weekend and he is going to drive here to see me and then take us to Quebec City. I am more excited than I know how to describe. I think I'm more excited to see him again than I was to come here, and that is saying a lot. I'm glad I'll be house manager next week because I just can't imagine focusing at work knowing that every minute is bringing me closer to seeing him again.
I'll do my best to remember to post at least once next week about what it's really like running a household for twelve. Spoiler alert: grocery day is madness.
I'm having a great time but I miss everyone back home!
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