I'm sitting in my room, and my first official night on call is going extremely smoothly. It's great! Granted there are only 10 girls since most of them left for the weekend and a few aren't here, but still... They're such great girls. I'm so excited for this coming year! It's going to be great. =) Going to Calgary with a bunch of them tomorrow, which should be sweet. Definitely looking forward to that. =)
So most of the freshmen got here today. Fun times! lol, I feel so weird calling them that, cause that was me last year. I totally feel like I've been here forever. I can't wait till classes start... Gonna be a good time! =D
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Trip back to Alberta... alone
This was written on the 23rd but I didn't get around to posting it till today... =)
Lome... I got through everything no problem, but go figure, just as I get into the airport I have to go to the bathroom. =P And totally forgot what my Dad said about having to pay. I go down and there's a guy standing in the doorway (in a uniform) holding the toilet paper. I think I was only supposed to take as much as I needed, but I wasn't really thinking and took that whole roll from him. It was while i was in the bathroom that i heard another lady come in and he's going "Madame! Papier! Madame!" lol. I stuck it under the door and he was happy. Then I was just going to leave and he's like "Don't you have anything for me?" =P I couldn't remember where I'd put my wallet so I spent like 3 minutes digging through my backpack trying to find it. Finally did and gave him $2, I think. Didn't really look. After that I went through security and into the boarding lounge. There were four gates, and I was at gate 3, the only one that had a "wall" around it. And by wall I mean there was some plywood nailed to boards to make a bit of a barrier. The people there were very helpful. One man asked me if I was flying Air France and told me where to go. There were like three stages that I had to go through before I could go sit down. One guy checked my passport and boarding pass, then I moved on and another guy went through my backpack. They put my backpack on a table behind them and told me to go around. A guy at the next table had one of those wand things and checked me, I guess to see if I managed to get anything through the initial security check. Then I went and sat down. The flight to Paris was uneventful. The steward was quite cute. ;) He was quite persistent in offering me wine... lol. He spoke really good English, and as I was leaving the plane he asked me if I was staying in Paris. I told him no, that I was going on to Toronto. He just wished me a good trip. =)
Paris... That airport is HUGE!!! It was a good thing that I wasn't pressed for time, cause it took me almost 2 hours to get to my gate! From the time that I left the plane, approximately. Hold on, let me check my journal... Good thing I wrote this all down, cause it's awfully foggy right now. Ok, I got off the plane and followed the signs for terminal 2E. I got on a shuttle and had to ride it pretty much all the way around the circuit because 2E had been the stop just before the one where I got on, and they only go in one direction. So I finally got off at 2E and saw that you could either go up for gates 50-79 (or something like that) and down for gates 80-96. Only thing was I didn't know which gate I was at. Luckily there was a lady right inside the doors asking people if they knew which gate they were at. I was at gate 85, which meant that I had to go down the stairs and get on the train. It was pretty sweet. =) Got off at the first stop and followed the signs. Came to security, which I got through no problem. Following the signs, following the signs... Yes, one for bathrooms! =) Still following the signs. Finally came to what I thought was the gate (and still no bathrooms) cause I had to show my boarding pass again. The lady says "OK, gate 85. Get on that bus." I'm going, ANOTHER bus?! So I get on that and we waited there for about 10 minutes for other passengers, then started to drive. I have no clue where all we went... Across runways, over highways, through the pouring rain. Finally got to the building, and my gate was the first one inside the doors. Man, that's a NICE terminal! Nice bathrooms too. ;) There were all sorts of shops that I just browsed through to kill time and be on my feet. I only had about 2 hours in the terminal before boarding, so that was nice. The flight to Toronto was long (8 hours), and I think I managed to sleep about 3 or so. Had my eyes closed for longer than that though. I watched Shrek 3 (and Spiderman 3 on the Lome to Paris flight). =) It was a long flight...
Toronto... This is getting extremely long. It took me about an hour to get through all the security stuff, but I didn't have any problems whatsoever. I got to the carousel where my bags were and almost had a panic attack. One bag was already waiting there (the one that Mom packed), but the other wasn't. I was paranoid because at the Lome airport the guy had sent my bag through while I was putting books into the other one and I never saw if he actually put the tag on it or not. I'd kinda been worrying and praying about it the whole trip, and then I got there and only the one was there. I waited and waited... Finally, after about 20 minutes or half an hour the other one came through. Was I ever relieved!!! Went out and found Oma and Aunt Rosy. So good to see them! We took the bags over to a not so busy corner and I repacked them, cause I was leaving one bag with Aunt Rosy and some of my stuff was in it. Aunt Rosy had already checked me in on-line for my next flight, so I had my boarding pass and all I had to do was check in my bags. We went upstairs, checked them in, and went out for lunch. We went to Kelsey's for lunch (it was great!) and had a good time visiting and stuff. I feel so blessed that they came to see me. =) They brought me back to the aiport at about 4, and I went through security with, again, no problems. By that point I was starting to fade. Fast. I had found my alarm clock in the bag that Mom packed, so I had that in my backpack. I set it for 10 minutes before boarding and promptly fell asleep on my backpack. I just couldn't stay awake! I dozed off and on, walked around for a bit, and slept some more. There were two flights going to Calgary before mine from that gate. I wanted to get on! lol. I bought a couple of purses at the airport too. There was a sale, $15 for one bag or two for $25. Oma and Opa gave me some money, so I bought a couple. Super cute! =) We finally started boarding at about 6:40 and I, once again, was at the very back of the plane. (Lome to Paris I was at the very back too). However, the flight wasn't full, so after we took off I moved over to the row across from me that only had two seats, curled up and immediately fell asleep. I woke up a couple of times, but I was completely and totally disoriented and I don't think capable of staying awake at that point, so I went back to sleep. I woke up and stayed awake about 20 minutes before we landed. Uncle Al picked me up, got my bags, and we went home. I visited with them for about an hour and then crashed. It was a long trip. Almost as long as this post.....
Lome... I got through everything no problem, but go figure, just as I get into the airport I have to go to the bathroom. =P And totally forgot what my Dad said about having to pay. I go down and there's a guy standing in the doorway (in a uniform) holding the toilet paper. I think I was only supposed to take as much as I needed, but I wasn't really thinking and took that whole roll from him. It was while i was in the bathroom that i heard another lady come in and he's going "Madame! Papier! Madame!" lol. I stuck it under the door and he was happy. Then I was just going to leave and he's like "Don't you have anything for me?" =P I couldn't remember where I'd put my wallet so I spent like 3 minutes digging through my backpack trying to find it. Finally did and gave him $2, I think. Didn't really look. After that I went through security and into the boarding lounge. There were four gates, and I was at gate 3, the only one that had a "wall" around it. And by wall I mean there was some plywood nailed to boards to make a bit of a barrier. The people there were very helpful. One man asked me if I was flying Air France and told me where to go. There were like three stages that I had to go through before I could go sit down. One guy checked my passport and boarding pass, then I moved on and another guy went through my backpack. They put my backpack on a table behind them and told me to go around. A guy at the next table had one of those wand things and checked me, I guess to see if I managed to get anything through the initial security check. Then I went and sat down. The flight to Paris was uneventful. The steward was quite cute. ;) He was quite persistent in offering me wine... lol. He spoke really good English, and as I was leaving the plane he asked me if I was staying in Paris. I told him no, that I was going on to Toronto. He just wished me a good trip. =)
Paris... That airport is HUGE!!! It was a good thing that I wasn't pressed for time, cause it took me almost 2 hours to get to my gate! From the time that I left the plane, approximately. Hold on, let me check my journal... Good thing I wrote this all down, cause it's awfully foggy right now. Ok, I got off the plane and followed the signs for terminal 2E. I got on a shuttle and had to ride it pretty much all the way around the circuit because 2E had been the stop just before the one where I got on, and they only go in one direction. So I finally got off at 2E and saw that you could either go up for gates 50-79 (or something like that) and down for gates 80-96. Only thing was I didn't know which gate I was at. Luckily there was a lady right inside the doors asking people if they knew which gate they were at. I was at gate 85, which meant that I had to go down the stairs and get on the train. It was pretty sweet. =) Got off at the first stop and followed the signs. Came to security, which I got through no problem. Following the signs, following the signs... Yes, one for bathrooms! =) Still following the signs. Finally came to what I thought was the gate (and still no bathrooms) cause I had to show my boarding pass again. The lady says "OK, gate 85. Get on that bus." I'm going, ANOTHER bus?! So I get on that and we waited there for about 10 minutes for other passengers, then started to drive. I have no clue where all we went... Across runways, over highways, through the pouring rain. Finally got to the building, and my gate was the first one inside the doors. Man, that's a NICE terminal! Nice bathrooms too. ;) There were all sorts of shops that I just browsed through to kill time and be on my feet. I only had about 2 hours in the terminal before boarding, so that was nice. The flight to Toronto was long (8 hours), and I think I managed to sleep about 3 or so. Had my eyes closed for longer than that though. I watched Shrek 3 (and Spiderman 3 on the Lome to Paris flight). =) It was a long flight...
Toronto... This is getting extremely long. It took me about an hour to get through all the security stuff, but I didn't have any problems whatsoever. I got to the carousel where my bags were and almost had a panic attack. One bag was already waiting there (the one that Mom packed), but the other wasn't. I was paranoid because at the Lome airport the guy had sent my bag through while I was putting books into the other one and I never saw if he actually put the tag on it or not. I'd kinda been worrying and praying about it the whole trip, and then I got there and only the one was there. I waited and waited... Finally, after about 20 minutes or half an hour the other one came through. Was I ever relieved!!! Went out and found Oma and Aunt Rosy. So good to see them! We took the bags over to a not so busy corner and I repacked them, cause I was leaving one bag with Aunt Rosy and some of my stuff was in it. Aunt Rosy had already checked me in on-line for my next flight, so I had my boarding pass and all I had to do was check in my bags. We went upstairs, checked them in, and went out for lunch. We went to Kelsey's for lunch (it was great!) and had a good time visiting and stuff. I feel so blessed that they came to see me. =) They brought me back to the aiport at about 4, and I went through security with, again, no problems. By that point I was starting to fade. Fast. I had found my alarm clock in the bag that Mom packed, so I had that in my backpack. I set it for 10 minutes before boarding and promptly fell asleep on my backpack. I just couldn't stay awake! I dozed off and on, walked around for a bit, and slept some more. There were two flights going to Calgary before mine from that gate. I wanted to get on! lol. I bought a couple of purses at the airport too. There was a sale, $15 for one bag or two for $25. Oma and Opa gave me some money, so I bought a couple. Super cute! =) We finally started boarding at about 6:40 and I, once again, was at the very back of the plane. (Lome to Paris I was at the very back too). However, the flight wasn't full, so after we took off I moved over to the row across from me that only had two seats, curled up and immediately fell asleep. I woke up a couple of times, but I was completely and totally disoriented and I don't think capable of staying awake at that point, so I went back to sleep. I woke up and stayed awake about 20 minutes before we landed. Uncle Al picked me up, got my bags, and we went home. I visited with them for about an hour and then crashed. It was a long trip. Almost as long as this post.....
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Leaving today
In 6 1/2 short hours I will be at the airport. I’m a little nervous about doing the whole international traveling thing by myself, but Mom says not to worry. I’ll have someone take me to the airport and make sure that I get on the plane, which will be good. It’s only this first part that I’m really worried about. I checked my luggage in this morning, and had to do it by myself cause they wouldn’t let Mom or Dad in since they weren’t flying. I pretended that I didn’t speak French and actually got through quite quickly, whether it was because it was too hard to try and communicate with me or just because there wasn’t much to do. Both of my bags were overweight but the guy said that that was all right and put them right through. Praise God! Now we need to pray that they both get to Toronto with no problems and in one piece. They’re both in rough shape already… Hopefully they’ll hold up.
I would really appreciate your prayers as I travel, that my luggage would get there, that I’ll have enough energy, and that I won’t get sick. I’m not feeling too well today, but it’s possible that it’s because I’m excited/nervous. Either way, traveling when you’re not feeling well is not fun. Anyways, I’m going to go see if I can get any more hugs out of my brothers… Not so easy these days, now that they’re so much bigger than I am! Simon puts up a pretty good fight… I’ll get one yet. =D
I would really appreciate your prayers as I travel, that my luggage would get there, that I’ll have enough energy, and that I won’t get sick. I’m not feeling too well today, but it’s possible that it’s because I’m excited/nervous. Either way, traveling when you’re not feeling well is not fun. Anyways, I’m going to go see if I can get any more hugs out of my brothers… Not so easy these days, now that they’re so much bigger than I am! Simon puts up a pretty good fight… I’ll get one yet. =D
Monday, August 20, 2007
Last days
Tomorrow is my last day in Togo. My bags are packed and I'm ready to fly, though I don't actually take off until 10 o'clock tomorrow night. We had a great day at the beach yesterday and I successfully got burnt just enough that it will soon turn into a nice tan. This morning Mom, Beth and I went to the market, something that I was looking forward to more for the chance to spend time with them than for the actual shopping. It was, however, a very productive trip. I found a sweet pink shirt that says "Reebok" on it, a pair of super comfy jeans, and two pairs of hot boots. They're amazing! The boots are definitely my favourite find. We then went out for lunch afterwards. It's so good to have this time... I'm going to miss them so much!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Never an uneventful trip
I left Kara yesterday for the last time, possibly ever. We didn't get very far, however, before we came across a huge accident. A semi carrying scrap metal had tipped over, and there was just barely enough room for us to get by, thankfully on the side of the road that was closest to the side of the mountain and not by the sheer drop-off. We got past there, to the top of the mountain, and BANG! One of our back tires blew out. We conveniently rolled to a stop right in front of a tire repair "shop", and there were people immediately all around us to help change and repair the tire. It was slightly suspicious because the spike like thing that was in the tire couldn't have gotten there unless someone stood it up on the road at just the right angle to go into a tire. Whatever, I think it was a God thing that it didn't happen in the middle of nowhere where we could have been stranded for a while. It only took them about an hour to get the tire off, repair it, and get us back on the road again. Fun times! And all this happens the one time that Mom decides to pack the camera in her bag (which is on top of the truck). Ah well. Memories last longer than pictures, right?
Have you ever done something that you wished you hadn't but can't seem to figure out a way to make it better? That's me right now, and I'm struggling with it. I've hurt someone possibly beyond repair and it's killing me to know that I'm the cause of it. Pray that I'll have peace, and that the other person will find peace too... Thanks guys! Love you tons!
Have you ever done something that you wished you hadn't but can't seem to figure out a way to make it better? That's me right now, and I'm struggling with it. I've hurt someone possibly beyond repair and it's killing me to know that I'm the cause of it. Pray that I'll have peace, and that the other person will find peace too... Thanks guys! Love you tons!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Blocked!
So for some strange reason the network here in Kara blocks me from writing on my blog and reading the comments. Except for right now... Weird, but I'll take advantage of it! The first two weeks with the team here was fun, but super hectic. I was working with the youngest group of kids, ages 4-8. That was... interesting. I've never worked with kids that age before, other than babysitting, and an added challenge that I had was that two of them spoke only French, and neither of the other two leaders spoke any French at all, which meant that it was up to me, with my rusty French, to communicate with them and make sure that that understood what was going on. Eek! I guess I did all right, and they seemed to have a good time, which was the point. =)
The rest of the team left last week Thursday, and I've basically been catching up on sleep and family time. Oh, and Smallville. ;) It's nice to be here with no responsibilities, but I feel kinda lost, not really sure what to do with my time. I had a great time this morning visiting with some friends, and then this afternoon did DDR with Beth and made a welcome sign for their teacher who is coming today. She just arrived in fact. I should go say hi and visit some...
I get back to Calgary on the 22nd, so if I don't write again before then it's because I've been blocked again. I'll try to write as soon as I'm back at school! Hooray for being a highschool RA!
The rest of the team left last week Thursday, and I've basically been catching up on sleep and family time. Oh, and Smallville. ;) It's nice to be here with no responsibilities, but I feel kinda lost, not really sure what to do with my time. I had a great time this morning visiting with some friends, and then this afternoon did DDR with Beth and made a welcome sign for their teacher who is coming today. She just arrived in fact. I should go say hi and visit some...
I get back to Calgary on the 22nd, so if I don't write again before then it's because I've been blocked again. I'll try to write as soon as I'm back at school! Hooray for being a highschool RA!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
