TravelStream™ news feed for member sarahx on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/sarahx en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:48:45 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1260640751/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1260640751/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1260640751/tpod.html Sun, 13 Dec 2009 20:48:45 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

After last weekend skiing, I felt like I desperately needed another weekend to recover. But no such luck- the new week was beginning, 9am Monday morning. I don't think there's anywhere I'd less like to be- but I managed to drag myself to class and at least be present physically if not mentally. You could say I was sleeping with my eyes open... I hobbled around, bruised and achey longing for my bed!

But I persevered, confident in the effects of (caffiene + sugar) x lots and sure enough, come the first class Monday afternoon, I was buzzing, and really enjoying the teaching! We had another bigwig, part of the global leadership team, come to speak to us this week about Identity in Christ. He started off the first 2 days teaching about the history of Christianity, explaining how certain Greek philosophies were adopted by Augustine and Constantine, which has trickled down into our beliefs today- the biggest of which being that God rules over and is responsible for everything that happens in the world- which naturally includes evil. So this is where the Eastern religions and Yin Yang comes in- in every evil, there's a bit of good, and in everything good, there's a bit of evil.

This translates today into some people saying God causes or at least allows world disasters, global wars, starvation, good people to die... which isn't the case at all. Firstly, John felt it necessary to clarify that 'God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.' (1 Jn 1:5) Something that is perfectly good could not cause such death and destruction without being a total contradiction. Secondly, God's caught in a catch 22 situation- I believe he has the ability to stop all the suffering in the world. So why not just do it? The problem is love.

If you've read my blog from a few weeks ago talking about Ella Enchanted, you'll understand the predicament. Imagine for a minute two of your married friends are fighting. Each time one attacks the other, they each retaliate with greater and greater viciousness. There relationship disintegrates to the point of divorce. You have the power to stop it by putting the Ella Enchanted spell on them- forcing them to do whatever you tell them to do. So you have two options: 1. Put this spell on them, and order them both to stop fighting, start loving, and rebuild their marriage. They snap into action and live 'happily ever after'. Great- but is it really a happy ending if they're being forced to do it? 2. Though it kills you to do it, you leave them to live as free beings, even though the consequences cause immeasurable pain and heartbreak.

Tough situation, huh? That's my understanding of how suffering can exist in a world where God is good, anyway. Whew, heavy stuff for the start of a blog considering I didn't think I learnt anything this week!

The reason for that being... caffeine and sugar sadly have limited effects. The rest of class, I was kind of lost/stopped paying attention. Last week of term is never a good time to have intense teaching- everyone's focused on the coming holidays! So I can't really tell you what else Tom said- but I can tell you about the rest of my week!

This week we played Secret Angels / Angels and mortals. Pretty much Secret Santa for the week, we picked names out of a hat, and then spent the rest of the week giving them little gifts, doing their dishes at lunch, getting everyone to give a certain person a hug, writing encouraging little notes etc etc. I picked Bobby, the staff member who lives above us in our apartments, and got my thinking cap on! I turned up to class (late!) on Tuesday, and found a chair had been reserved for me, with balloons stuck on, along with a sign saying 'Sarah, special in God's sight' 2 mini chocolate bars, and a little note signed by Nathan... either my angel was incredibly stupid, or someone was messing with my head!

I struggled through prayer stations that afternoon- we mainly prayer walked, trying out being a mobile unit instead of at a fixed spot- and felt totally spent. So I went up to eat at chilliwagon, but didn't actually go to the park- not because I overdue some sleep, but because I had 3 assignments due at the end of the week! So I came home, slogged away on my book report (bleugh- all done now though!) and finally collapsed into bed.

On Wednesday morning, I snuck upstairs and left a muffin and card in Bobby's apartment and when I got to class, I found a muffin waiting for me on the table too, which was very welcome (and delicious!) Wednesday morning class... I wrote a little poem to be read to Bobby at lunch in front of everyone. It was fun to see him squirm! In the afternoon we had teambuilding games- which were fun, but were also intended to create conflict- so we could resolve the conflict, hopefully preventing us from arguing over the same thing again later. Unfortunately we ran out of time somewhat and so never really had a proper resolution... so everyone left feeling a little dejected and less of a team before! But thankfully we're a strong enough team to discuss it over dinner, rather than just letting it simmer. It's all better now I think. Argh I'm babbling again, sorry, my New Year's resolution is going to be to be succinct.

Still, games were pretty exhausting. I figured I had two options: waste away the whole evening because I felt so tired, or try and do some exercise to get my blood pumping again. I went for the latter- and went to a Zumba class with Tanya and Jenny. For those of you out of the fitness trend loop, Zumba is a keep-fit dance class/aerobics, set to salsa and Brazillian music. Very high energy, lots of quick footwork and shimmying! It was so much fun, and a good workout! THEN I was well and truly knackered, so after a quick dinner I was in bed by 8:30pm, asleep by 10pm... and overslept the next morning, waking up at 8am, still tired! (Skiing for the whole weekend was perhaps not the best idea).

I quickly scurried upstairs to make a treasure trail around Bobby's apartment, leading to a chocolate orange (he'd never had one before). On Tuesday evening, I saw some poinsetta's- and commented to Rebekka how I wanted to get one for our apartment. When I turned up to class, there was one sitting on my desk... interesting! So... Thursday was our big day of teaching and I can say I probably heard about 15 minutes of it... oops. I DID manage to start my journal, write my Stop@5 presentation for Friday and draw a pretty Christmas picture though.

When I got home, I found a bunch of red spray carnations on my bed! There was a little note with them, saying I was as beautiful as the flowers... signed by Taylor. I assumed (and really hoped) they were from my angel, signing other people's names! I happened to be sitting next to Taylor at dinner, and he asked what my angel had done that day- so I joked, well YOU just gave me a bunch of flowers- and he did look entirely flummoxed, so I figured I was safe.

The next morning we had a bit of a lie in, then got to class for 10:30am. We spent the next hour praying for Canada- we're each leading a session on our home country- which was really about the postmodern view of religion/post-Christian church. It seems like our society is desperately searching for truth- not necessarily faith - but just something that is absolute. Science has long been that answer, but increasingly things we thought were solid facts are being disproven, and we're looking for something deeper than just plain logic. As a Christian, this is where the Holy Spirit comes in, which is good for us, as we don't have to and really can't take responsibility for that other than trusting God to show up and being open to Him working in our lives. So it wasn't really for Canada per se, but it was a great session.

After lunch I had my final Stop@5, which I had put a lot of preparation into. Not in the speaking, mind you, but creating props. I decided to talk about God is my strength and my song. I didn't just pick two topics- they were side by side in the same sentence in Exodus. I thought it was interesting that two so seemingly opposite descriptions of God were put alongside each other. So I made everyone a piece of pink card saying God is my song, and a blue card saying God is my strength, both with two slits in them. The idea being that on their own, each card is just 2 Dimensional- but slot them together, they become 3D. There are hundreds and hundreds of names and descriptions of God- so (before all you scientists shoot me, I know this isn't possible), God is really 300 Dimensional!

Then the time came for our big Angel reveal. And I had NO idea- my angel was the master of disguise! While I was terrible, I think nearly everyone knew who I had, and was pretty sure Bobby had guessed too. We went around the circle, each taking a guess at who had been our angel. I guessed wrong twice - and to my surprise, so did Bobby! In the third round, we just revealed who we had, and turns out, Bobby was my angel too!! That was so much fun. The afternoon dragged on a little after that but the weekend has been awesome.

Friday night, after dinner, Rebekka, Heidi, Anne and I went to a Vancouver tradition: The Singing Christmas Tree. Yes, you heard right. It's held at the church right next to our classroom, and has been going for the last 42 YEARS. The Christmas tree is about 50ft high, and is really a giant choir stand, with thousands of lights on it. All these little heads pop out of each tier- about 50 people, and they sing Christmas songs, while the lights dance and make everything Christmassy. But that's not all! Oh no, there's also an ongoing drama, soloist and group singers, and dancing. And of course, audience participation. We started off singing the 12 days of Christmas- with the church (which was seating more than a thousand people) divided into 12 different sections. Our section was 3 French hens- and each time your number was sang, you had to stand up and do the accompanying action. All very amusing and Christmassy!

The play itself tried a little too hard to be culturally relevant for my liking- it followed the story of a family on a farm, who, approaching Christmas, are visited by their bank manager, who tells them he's repossessing the farm and throwing them out - even though it's Christmas. He gets snowed in, ends up spending Christmas with them, his heart is melted by their hospitality and kindness, and so persuades the bank to let them off for the time being. All a bit too much like a Disney film, but it was sweet and some of the singers were amazing. And who can feel grumpy when you're signing/hearing all the lovely Christmas songs... Christmas is coming!

Christmas continued on Saturday. I went up to meet Anne for coffee and Don, one of the YWAM guys - sorry, I mean Santa - walks in with 3 Victorian choir singers! They sing a couple of carols, Santa gives out a few treats to the kids, and move on down the street. He makes a great Santa, although I'm sure the rest of the coffee shop were either a little concerned for Anne and mine's enthusiasm when we leapt up and gave Don a hug or (more likely) were desperately looking for an escape route to avoid this new form of Santa who goes around giving everyone hugs.

I then went down to the Christmas farmer's market, where lots of nice food, Christmassy gifts, wreaths etc were being sold. Two stalls really stood out to me- the handmade chocolates and macaroons (naturally!). I had a great chat with Nina, who crafted these beautiful chocolates (see www.mychocolatetree.ca) about how she got into it. Turns out all I have to do is go to the Cordon Bleu cookery school in Paris, be the best in my class, get an amazing internship, do an incredible job and so get offered a job, work my way up and around all the patisseries in Paris. Easy as, eh? And then my second find was *someone who sells macaroons*. For those of you who haven't ever been to Laduree (www.laduree.com), go. You must. I have been despairing at the lack of these delicious mini-meringue sandwiches that melt in your mouth in Vancouver since I got here. So to find a stall selling them made my week. Month, even. (Obsessed, me? Never.) I would have paid whatever she was charging. Thankfully, they were reasonably priced- and while they weren't quite up to the standard of Laduree (frankly, who could be?) they totally hit the spot. Success! I finished my unintentionally French- themed lunch with a buckwheat crepe from this great little French caravan stationed right outside. Mmmm.

I came home and switched to New Zealand. Hilary (a Kiwi) and Mark had invited Jenny, Nathan and I over for a NZ-inspired evening, so I baked a batch of Anzac cookies to take with me. I didn't really understand how special her menu was- individual steak pies and pavalova - until Jenny and Nathan said not only had they never eaten either, they'd never even heard of them. Never heard of meat pies! I tell you, they're living in the dark ages over here.

Hilary is a fantastic cook, and I enjoyed the pie even more when I realised I wouldn't just be able to pop out to the pub or a pie shop when I had a craving over the next few months. I have also been inspired to educate my fellow Europeans and North Americans on 'how the English' - no, make that 'the right way' - to eat(!). The problem is I don't know what food they don't have until I talk about it- so that's a whole lot of dishes I have to suggest!

Anyway we continued our NZ theme by watching 4 episodes of Flight of the Conchords (an amazing New Zealand comedy show starring 2 struggling musicians, playing themselves.) I know I've said this before but it was so nice to just hang out in a smaller group, and be able to properly talk. I'm looking forward to having an apartment with a dining table/less people in it again next summer!

Then this morning I read the papers online (never thought I'd see the day, but the distance from London-Vancouver makes it a necessity) before heading off to church. When we emerged an hour later, IT WAS SNOWING!!! And settling! Vancouver was already blanketed in snow- I couldn't wipe the grin off my face. I rushed home, had a quick lunch, and then ran outside to play in the snow with Heidi, Taylor, Rebekka and Ancel (hence the pictures). We spent the next hour or so having snowball fights, building miniature snowmen (it hadn't snowed that much!), and making snow angels (my first ever!) Eventually the cold and dinner prep drew us back in, but I've spent the last couple of hours listening to Christmas music just to prolong the seasonal joy.

I wish you snow and happiness (the two are inseparable for me at the moment) for the coming week! x



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1260120187/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1260120187/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1260120187/tpod.html Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:06:11 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Whistler, British Columbia, Canada

Saturday morning I got the 6:30am coach up to Whistler. It was far too early in the morning, but the prospect of just being able to pop up to Whistler and go skiing for the weekend was exciting! 2 short hours later, I arrived in Whistler village- clear blue skies, pristine mountains and snow abounding. I went to go and meet Mel, who was working in guest relations. She was pretty much swamped with people trying to buy all their ski lessons, but I was able to leave my bag in the back behind the desk. So I got changed (which, incidentally, takes a long time when you're putting on quite so many layers) and headed straight up the mountain. So having left Vancouver at 6:30am, 3 hours later, I was on the slopes. Pretty impressive!

I met this guy Brian on the gondola up the mountain- he was Canadian, but has lived in Cairns for the last 12 years, and was also skiing on his own. So we figured we might as well go down a couple of runs together to keep each other company. We ended up skiing the whole day together- which sounds like a long time, but the mountain closes at 3 here. I couldn't believe it, but it was getting dark by 4pm, so I guess it makes sense. I always forget quite how far north we are here, especially compared to the Alps. The skiing was good, but very very icy- there hadn't been any fresh snow for 10 days, and temperatures were well below freezing. Minus 18 to be exact.... After a while, I just had to accept that my fingers were going to be numb for the whole run until I could warm them back up again on the chairlift. (This was with super insulated ski gloves). One run in particular was incredible- it was up on a ridge, so you had 360 degree views of these mountains, which pretty much surround the area, and the wind was so strong that the top layer of snow was being swept up the mountain, with the sun catching it as it swirled and danced. Pretty magical, the simultaneous power and beauty of nature.

I was JUST about warm enough, but couldn't get into the shower fast enough at the end of the day to warm up. My feet sadly were blocks of ice. Completely numb, when I took my boots and socks off, I couldn't actually tell if I was touching the floor or not. It took a good 15 minutes for them to warm up, which came with all the stabbing pains and pins and needles and the blood bravely tries to venture out to my toes again. Mel, my friend from Loughborough, is working the season in Whistler, so gets to stay in the staff housing which is actually in a pretty good location. She has a bunk bed in her room, so I even had my own bed. All in all, worked out to be a pretty cheap weekend, as skiing goes.

Anyway after thawing out, I headed back down to Whistler village to explore a little bit. Did you know there are 4 Starbucks? In a village with one main street that takes maybe 15 minutes to walk, that's a LOT. Along with all the other clothing stores, restaurants and bars, it was a pretty nice area- doesn't quite have the charm of Wengen or other European ski villages, but you can tell they're trying hard. I met Mel after she finished work at 5:30 and after buying supplies for dinner, we headed home. So we whiled away the evening cooking fajitas, having a few glasses of nice wine, chatting, hanging out with her other work buddies, it was so nice- I felt like I was back at uni. That's what I've missed, just being in that relaxed environment with friends I know and love. And just to prove (once more) what a small world it is, I met up with another old friend from Loughborough. Mel and I went to the lounge of another building for a few drinks, it was someone's 21st birthday so we went to meet up with other work buddies. OK this is going to be a long winded connection but bear with me: a random guy came over and introduced himself to us. Apparently he was a barman at one of the bars Mel and her friend had been out to last week, and he'd chatted to them briefly there. So I started talking to him, and a few minutes later, Asha- who was on committee in my first year at Loughborough - comes over. She apparently is in the same room as this random guy. And I had no idea she was even in Canada, let alone Whistler, let alone in the staff accommodation, let alone in this building, let alone sharing a room with this guy! It was SO random, I loved it- we had a good catch up about what she's up to, it was awesome to see another friendly face.

Oh my word this is turning into a long blog, I do apologise. Be encouraged that there is only one more day to go.

We didn't end up going out in Whistler- I was pretty tired from my early start and day of skiing, and Mel from her day's work. Plus it's pretty pricey on a Saturday night in the village, so we were probably in bed by midnight. I dragged myself out of bed 8 hours later to try and get the most out of the day. We managed to get up the mountain by 9:30am again- Blackcomb today, and oh my word it was COLD!! Minus 20 air temperature, with the windchill (which was considerable) MINUS 33. What??! Are we crazy?! I managed to take a couple of photos, but soon discovered that a hand without a glove at that temperature lasts all of 30 seconds before actually freezing. Youch. We had to stop for a hot drink a couple of times because we literally couldn't cope with the cold a minute longer. And if possible, the slopes seemed even icier- it would take a good 20m or so to stop, you'd slide so far down the mountain. Mel likened it to iceskating downhill, which was about right. At one point we were exposed on a ridge, sun on one side, dark shadow on the other. The wind on the ridge was whipping the snow up into little tornadoes, and we were faced with skiing into the wind, down into this valley of shadow. It was beyond bitter, just horrific. Everyone was just standing at the top, screaming- there was no way down but down! So we just had to grit our teeth and get on with it. I don't think I've ever been so cold- luckily I had a balaclava on, but as soon as I breathed out, the condensation was instantly turned to ice. I had a little space between the balaclava and my goggles, and it was red raw. Mel didn't even have a balaclava on- her entire face was numb most of the afternoon.

And then to make matters worse, she almost fell of a cliff/steep piste edge. I came over this hill to see her lying one leg on the piste, the other off, flat on her face, clearly petrified she was going to fall down. I was so scared but there were a couple of other people skiing past who soon rallied round and pulled her up. In reality if she's slipped she only would have slid a couple of feet, but it was still scary! She then had to clamber down about 10m to get her ski which had fallen off- and scramble back up. So after all that rolling in the snow, the cold had pretty much set into her bones, and there was no way to warm up other than getting inside. But bless her, she stayed up with me until the bitter end- eventually just getting the gondola back down to the village while I skied down alone. Somehow I ended up on a horrible steep icy patch again, and just couldn't keep it together. I ended up sliding down backwards headfirst, wondering when I'd stop! But stop I did, and I soon got back up and down to the lower sloped where they blast it with artificial snow to keep it soft. Much better- the views of the village and mountains were incredible, the photos don't do it justice.

So we then headed back up to her apartment, and joyfully collapsed on the sofa in the warm! I caught the 6:30pm coach back to Vancouver, and will be home soon. As always, I am looking forward to my bed- but feel like I need a weekend to recover! Two more weeks of lectures to go- I'll keep you updated :)


******************* CONGRATULATIONS*********************************
You have reached the end of the entry. Your perseverance is an inspiration to me.
******************************************************************************





]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1260137048/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1260137048/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1260137048/tpod.html Mon, 07 Dec 2009 01:05:04 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

This week has been epic, there's so much to tell it's a bit of a daunting task! Plus the fact that I'm writing this sitting on the coach back to Vancouver after an exhausting weekend of skiing isn't helping, but more on that later.

I started off the week with a swim and jacuzzi, early doors on Monday morning before class. After last week I'm trying to do more exercise since we spend most of the week sitting around. This week we had Karen Padgett speaking on relationships... except she never really mentioned relationships! Instead did a lot of 'personality' exercises, to try and work out who we really are, and to be free in that.

Monday we looked at the different internal languages; hearing/knowing, seeing and feeling. You can tell someone's internal language by just listening to their word choices: 'Do you know what I mean?' 'Do you see what I mean?' 'Do you understand how I feel?' The best way to connect to someone and communicate clearly is to use their internal language. Then we moved onto the different domains of listening; for evaluation, for use, to relate and one more which escapes me right now. There was a lot of discussion, talking in small groups etc which helped make the week fresh and exciting. And Karen is so bubbly and full of life the class really came alive, it was awesome. One of the biggest points she made was just giving us permission to be ourselves- to be comfortable and confident in the way we deal with situations, act, think and so on, and not to feel like we have to try and make ourselves like anyone else. Sounds kinda obvious, but its amazing the subtle ways we can be duped into thinking one way is better than another. Of course, it's OK to aspire to be like someone, and to admire certain qualities or activities they do but the vital difference is between whether you could or should try and mirror that.

Tuesday morning probably had the biggest impact on the group. We had to write down 4 of our heroes (on the spot, it's so hard to think of people!) And then write down the 4 main reasons we put them do- what is it we admire about them? We then handed them into Karen and after reading each one for maybe a minute (and knowing us for all of half a day), she spoke to us in such a direct way about things we maybe struggled with, or fears we had, or suppressed characteristics. The reasoning being that you cannot admire something in someone if you don't on some level relate to it and have it inside of you. For example lots of people put Bono (U2) down. For some, one of the primary reasons for putting him down would be that he's a great singer. But for me, I don't have any desire to be a great singer- so that wouldn't be a primary reason for admiring him for me. I'd probably say something about his willingness to try and make a difference.

Anyway after that we had prayer stations. It was mighty cold standing there again, and we only had 1 person come to pray with us. BUT it was sunny, I was in a good mood, and I got the sense we were there to just be a Christian presence in the neighbourhood, and to remind people they can pray if they want to! We were standing right by some traffic lights, so I had great fun watching the drivers stop, read our sign, and look up sceptically at me, and which point I'd grin at them. I find it fascinating how most people find that uncomfortable, and hastily look away rather than just smile back.

That evening, I went to hang out in the park with the Chilliwagon guys again, and just had a great time (again!) I pretty much bounced from friend to friend, catching up on their week, barely even noticing the rest of our team serving the chilli. Before I knew it, the hour was up and it was time for us to go.

Come Wednesday afternoon, we were ready for another dose of Karen. This time we had to place ourselves into Personality type 1-5, based on our answers to a couple of questions. These personalities were: Inventors, Poets, Superheros, Mayors, and Champions. I would up in the Mayor category- and as Karen described the personality type, I associated myself with a lot of it. I think everyone likes learning more about themselves and what makes them tick, we'd all laugh in recognition of the statements Karen would say to each of us. And sure enough, during the break, I had about 5 people come and say every single thing Karen had said about the Mayors could be applied to me! So the main thing is being a facilitator, leader, making sure everyone's catered for and happy, taking on lots of jobs to ensure the whole system runs smoothly. They make good mayors, team managers, pastors (eek!) etc, anything to do with managing several resources, people and systems.

On Wednesday evening, I went over to my small group from church which was great- we had a really good discussion and put together the hamper I'd bought all the food and gifts for last Sunday. I was going to contribute some money towards the hamper, but when I tried, Mark (leading the group) insisted that I'd paid enough with my time, and even gave me an extra $5! Their appreciation meant loads. Also, very exciting news on Wed night, I got an email from this guy on Craigslist who was selling some skis saying they were still available if I wanted to go and have a look at them.

So Thursday was our last day with Karen, and she talked about conflict resolution- how most people fall into one of two camps: the 'deal with it now's and the 'deal with it later's. The Nows are those who will confront someone as soon as there's a problem, and have a fully blown argument to come to a conclusion; the Laters tend to go silent if confronted unexpectedly, and will go away, think about their argument, and then go back later to discuss and come to a conclusion. We had to write our impressions of the other group- and then share them with each other. It was fascinating to see how misconceived we all are- it's no wonder we find conflict resolution difficult if we're starting off with all these preconceptions! I'm firmly in the Later camp, by the way, but I was amazed to hear that the Nows felt we were selfishly witholding the solution to the problem by being quiet and waiting, that we were cold and unemotional by going quiet, and were being two-faced by going to ask someone else for advice first. So we were able to explain ourselves in response to the accusations, and hopefully come to some resolution(!) It was so interesting, and made me realise I have to firstly, stop avoiding conflict all together and secondly, be sensitive to how my actions might appear to other people.

I went for coffee with Anne after class, which was good to have a chat- and then after dinner, I set off on my ski-buying adventure. I was to meet this guy on the North Shore, so I had to get the sea bus across the harbour. 'Twas mighty weird, meeting up with someone from the internet, but as I got off the ferry, sure enough there he was, with the skis in the back of the car. I'd been searching for skis for the last few weeks, and these were the perfect length, in good condition, had good reviews, and he was selling them for just $125 (£75). When I got there, they looked great, and then just to make them even better, he said $100 would be fine. I didn't even try and bargain, he just offered! So another delightful surprise- skis for £60? Yes please!

By the time I'd got the skis, I'd just missed the Seabus back, so I sat and watched the city skyline lights for half an hour. Wish I'd had my camera, you'll just have to imagine it for the time being. It was beautiful, made all the better by my new skis in the foreground resting up against the railings! I pretty much grinned the whole way home, SO excited to be going skiing at the weekend!

We finished class early on Friday, so Jenny, Rebekka, Alex, Trix and I took a trip down to Gastown, the historic (touristy) street where Jack 'Gassy' Someone-or-other started the little village of gastown in... I'm gonna say 1870, might want to check that one. Before Vancouver was founded, anyway. First stop: John Fluevog shoes. Karen's the national retail manager for this uber-cool shoe designer, and the store was amazing. Triple story, all open, brick walls, lots of glass, cool shoes (of course) if a little out of my pricerange right now. We continued down Waterstreet, and walked through a film set (this Vancouver, 3rd biggest film centre of the world, remember!) They were filming the TV show Fringe- it was cool to see the story board, roadies in their puffa jackets with walkie talkies and coffee, and the huge floodlights lighting up the whole street.

After a short detour home to pick up the skis (whoo!) and my ski boots, I took them down to this great second hand sports equipment store to get adjusted. They said it cost $20, which was OK, but also that there was a 3 day turnaround, which was not OK- I left for Whistler in 12 hours! So I took them to the store next door (Sportchek), who did them on the spot for $10. I was a happy bunny. While I was there though, I thought I'd ask their opinion on helmets- to which they started discussing the difference between men's and women's. I interrupted- I meant to wear or not to wear - at which they looked at me like I was kinda crazy and said I'd be crazy not to wear one, and even said they were compulsory on Whistler! I doubted this very much, but thought the time had come to get a helmet- there's no harm in wearing one, after all, and it'll certainly help protect my noggin if (when!) I fall! I was about to get a mid-range one, but at a $100 (yes, same price as the skis), I thought I'd check at the second hand store again. SO glad I did- in the end I picked up a helmet, goggles, poles and ski bag for the same price. So now I am fully kitted out, no more ski rental for the next 10 years at least whoop whoop.

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1257386181/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1257386181/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1257386181/tpod.html Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:52:15 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Our topic for the first official week of DTS was Listening to God. Quite an interesting one as while I'm good at praying and asking for stuff, I rarely think to actually sit and wait for a reply. But imagine sitting in a coffee shop with a friend: you talk non-stop, asking questions but then running onto the next question before they can get a word in edgeways. After 15 minutes, you get up and leave, frustrated that your friend never answers you- it doesn’t make any sense! So anyway our guest speaker for the week was Donna MacGowan, who runs the DTS in Denver, Colorado, and is an amazing woman. She has so many testimonies and stories of when God’s directly impacted her life, and really knows her bible. Another thing I’m not so good at!

One of the tasks Donna set us was to do a secret santa-esque prayer for each other, committing to praying for the person we picked out a hat overnight. Then the next morning we had to sit in front of everyone else with our chosen person and tell them what God wanted to tell them. Eek! Everyone was really honest and open with each other though, and it worked really well – some of the bible verses and phrases people came out with really hit the hearts of their person, relating to something they hadn’t even told anyone about. Then later in the week a group of us (with the other YWAMers who live and work in Vancouver) were praying about a particular topic- and people started coming out with all these interlinked and fairly obscure images, words and bible verses, seemingly from nowhere. So it was an exciting week!

Every Monday we go to another YWAMer’s house for dinner- it’s an important part of the YWAM values to practice hospitality, welcoming people into your home etc, which I love. So a couple of others and I went to Crista’s house- she doesn’t normally cook much, but as we were coming, she’d spent hours slaving over a chicken and pesto lasagna, which was incredible. Then it was my birthday on Tuesday – and courtesy of mummy and daddy Cobbold, we all went out for Thai on the Drive, followed by Italian icecream and then went on to a jazz bar for a cocktail. During the day I had my first Angel Food cake too, made by the lovely Henry (also from England!) on Wednesday evening a group of us went to a Jason Mraz gig which was awesome, and then on Thursday it was Trix’s birthday so we went out for icecream again! I’ve been drinking lots of coffee – there’s such a coffee culture here, I have to limit myself to one a day – which involves turning down a cup at least twice a day. I don’t want to leave a caffeine fiend.

One of our mini-tasks for the week was to talk to meet 3 new people on Commercial Drive. Before too long I was viewing every person as a potential conversation- which felt a little bit false- but it was fascinating to just realize that each and every person walking around here has a story they (mostly) want to tell. I met Mark in one of the druggy stores (selling bongs, marijuana scented body spray and the like) who spent 6 months in Ghana a couple of years ago and had a funny story about a goat on a bus. The next day I met Marie, a sixty or seventy-something (I would guess) year-old hairdresser, heavily made up, slightly incoherent and shaking, who went to the Reformed church of Jesus Christ and wanted to get out of her apartment because her neighbours were all hooked on crystal meth. I went with Johnny, a homeless guy who was trying to find some dinner for him and his girlfeidn, to the local Subway to get the biggest sandwich they could make for $5. All too often we just walk past every other person, never taking the time to stop and really look or consider what their lives might be like. Skip on by if this is getting a bit too philosophical for you, but I was kind of thinking of the potential in each street, train carriage or room. All those potential connections and conversations, just waiting in the realm of possibility. For that one moment in time, our paths cross and we have the opportunity to talk to each other- but hesistate just 5 minutes, 1 minute, 30 seconds, or 2 seconds and that possibility is gone forever. Hm, maybe I think too much!

This weekend has been lovely though- the sun returned (after a torrential day of rain on Wednesday) and I had what can only be describd as a normal day yesterday. Heidi and I went to the local East Vancouver Farmers & Craft Market, and then I wandered up the length of the drive, and sat in the park reading my book for an hour or so. Michelle, who I met in tofino a couple of weeks ago, met me for lunch but was running a bit late, so I had half an hour reading the weekend papers over a latte, before a big brunch/lunch of scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes and buttered baguette. All very good and was great to catch up with Michelle again and see a different face! I love the guys on the DTS but we do spend nearly every minute of the day with each other- so talking to someone different was refreshing! If you remember (and have been reading the entire blog), you’ll remember that Michelle and I bonded over our love of food- and as a seasoned Vancouverite, she recommended this cookery warehouse. So off we trundled, and it was a veritable treasure trove… every trinket, gadget, foodstuff, decoration, storage and display case you (or perhaps that should read I) could dream of. Never would have found it otherwise, so thanks Michelle!

Anyway I’ve rambled on for far too long – today has been a little less eventful. I went to church downtown again, then walked down to Stanley park for a picnic lunch and tried to get into a screening of The Insanitarium of Mr Something-or-other. I cant remember all that much about it, but it was super-popular because it was Heath Ledger’s last film. They had a system of 'returns only’ tickets available- and I happened to be in the area quite early, so I joined the queue about 20 people back, in the hope I could get a ticket. I knew it was fairly unlikely, but it was a sunny day on a pedestrianised street, and I’ve just bought a new book so other than the fact I was standing, I had a very pleasant 80 minute wait, and wasn’t too disappointed when they eventually turned us away as they were full. Pretty exhausting though! Sunday evening I have been writing this and we’re just about to watch Gladiator. Need a night off before the next intense week of teaching begins. I’m looking forward to sleep!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1257747801/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1257747801/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1257747801/tpod.html Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:51:06 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The title of this entry refers to how I've felt this week- totally overwhelmed! I think I've just reached my limit after 6 weeks of teaching. Of course, I've had 10 week terms at uni, but it's a little different learning about books than it is changing your entire view of the world and way you think. For a start, it's exhausting! But let me fill you in on the week, for what it's worth.

I hit Monday morning with a thump. Another week's teaching already? I hadn't recovered from Alberta yet! The topic this week was "Evangelism" & Missions (again). I put the word Evangelism in quotes as it's not really a word I like, it has far too many negative connotations. We were redefining it, so if you can, try to suspend all assumptions surrounding it. Mary flew in from Colorado Springs on Monday lunchtime, and started us off in the afternoon. The whole week she was basically just sharing how she lived life. We all crave honest, real relationships and the only way we're going to get that is if we're transparent and real with each other. It's vulnerable but it's when you have to depend on other people that strong relationships are formed. Jesus first and foremost met people's needs- I think the church has gotten a bad reputation in the past for preaching at people- which not only doesn't help them with what they need at that moment in time, but alienates people further. But really we're all just called to love each other, wherever we're at, warts and all. (Do I sound like a hippy yet? All you need is love....!)

Anyway the next big challenge of the week was deciding what I think of as successful. Our society obviously says it's getting a good job, nice house, filling the house with pretty things (which by the way, I'm very much looking forward to), eating good food (ditto), having influence and security... but what if there's another way? The problem is that no-one ever believes having all those things, you could still be unhappy- despite what those 'at the top' forewarn. So we all chase after them endlessly striving to have more, do more, BE more until we drive ourselves into the ground. So maybe I need to change my way of thinking before it's too late. I'm just thinking aloud here but you can see why I'm feeling exhausted!

Anyway to the more mundane things, I had a great time at the Chilliwagon again on Tuesday, one kid Kyle came with a digereedoo and African drum, and of course Wayne still had his guitar. So we sat, chilled out, ate chilli, made music... it was cool. On Wednesday evening I went downtown to the West End for a small group meeting from my church- I managed to meet some more people, but yet again have been thwarted by their names. Hopefully they might come back to me next week. On Thursday Ancel and I went to the open mic night at a cafe bar on the Drive. Most guys were a bit too mellow for the setting but there was one awesome band, playing quite gentle guitar 'gypsy' songs they called it- and then there was just this random guy on stage, long blonde hair, headbanging. HIL-arious. (Wish I had my camera with me so you guys could have seen it!) Then this weekend I've been trying to relax for once... so have watched 3 movies (note- I am in Canada, therefore they are now movies not films), read a couple of magazines, went out for an Ethiopian lunch and hit a super-giant mall (note to self: never ever ever go again- it was a maze and far too overpopulated with people looking for opportunities to spend their money!)

So I feel somewhat more rested, my mind has had a total 2 day break from teaching and feel much more afloat! Thank God for weekends!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1259521967/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1259521967/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1259521967/tpod.html Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:47:57 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

This week we had Bridget, a personal trainer from the States, come to speak to us about living a Christian life. It was pretty awesome, she used loads of good visual metaphors through 3 (painful) workout sessions! It was good to break up the teaching with some much-needed exercise. Must try harder to exercise during the week! It was interesting, one of the things Bridget talked about was the 7 spheres/spokes in our life: physical, spiritual, mental, family, financial, career and social health. We had to rate ourselves on 1-10 on each aspect, and then think about how we could improve the lowest one. The wheel wont run smoothly if one of the spokes is smaller than the others- and God wants to be involved in every part of our lives. It's a good reminder that God wants more than just Sunday morning church!

Bridget had been through so much in her life- her husband Jack and felt called to go to Afghanistan- and after months of prayer and planning, they booked their flights for September 11, 2001. Events that day obviously meant their flight was cancelled- and so they had to remain in the States, with no idea when they would be able to move. They eventually managed to go a few months later, and from what I could tell, they lived the next 4 years in one of the most dangerous parts of the country, building friendships with the Pashtun people, probably providing an invaluable demonstration that not all Americans follow the 'eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth' mentality. During their time in the country, they experienced the death of friends, the constant fear of living alongside the Taliban, and the terrifying experience of Bridget going into premature labour in a country without a single incubator. The doctors managed to postpone the labour, and 48 hours later their family were back in the USA. They've been told since that it's not safe for them to ever return- the Taliban apparently have them on their 'hit-list' - and so they've had to leave their home, all their possessions, friends, hopes and dreams behind, never to return. Yet despite all this, Bridget is still thankful and dependent on God. She was honest enough to share her struggles, questions and outright depression she's experienced over the last few years. AND as an added bonus, she came with child! Amalia, 4 months old, was one of the cutest and most well-behaved baby I've seen in a while- we all enjoyed the change in atmosphere a baby brings to the room.

So the rest of my week: on Monday Rebekka, Taylor and I elected to go back to Joanna and Wade's for dinner, which was great- despite only ever seeing them once a fortnight or so, they're such lovely people we always feel welcomed like old friends. And Wade lent me more food magazines to chew on over the coming weeks =D

Tuesday afternoon we had prayer stations again- which was, as expected, totally different to last week. Rebekka and I paired off and spent the first 40 minutes prayer walking around the area, which actually went really quickly. We then got stationed- and 5 minutes in, a homeless guy came to talk and talk and talk to us- for the next 35 minutes! So I did enjoy that- although it wasn't really what we were meant to be doing, I thought out of all the people I'd want to talk to on the Drive, that afternoon, he was probably it. Then in the evening I swung by Chilliwagon in the park to see how the guys were doing. I spent most of the next hour talking to Glen- who I'd spoken to quite a lot in the past, and was totally heartbroken at the change in his appearance, coherence and sobriety. I don't understand how so much could have changed in just 2 weeks but I knew that it didn't make a bit of difference- I was sad for the way things had turned out, but he was just Glen to me, not some drunk on the streets. I really appreciate having the opportunity to get to know these guys, week on week, being able to talk to them rather than just walk by them on the street. We later found out that he was taken into hospital that night as he was so inebriated he could no longer stand up.

On Wednesday afternoon we got out the classroom to go to Yaletown- which is a cool part of town, converted industrial buildings, best restaurants in town, designer boutiques, expensive apartments etc etc. Parts of it really reminded me of Spitalfields in London, you get the picture. However, it was chucking it down, which made strolling around the flooding streets a little less enjoyable! But we recovered with a debrief over a gingerbread latte and banana bread. Happy days.

On Thursday evening, we all went over to Pam's house in Burnaby for a pie party in celebration of Thanksgiving and Rene, one of the staff members, who's returning to Oregon. We ate lots of pie, gave Rene her leaving gift, wrote little goodbye notes and prayers of encouragement for her to take with her when she leaves next week.

Friday was a bit of an unusual day- there's a local group called Fusion who have been working with local schools to organise Advent Pagents, which happen all over the world. The kids get dressed up, parade around a shopping mall singing Christmas Carols and then act out the nativity for the parents and passer-bys. Since we might be organising similar events for our outreach in Jan, we thought we'd help out, so dressed as shepherds, wise men and angels, we descended on Kingsgate mall for the afternoon. Honestly, I felt a little redundant, and like it was far too early to be doing Christmas stuff (it's not even December yet!!) but I enjoyed attempting some facepainting (even if my eagle looked more like a duck.)

I babysat most of Saturday, went to church on Sunday morning and did the shopping for a Christmas hamper my small group are putting together for a family in Vancouver affected by AIDS. Went to a coffee shop with Anne, and am currently watching Ancel and Nathan play ice hockey, despite it being 10:20pm. I am sleepy. Most of my entries seem to end like this, but there we go, it's Sunday night and I have another long week ahead!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1258955810/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1258955810/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1258955810/tpod.html Mon, 23 Nov 2009 01:51:11 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Hello from Wet Vancouver

This last week, the rain has begun- with a vengeance. Flooding on Vancouver island and in-the-VALL-eee (how do you phonetically type a Welsh accent? Answers on a postcard.) But it hasn't really affected us since we're holed up in a window-less warehouse all week from 9-5! No, really, it is a good thing, even if we only see 2 hours of daylight a day. Would be perfect for the Edward and Bellas of us.

But I digress. Massively. As you can tell, Sunday evenings are not the most conducive nights for writing the events of the week- but I shall try. This week's theme was Who is God and What Does He Want From Me? Pretty fundamental stuff, and most of it I'd heard before- but Tanya did a great job of presenting it in different ways. Such as Ella Enchanted. Ever seen the film? It's basically Cinderella- except this Ella has a curse on her so she HAS to do anything and everything anyone tells her- which gets her into all sorts of trouble. Anyway, we were asked to think about how we'd feel if our friend, boyf/girlf, child had the same curse put on them. You'd never be 100% certain whether they were doing anything because they wanted to or because someone just told them to, which kinda sucks. The analogy being that God doesn't want his creation to be mere robots- hence why we always have free will whether to accept Him or not.

What else... we looked at why God made us- and it's not because he was bored and wanted a plaything, or was egotistical enough to create a world full of people just to worship him or serve him. Have you read The Shack? It describes the perfect relationship between God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit- and a natural progression from love is to create more people to love, more relationships. So we were created to love and be loved. (I tell you, if I was in the 60s, I'd be loving it- all you need it luuuuurve! [which, by the way, I disagree with, but again, I digress.])

So, the rest of my week... on Monday I went to Ryan's for dinner- another staff member, who lives in a total bachelor pad. I described it as 'The House of Trouser' to him, but sadly Neighbours has not made it across the pond, so the reference fell somewhat flat. But he is a very good cook- we had chicken enchilladas, cucumber salsa, black beans, chips and salad- all homemade. Mmm. It was cool to hang out with the guys for a bit, but then I had to drag myself back to the apartments to do my journal.

I'm sorry, I don't know why anyone would find such minute-to-minute detail interesting- I'll try and keep the rest a tad more succinct.

Tue: OK this is an exception, I have a story to tell for this! The time finally came for my first Prayer Station- this involved donning a red vest, standing on a busy street corner and holding up a sign saying Free Prayer. Argh. I felt like a total utter idiot for the first 10 minutes, and started praying for myself that someone interesting would show up! Two minutes later we had our first taker- a guy who wanted us to pray that he had NO sex. Completely serious- I had to check a couple of times to make sure I was hearing right, but he decided he wanted to be abstinent for the rest of his life- or until he got married. So that was certainly interesting!

About 5 minutes later, a lady walked past us and kind of half hesitated, half continued, before stopping about 10m away from us. It looked like she was waiting for the bus- and I kinda wanted to go and talk to her, but I thought it was really up to her if she wanted to come talk to us- I didn't want to be like a prayer chugger! (Chugger noun: One of those incredibly guilt-inducing charity muggers who approach you on the street wearing vests all too similar to the ones we wear for prayer stations and ask you for money.) So anyway a couple of minutes later, she glanced over at us for the third or fourth time and cautiously walked back towards us. She asked us who we were, and what the deal with the free prayer was. Well Ancel and I hadn't really got a clue how to answer, having done it for all of 20 minutes, but did the best we could! I explained that everyone has needs in their life, and that since prayer is free, there's no harm in trying it! So she asked us to pray for her tooth, that it wouldn't have to be taken out at the dentist later that week. I prayed out loud right there, which was a little awkward- and then she thanked us and rushed back to the bus stop... missing the bus by about 10 seconds.I felt SO bad- if I'd just kept that prayer a bit shorter, she would've made it- I didn't want her to put off prayer for life!

But she didn't seem too put out- and actually came back to ask for another prayer- about a relationship. She gave me no details or anything, I really had nothing to go on (praying for strangers is difficult!) so I just hoped I'd say the right things. Afterwards she kind of stared at me and said 'That's so interesting, you prayed for the precise problem we have in our relationship. Wow!' So that was cool - I was able to tell her God sees and cares about all the little details in our lives.

OK that's the longest story, I promise. Tue night Rebekka and I went to Vancouver Art Gallery, which was alright but a little disappointing after greats such as the National Portrait Gallery and the Tate in London. Friday night all the girls went over to Anne and Tanya's for a sleepover which was super fun! We had chocolate fondue, face masks, more chocolate, watched Strictly Ballroom and Twilight (in preparation for New Moon) and pancakes in the morning! 'Twas fabulous. Saturday then, though, I was super tired- and the rain kinda puts me off doing anything, going anywhere, so I just stayed in.

Then today, amazingly, it didn't rain (whooooo big cheer!) I got the bus down to church as usual, which was awesome, and then went window shopping (no money) in trendy Kitsilano. There are some beautiful shops there, really cool stationery, kitchen equipment, WholeFoods store, coffee shops... it felt the most like London (Kensington & Chelsea) out of everywhere I've been so far. Had sushi for lunch and met up with Michelle for a wander and saw the restaurant where she works (Bistrot Bistro, looks fantastic). Then came home and cooked dinner. And (at last) that's my week!

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1258340875/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1258340875/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1258340875/tpod.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:44:49 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Sorry for the uninspiring title, I'm feeling a little uninspired! It's cold and rainy here, and I've been lounging around all afternoon. Not conducive to working or writing! But here goes, just a quick summary of the week- it's all been pretty uneventful.

This week we've had Adam Atkinson from Alberta come to talk to us about Spiritual Warfare. This isn't religious warfare- fighting between different religious groups - but rather fighting in the spiritual world. Pretty out there, but if we believe in a spiritual world; that there might be a God (or some greater being), angels, ghosts, that kind of thing, it stands to reason that just as in the physical world, there will be both good and evil forces. The problem being that good and evil are headed in opposite directions- so when they collide, a battle ensues.

Adam suggested the spiritual world is all around us- not visible, but certainly present, and that we need to know how to deal with the darker influences so we can protect ourselves and help others around us. All pretty intense and I think I felt a bit detached from the whole topic- not really sure why. I want to sift through all my notes and work out what I think!

So anyway to the rest of the week, slightly lighter topic. I had a nice long coffee Skype chat with the 'rents on Tue eve before going iceskating again- I am getting better... slowly! Had one spectacular fall when, moving at (a slow) speed, I sailed towards Anne, thinking I'd stop myself just in time- and realised I don't yet know how to stop! So pretty much just crashed into her, collapsed and pulled her down with me... oops!

Wednesday I went to the small group from my church again- I really really didn't feel like more teaching and discussion, but I DO want to get to know people- so I still went, and I actually ended up enjoying myself- we were just sitting around chatting really, it was a good time.

Thursday I got super excited because a friend from uni, Mel was arriving from London in the eve (before going up to Whistler for the winter). So after dinner I went on over to the airport, expecting her to take hours to get through immigration- and she was waiting there for me! We went to Starbucks for a catch up- it was sooo good to see a familiar face, and hear her lovely English accent again! I wish I could fly all my friends out here... please come visit!

The weekend has been rainy and miserable- so I watched The Notebook on Friday night (at last- good film), spent all day Saturday working in the coffee shop and then watched Prince Caspian on Sat night. This morning our whole school were leading the Sunday school at a local church- with the theme of missions. It went really well- my last experience of leading sunday school was in Uganda with 100 kids who didn't speak English, so 25 well behaved little Canadians was a doddle. Unfortunately when we left the church, the torrential rain had started- so I was cold and wet for the next hour or two (despite sitting in a warm Starbucks and getting a venti caramel brulee latte- do you know how BIG those cups are?!!)

So when I finally got home and got changed, I jumped under a blanket, and settled down to a few episodes of Desperate Housewives. I feel very lazy, like I've wasted the afternoon- but I couldn't quite face leaving the apartment and getting wet again, so here I have stayed!

So hopefully next week will be more eventful/exciting for all of you who are still reading... maybe I'll have to invent/embellish a story... something about a pink elephant walking down the middle of Commercial Drive. You never know!

]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1257385912/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1257385912/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1257385912/tpod.html Sun, 15 Nov 2009 02:16:16 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Firstly, let me apologise for the delay in loading this up... it's been 6 weeks now but my blog entry has been trapped on another laptop (long story) with no way of getting it off. So here are the last 6 weeks. Pace yourself, you're in for a long ride.

I'm going to try and write weekly updates every Sunday to fill you all in what’s happening during the week; classroom stuff, free time, weekends etc etc. For those of you who don’t know, I’m in Vancouver for 6 months (with a 5 week hiatus in Montreal next January), with a Christian organization called Youth With A Mission (YWAM). The programme I’m on is called Discipleship Training School, the purpose being (from my understanding) to train us students up to be like disciples of Jesus, so in turn we can train others. This is achieved by a) receiving teaching, b) living in community and c) going out to practice what we’ve learnt.

Out daily schedule consists of about 2 ½ to 3 hours teaching from a guest speaker about topics such as listening to God, Evangelism and Justice, mixed in with some worship and intercession (prayer) time. Then every Tuesday afternoon we’re either helping out with Chilli Wagon or prayer stations. The first is basically a soup (chilli0 kitchen for the many homeless on Commercial Drive at a park down the other end, and the latter involves wearing a red jacket, standing outside the main Skytrain station with a sign saying 'free prayer’ for anyone who feels like they need it. Should be interesting! Then on Wednesday afternoons we’re either going on a tour of one particular part of the city with the YWAM Vancouver Director or preparing for Outreach in Montreal (French lessons, buying lots of jumpers… that kind of thing!) On Friday afternoons we have Stop@5 to practice public speaking amongst each other- where we have to prepare a 5 minute talk about a characteristic of God (taken from a list) and then spend the rest of the day summarizing the week. We also have to spend an hour every morning before class on our own doing bible study/devotional/whatever you want to tcall it, and coupled with lunch/dinner prep 9we get food provided but do all the cooking ourselves), it’s a very busy week1 Bit of a shock after 7 hours a week last year at uni.

I’m staying in what’s effectively a dorm (a one-bed apartment) with 4 other girls: Heidi from Finland, Trix and Rebekka from Switzerland, and Alex from Romania. Then down the corridor is the guys’ apartment, housing Taylor from the States, Ancel from Switzerland and Nathan and Jenny (who are married) From Alberta, Canada. Then on the staff there’s Randy from Canada, Tanya from Canada too, anne from Holland, Julia from Kenya, stuart from Oz and Bobby (who lives in the apartment above us), also from the States. So quite a mix of nationalities and personalities.

I’m trying to think back to that first week, it seems so long ago already. It was basically just an introduction to the programme and getting to know each other. One of the icebreakers we did was a circle of encouragement- 2 circles of people, one inside the other, and you had to eyeball the person in front of you and say something good you’d noticed about the other person, or give them a compliment or just generally say something nice! It was a little awkward in patches as we’d only known each other 48 hours but it forced us to get over that initial hurdle of getting to know each other and made us all closer, faster.

On Thursday we went out for lunch and had a kind of scavenger hunt on Commercial Drive, answering questions on the local businesses. The Drive is a great area- we’re living just off the drive itself, with lots of cafes, delis, vintage shops, second hand book shops, and about every ethnic restaurant you could think of. Our apartment is also really close to the skytrain (monorail) meaning we can get into downtown Vancouver in about 15 mins door to door.

We went to the park on Friday afternoon to play some wide games involving water balloons and running in circles with our foreheads on a baseball bat. The local teenagers, hanging around evidently with nothing better to do than smoke week, looked on with mild interest. Friday evening we decided to go ice skating- after a few shaky rounds, I managed to get by and only fell over twice (one of which doesn’t count as I was pushed!) We then went via an amazing Italian gelato parlour on the way home. I have made it my personal mission to get through every flavour by the time I leave- have been 3 times in the first week, so it may just be possible.

Our Saturday was filled with a tour of Vancouver to help us get our bearings – we took the bus into town, then a ferry across to North Vancouver (on the other side of the harbour), with fantastic views of the skyline silhouetted against the clear blue sky. On our way back, we went over to English Bay, one of several small beaches on the West side of Stanley Park. It was super windy, but beautiful weather- with the waves crashing against the sea wall and feeling the spray in the hair I felt like I was in Brighton or somewhere on the coast, felt right at home! We strolled through Stanley Park (it takes about 3 hours to walk around the perimeter) to get to the other side, and then Rebekka, Trix, Anne and I hit downtown Vancity for some shopping. Good shops here, and I think just a little cheaper than England.

I really want to get settled into a church here asap, so I went to two churches on Sunday morning. Slight overkill, perhaps, given the busy week I had ahead, but it was good all the same to check them out and incredibly, the second sermon more or less continued where the first (in a different church) had left off! On Sunday afternoon I went back onto the Drive to check out the vintage shops, handmade chocolate shops… all very important research. Then before we knew it, week one (kind of) was over!



]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1256444709/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1256444709/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/sarahx/3/1256444709/tpod.html Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:13:06 -0500 Canadian adventures

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

So on Thanksgiving itself, I went downtown to watch another film at the Vancouver International Film Festival- Mammoth, which was awesome, go and see it. I think it comes out in a few weeks maybe. But I'm glad I managed to see something in the festival- some people come from worldwide just for the film festival, I didn't want to pass up the opportunity. I then came back and started cooking the lasagne for dinner. We're all go on a weekly rotation for cooking weekend dinners, so we have to cook every 3 or 4 weeks. It was a total work of art, this lasagne, and we put it in one massive dish (serving 12 BIG portions). It was only when we tried to put it in that we realised the dish was too big for the oven... so we pushed it in as far as it would go, shut the door as much as possible, propped it up with a chair, put a metal tray and some tea towels on the top for some insulation, and stuffed a couple of teatowels in the side gaps. Amazingly, it worked! An hour later we had a delicious bubbling lasagne, as our last meal until Friday lunchtime...

As a school, we decided to to a 3.5 day fast- i.e. just drinking juice (and the ocassional Chai latte on my part). It's talked about tons in the bible, as something that Christians did all the time, so it doesn't make much sense that we never really do it. There are various reasons for doing it, but my understanding of it is that it's a sign of respect for God and a good discipline to practice. Practically, it gives you a lot more time to mull over and pray for things, and obviously you have to depend a lot more on God to get you through the hunger pangs and the chocolate calling to you from the cupboard! It was particularly challenging to walk down Commercial Drive, where every second building is either a coffee shop or restaurant and it's amazing how much your senses are heightened when you're not eating! Chilliwagon was interesting too- giving out free food when we hadn't eaten in 24 hours. We had some good conversations though- people are so honest and so often just need someone to encourage them and tell them they're actually worth something. Sitting on the streets, day in day out, while people ignore you tends to do that to a person.

Anyway back to the fast: Day two was OK. Day three was tough. Day four, all we could think about was lunch lunch lunch. But in all honesty, I'm glad I did it- and I couldn't have done it without everyone else around me helping me through and it made me realise just how much time and energy I spend thinking about food. When really, it's just a small part of our life! And I was amazed that I was actually still standing after 3 foodless days. OK, so I had hardly any energy despite sleeping 10 or 11 hours a night, but really I coped alright. Class was quite heavy going- really theological and academic, which I do enjoy but not when I'm that tired! So I can't really summarise any main points, but it was still great.

Then at the weekend, we decided to celebrate our ability to eat food with an almighty Break Fast brunch in the morning- French toast, butter, bacon, maple syrup, icing sugar (on the first piece), strawberries, whipped cream, icing sugar, maple syrup and applesauce (for number two). Diabetics, stay away. After we'd eaten more than our stomachs could bear to hold, we waddled onto the sofa and collapsed. In fact, Heidi (from Finland) had such a sugar high and crash she had to huddle up on the couch for an hour until she stopped feeling sick. To aid the sugar sickness, I decided hair of the dog was the way forward and so went out onto the Drive to buy a selection of her favourite liquorice.

Nathan (from Canada) and Jenny were going up to Whistler on Saturday afternoon to watch his brother in a race- he's on the Canadian bobsleigh team, so they were practicing on the new Olympic bobleigh/skeleton/luge track. Heidi and I decided to join them, so we jumped in the car for the hour and a half drive up to the mountains. SUCH a beautiful drive. Even though it was cloudy/raining, you could still see the majestic mountains falling down into the clear blue lakes, snow on the mountain peaks and the forest of oranges, reds, browns and greens. I'm looking forward to doing it again in future (having just bought my ski pass for this winter!) When we got up there, it was chucking it down with rain, but we had to drive around for a good 20 mins or so before we managed to find Lyndon (Nathan's brother). We drove him up Blackcomb mountain to the start of the track, where the Canadian team were warming up, putting their bobsleighs together and psyching themselves up for the trials. It was the first of several trials this season (I think) to see who would make the team for next February. It was a really surreal experience to be there- one of those moments, you know, when you think 'how on earth did I end up in this situation?!' And Nathan explained the basics of bobsleighing so now I know at least what the difference between bobsleigh/skeleton and luge is (I wasn't that bad, quite!) We walked down to stand at one of the bends so we got the full effect of the bobsleighs hurtling past us at 80 miles an hour... pretty cool. (No pun intended.)

Then Sunday I went back to Westside church in Kitsilano, which I love. I think I'm going to keep going there and hopefully get to know people over the next 2 months. Afterwards I walked up to Granville Island Market (where I went to on my first day, remember?) to have a proper look around. It's pretty cool- a big food market, selling every artisan, foreign type of cheese, pastry, vegetable, and meat you could wish for (albeit at overinflated prices). They also have loads of small artists studios, and cool little shops so I was kept occupied until Anne (staff member from Holland) came and met me for lunch! We had a long and leisurely lunch and coffee, and then caught the bus downtown. I went on to the public library and discovered they had a book sale on- jackpot! So bought a few more books (really need to cut back soon, I have 12 now) and had a quick browse of the library itself, which is huge, like the British Library.

So that was my week!

]]>