TravelStream™ news feed for member xx.rachel on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/xx.rachel en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:21:45 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xx.rachel/1/1232536320/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xx.rachel/1/1232536320/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xx.rachel/1/1232536320/tpod.html Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:21:45 -0400 Canada '08

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Eltham, Victoria, Australia

After an extremely long flight home, 24 hours later or something, I arrived at Melbourne Airport. I went through customs and got my luggage and all that then asked someone where to go. He directed me to an exit so I went that way and got into the general public area but no one was there. So I just kept walking and eventually saw Mum holding a video camera pointed at the main exit with the boys standing there too ready to welcome me. I went up behind her and hugger her (seriously hoping that it actually was her!) and it was. They were really surprised and a bit disappointed that I'd come out the back way. So we went to the car, I was talking the whole time because I was so excited even though I hadn't slept hardly at all within two days or something. Tim kept laughing at my Canadian accent! It was I think about 35 degress when I got home on the 19th of January - a huge difference from Canada. Although I had tried to dress as lightly as I could, I was still boiling. Tim drove us home, and Mum had the video camera out again as they were giving me the tour of the new house with all the renovations and new furniture and kitchen which I hadn't seen since I left. I went through a few things in my bag, but I felt disgusting so I went and had a shower. It was so good to see everyone again, they hadn't changed much, biggest difference was that Tim, and particularly Nick, were so tall! I'm still not even taller than Mum or Dad.
I managed to stay awake until about 7 then I went to bed. It took a long time to get back into proper sleeping patterns.
Two days later all my friends had organised for a welcoming home party at one of their houses. I went over, it was a little weird seeing them all again and seeing ways that they'd changed and all that, but in other ways it was like I'd never left which was nice.
I still talk to most people in Canada, mostly via Facebook which is really great. Hopefully I'll go back there one day, and I keep reminding them that if anyone decides to come out to Australia, they'll have a place to stay!
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Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada

On Tuesday night Cindi slept over, and skipped school on Wednesday (with the permission of her parents and teachers) to help me pack. It did almost take me a whole day and it was definately not easy fitting everything in. Then we went over to Cindi's house for a bit, and Kaegan joined us there after school. After that we were meeting everyone at Pizza Hut, which is also an eat-in restaurant in Canada, for supper. Boston Pizza which is the usual choice was fully booked out. Luckily basketball was cancelled that night because of really heavy snow, so everyone was able to come. My host family, Corry, Barry, Kaitlyn and Kian were also there. We all ate and mucked around and took tonnes of photos. They gave me two volleyballs which they had all signed as well as teachers and everyone. As well as a scrapbook album which they'd made with heaps of photos from over the year, and a few people had also had a picture framed and written me letters and things like that. It was so nice, and photos and letters were really the things that I wanted, but I was seriously hoping that it would all fit in my suitcase! Corry and Barry and the kids went home, but I hung around for a bit saying goodbye to people and of course crying. In the end the Pizza Hut staff had to tell us that they were packing up so we had to go outside, which being so cold meant that most people went home, and they had school in the morning anyway.

Dana and Lexi, two of my best friends hung around with me for a bit, and we went back to Lexi's house for a little bit. Then as it was getting quite late we went back to my house, but we started crying so much that it took Lexi quite a while to leave again.
The next morning Lexi and Cindi came by before school. I think they missed a little bit of the first lesson, but it was really nice of them to come by and they saw us off as we left for Edmonton.

We arrived in Edmonton, and stayed with Corry's uncle for the two nights. We shopped on the Thursday, then Kaitlyn had a doctors appointment on Friday, and we shopped. On Saturday morning we went to the airport. It was really hard saying goodbye to them because I'd only been living with them for about 3 months, but they'd been so good to me and we were so close. Then I began the 24 hour trip home. The planes were virtually full, so I had people sitting next to me on every flight which was really annoying. But this time we had personal TV's so that's what entertained me because of course I couldn't sleep. Maybe a total of 2 hours or so the whole flight.
I arrived in Melbourne after flying from Edmonton to San Francisco where I had a 3 and a half hour wait. Then to Auckland (NZ) and because we arrived early I had to wait over 4 hours for my next flight straight to Melbourne.
It took a while to get through customs and get my bags, then I asked someone where I was supposed to go. He pointed me in the right direction, but apparently it was the back way out. When I got to the public area, no one was there. I kept walking and eventually thought I saw Mum holding a video camera in the other direction. I went up and hugged her from behind. They'd all been watching from the main exit waiting for me to come out, but I came out the back! It was so good to see them again. I'd missed them so much and I was definately glad to be home.
Tim drove us home, then mum videoed me walking around the 'new' house. It looked totally amazing with all the new furniture and everything. I was very exhaugsted, not to mention sweaty because I was so hot! Coming from -30 in Cold Lake to about +30 in Melbourne...so I had a shower and unpacked a little and went to bed very early! But it was great to be home!
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Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada

I think this was on the Tuesday which was my last day. My host mum had said that I didn't have to go to school at all that week, but as we were leaving for Edmonton on Thursday morning and all my friends were at school, I wouldn't have much to do anyway. On Tuesday I was mostly taking picutres with lots of different people and during my spare my friend Cindi and I went around and took pictures of the school. Then back to a normal class again but of course I didn't do any work. It was so sad saying goodbye to everyone, but there were quite a few people who I knew I would see again anyway which was nice. I was talking to a teacher who organises the Year Book and she was talking about how I can get someone to send me one. Then she realised that my picture in it would be different from everyone else's in my year level because they'd all be wearing the graduation cap and gown. So she quickly took a picture of me in the cap and gown with flowers so that I'd fit in. A friend said she'd get one and get people to sign it then send it down to me! After school everyone waiting in the hallways as long as they could before buses came and they all said goodbye to me - there were only a few tears...
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Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada

This was my last weekend in Cold Lake so we were trying to pack a few things in. I was supposed to have a going away party this night, and a friend offered to have it at her house. But there was basketball which didn't finish until late and her whole family was involved in that, and by the time she got back to me to let me know that people couldn't come over, it was too late to organise an alternate place. So unfortunately I had to let everyone know that it wouldn't be happening, but instead I was having a going away supper in a few nights time.
Instead that Saturday night Lexi let a few of us over to her house. It was really nice, it was just Dana, Abby, Theoren, Lexi and Me. We mucked around for ages, just having fun, making food, playing table tennis, watching movies, and Lexi and I had a late night (about 3am!) stoll on the frozen lake. We walked out a fair way and then just sat in the snow and talked for a bit before going back inside. It was about 5.30-6.00am by the time we all fell asleep watching a movie. We woke up again around 9am because Theoren had to go home. After he left, we watched Friends and fell asleep again watching that until around 12 noon. Even though I couldn't hang out with everyone, it was still really nice with just a few of us and they all made it so much fun anyway!
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Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada

As a first time experience for me, Corry organised for us all to go over to one of her friends houses who lives out near Ardmore, a tiny little town, so they have a huge block of land. We all got suited up in all of our winter gear because that day was very cold, something like -25 or -30, I can't remember. Anyway, so we took turns going on the Ski-Doo around the paddock out the back. They can go up to 110km/h or something like that, but I think when I was on the back we only went to about 70km/h but that was far fast enough. All the snow flies up in the air and gets caught in your face and helmet and all of that and the wind gets really cold so your face freezes and everything. It was so much fun though. Then they tied the kids little sleds on the back and we went around on that, much slower of course. I fell of twice as we went over lumps of snow. It was nice and fluffy and in the paddock it was about 70-80cm deep so we usually stuck to the paths that were already made, but it was going over the lumps that made me fall. Then they tied a tractor tyre to the back and pulled that around. Barry really loved that one but I decided that it was too hard to hold on. Just to say I'd tried it, they got out some snow shoes. The snow was way too fresh for it to work. The top layer has to have melted a bit because otherwise you just sink in the snow anyway as I did. I didn't go far because its alot of hard work walking through a metre deep fresh snow let alone with snow shoes that dont work! Kaityln and Kian loved it too, and they loved playing in the snow and piling it all up in a huge pile.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xx.rachel/1/1220257860/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xx.rachel/1/1220257860/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xx.rachel/1/1220257860/tpod.html Sun, 01 Feb 2009 05:12:02 -0500 Canada '08

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Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada

These are just a few pictures from one of my last weeks of school, and the Charity Cup Basketball Tournament held at my school, Assumtion, as well as the High School just down the road. In Canada they're really competitive with school sports, which are usually bigger than clubs. Everyone really gets into the school spirit too. A few games were held on the Friday during school hours, so many teachers just let everyone in the class go and support the game. At half time through the girls game, the boys team all came out painted in blue with white (school colours) letters on them spelling SADERS for the Aussumtions Crusaders. They led cheers and the Mexican Wave, then when the game started again they ledmore chants and the whole 'D-FENCE' thing.
Afterward, Teiha, Cindi and I went to Boston Pizza for supper. Teiha was leaving for Florida the next morning and wouldn't be back until after I left, so I probably wouldn't see her again which was really sad! Then I stayed the night at Cindi's house. We went quadding around the back streets near her house for a while, then late night quadding on the lake! It was really cool on the lake because of course it was all frozen, so the ice was really slippery, then you go through a massive fresh snow pile (like from people shovelling to make ice hockey rinks or the one the council plows all the way around the lake for a skating circuit) and the snow goes flying everywhere!
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Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada

Christmas Day the kids woke us up early (6am!) and we opened presents, then went over to Corry's parents house with all of her other sisters and brothers and opened more presents. Then we went over to Barry's parents house for a nice good breakfast/lunch. We stayed there for a while, before going home to change and rest for a bit. Then we were back at Corry's parents house for supper that night. I spoke to my parents over Skype (webcam) that night which was night, although it was Boxing Day back in Australia.
Boxing Day in Canada we went tobogganning with Corry's family. Kian, Kaitlyn and Bella loved it, and so did I. Lots of the adults seemed to be having fun too, going off little jumps and trying to make them bigger, face-planting into the snow and laughing about it.
A few days later, we went ice fishing in a near by lake, Bourke Lake or something I think it was, with the next door neighbours and a few of their friends. They often go ice fishing and had the latest equipment. They'd drill a hole (the ice was about 18 inches thick or so), then put the bait on, then put the line down the hole and fix a flag thing over the top of the hole. When a fish tugged on the bait/line, the flag would fly up and everyone would go running to pull the fish out. It was pretty funny because as we're sitting by the fire keeping warm, then a flag would go up and a few times as we'd be running for one flag, another two or three would go off so we'd all split. All up we caught maybe 5 fish, I think about 2 keepers. Apparently pervious days they'd caught many more and much bigger too, but oh well. Kian and Kaitlyn were in the truck watching a movie most of the time because they were too cold. It was creepy when they drove the truck onto the ice, because you can feel the wave of water moving underneath and hear all the massive cracks of the ice, which is apparently a good thing...
Faith and I walked all the way across the lake to the other side, just to say that we had. More of the time it was about mid calf deep in fresh snow. It took us about 5 or 10 minutes to get the whole way across. Then we had to walk back, but even though it was about -32 degrees C we weren't too cold because it took quite alot of effort to walk in all the snow!
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xx.rachel/1/1229730240/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xx.rachel/1/1229730240/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/xx.rachel/1/1229730240/tpod.html Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:48:02 -0500 Canada '08

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Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada

Being a religious school, we went to Mass in the church in the morning, then we had a math class, then a few friends and I went to a restaurant for a bit of lunch. We came back in time for third block for turkey supper! After that was the school's Talent Show which was quite a bit of fun. People sang and danced and did acts and things like that while the whole school watched. The bell went, and we were free for the Christmas holidays!
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Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada

Things weren't working out too well with me staying with Charlotte and Terry, so on November 29th I moved and now I'm staying with Corry and Barry McLaughlan and their two kids Kaitlyn and Kian. Corry is my exchange coordinator, so when things went down hill at the O'Donnell's, they took me in.
We went to the kids Christmas party for Barry's work at Esso, an oil company. It was mostly for little kids, but that was ok. There were these two jester guys who were singing, dancing, making balloon animals and talking to everyone, there was food and of course Santa came. At there end we also went on a sleigh ride through a nearby field, which I thought was pretty cool and a first for me.
One night we also went and looked at Christmas lights. This particular house had so many lights it was crazy. They had a sign out the front that said to tune to a certain radio station. When we did, the house owner talked about his display, how he added to it each year, how much time it took him to set up, the extra cost, effects he could do eg. lights dim, flash on and off, extra bright etc. and as he said each one Santa would light up accordingly. Then music would play and all off the lights would 'dance' in time to the music.
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Cold Lake, Alberta, Canada

We had a girls night at Lexi's house. First we baked 'eatmore' bars, then we played ping pong, took a trip to Tim Horton's for hot chocolate, then finally we went outside in the hot tub! It was about -18 degrees outside, but we didn't care. It was so nice and warm in the hot tub, but to make it a bit more interesting of course we'd go and run around and roll in the snow. We'd all get out and take photos, posing in the freezing snow until we couldn't bare it anymore, then we'd run straight back to the hot tub to get warm. I dont even know how long we did that for, but it was so much fun. It literally burns when you get back into the hot tub. We rolled in the snow down a little hill, and that actually wasn't too bad, but its getting back into the hot tub when it feels like a million needles stabbing you. Once we'd had enough, we went back inside and played ping pong again, only stingers this time, where each time you loose a point, you turn around and the other person gets to hit the ball as hard as they can into your back.
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