Well, it has been a while since my last post, but I have a very good excuse… I swear! It’s actually been  quite a mad week, starting with my computer dying! I’m not sure whats wrong with it, but it refuses point-blank to display anything on my screen which makes it a bit hard to do anything productive!

Secondly my Mum and little Brother came to visit me last week for a few days, which was nice, but I did end up crashing on their hotel room floor for several nights! But hey, room service and bathrobes… can’t beat that? While they were here we went down to Old Montreal and Old Port which is beautiful! Really is a piece of old Europe, cobled roads and twinkle lights everywhere! We also meet a really cute old man who gave a quik history of the place. I would have liked to take them out to the country as well, but they were only here for 4 nights, which made it a bit difficult to pull off! I also think that as a result of the visit I have now caught the cold that my Mum had…. thanks a lot!

On Saturday I had the International Students Orientation Afternoon where we got into groups and played really corney (but somehow cool) get-to-know-you games. Just like the ones from high school, remember? However, it was later that night that things started getting exciting.

Can I hear you say PUB CRAWL! Again we all got into groups and ran around Downtown Motnreal playing drinking games in all these different pubs. I have to say that this was my first ever pub crawl and I had a blast!  I meet some amazing people from all over the world and we got together and drank a lot of beer (well I didn’t, as I’m sure most of you know, I don’t take well to beer, as Saturday night proved! I’m not a very good Australian …..). But Sunday morning I ached all over, but felt that I had finally conqured the pub crawl! Next weekend I have another big night (it seems that big nights out on the town happens most nights here) the Back to School Party at a big nightclub here in Montreal!

Now I have also started classes which are going ok. The way political science is tackled here is different to Australia. I’m not sure how yet, but it is. There seems to be a lot of focus on domestic politics (in my degree mack home it more about International Realtions) and domestic laws! So I am learning a lot about Canadian politics, but it is taking a little getting used to! This semester I am taking 5 classes, 1) Contemporary Issues in Global Politics, 2) Community, Law and Politics, 3) Political Particpation in Canada, 4) Introduction to the United Nations, 5) Secuitry and Anti-Terrorism. I guess over the coming months I will see how these go. I also have the issue of exams. I haven’t taken a proper exam since high school and I have about 10 exams to complete before I finish up here, so wish me luck! I’m a little scared, there are very few assignments that I have to do as it is all exam assessed… I think this is a bad way of assessing knowledge, most people suck at exams!

Anyway, I must go and get my phone fixed (again) so for now,

Au revoir!

xoxo

Hi Everyone,

Well I’ve been here for nearly five days now and so much has happened.  The day after I arrived I went out to Rigoud with my host family for Christmas Dinner. The turkey was giant… 9kg! There were 16 people and we only got through half the thing. As you can imagine we will still be eating that at Christmas in July! Although I will be back in Aust. by then!

The next day, in an attempt to walk off some of that turkey, we went for a walk around the back streets of Rigoud. Rigoud is about an hour West of Montreal and is a small villiage of about 800 people. It is a really nice place full of charm! I imagine my Mum and Dad would love it there! It was a ‘warm’ day that day, about 0C. I was even working up a nice sweat on that walk. The dogs came with us, they must have some kind of high-tech suit, because they loved playing in the snow! I had fun playing in the snow as well, the way it crunches under my shoes gets me all giddy!

The next day we explored some more and found a ski lodge, literally around the corner. And so, I had my very first ski lesson, and IT WAS AWESOME! My very cute, tall, Canadian instructor said I was a natural. (yes I am blowing my own whistle). It was gorgeous skiing as it was dark and lightly snowing, all the trees were glistening in ice… it was just like a Disney movie! Shame I was spending most of my energy on NOT falling over, or I would have taken some pics.

Unfortunately (although not really) we had to leave Rigoud the next day and go back to Montreal. On the way back we went the scenic route via the St. Lawrence River through Lachine and La Salle to Verdun. Then it was time to orient myself with the lay-of-the-land, and do some grocery shopping at the local IGA (really they have then here too) before I died of hunger instead of hypothermia. OMG (I do hope that is the one and only time I use that phrase int his blog) they have Pop Tarts here… they are almost impossible to find in Adelaide, the only place I know of is the Foodland at Mitcham Square and you have to buy them individually.  But here they come in heaps of different flavors and colors an packs of six and more! I have reached heaven!

Today I finally got to do some hard-core shopping with another exchange girl Ye, from China. I was becoming desperate for some new jeans a the ones I had been wearing were getting really dirty. So we went downtown, and if things couldn’t get any better, I found the most amazing shopping district! I now have a new favourite brand… Joshua Perets. I got a gorgeous handbag there for CAD$30, and its nothing like what I can get in Aust. LOVE SALES!

Anyway, after I finally ripped myself away from these heavenly stores we went wandering the streets of downtown Montreal and it was FREEZING! about -10C and it will only get colder! However, Montreal was still really busy and gorgeous. Occasionally glimpses of Mount Royal would appear, which is a rather large mountain in the middle of the island. There is also this great coffee chain called Tim Hortons (who was a famous hockey [ice] player) and is Canada’s answer to Starbucks! Go Canada! It was really cool, and this cute old man started talking to us about how he wished he was in Australia right now where its nice and warm. Little does he know how warm!

So after Tim Hortons we found our way back to Metro Guy-Concordia and went home for the day so I could write this up for you all!

So for now,

Au revoir

xoxo

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So my first day in Montreal is apparently a warm one…. yeah ok!! As I was walking around the streets I slowly lost feeling to y legs, nose and ears!! I’ll have to do something about that! In the photo I am standing by a “park” at the end f my street. There seems to be park everywhere here, there is one right across the road from me, although I can only just make out the play equipment. There is about 2 feet of snow in everyone’s front yards. However, these are not the front yards that we Aussie’s are used to. They are about the size of a small bathroom!

The trip was long and I’d like to say uneventful, but it wasn’t. I had problems with immigration once I got to Vancouver… apparently there was confusion as to weather or not I am actually here to study despite me having numerous letters from Concordia. Then when I got out of immigration I had to explain in minute detail what Pizza Shapes and Jatz were (apparently these could have been a problem).

When we landed in Aukland (New Zealand) I was absolutely ecstatic to see sheep. My life is now complete! On the flight from Auckland to Vancouver I sat next to a Montreal lady who had just spent four years in Perth studying Vet Sciences. She was very interesting. Then on the flight from Vancouver to Montreal I sat next to a real life cowboy. I even had to clarify “when you fill in forms and it asks for occupation you actually put ‘cowboy’?” And yep, he does!

Anyway, I need to pack as I am heading out to the country later tonight! So for now,

Au Revoir

xoxo

Ok, so it’s Christmas Eve and I’ve just finished packing my bags. In 12 hours I’ll be at the airport trying to fill in time until my flight at 11:30am! It certainly was a struggle getting everything I needed into a 55litre travel pack! I had to cull A LOT!!! But don’t they always say pack and take half out!!!???

Tonight I’m staying at cousins place who has two gorgeous kids! There was a Christmas dinner with lots of food and booze! Pavlova for desert was A-MAZING!

Earlier this afternoon I went to the store and got my self an Aussie survival kit! Jatz, Shapes, Tim Tams and Vegimite! I also managed to find some corney Koala clips to give people when I get there. I’ll have to clarify though that they are endangered and we DONT eat them (yes I was once asked this…. are you serious??).

Well this is it before I leave in the morning and my next post will be from the mythical land of Montreal!

Au revior

xoxo

Well there are only three more sleeps untill I am off. And none of those sleeps will be in an actual bed! Yes, I am getting excited, but I am also freaking out…. A LOT! Stupid me decided to watch Air Crash Invesitgation the other night, and ever since I have not slept without dreaming about the Boxing Day news report.

Anway, by this time tomorrow, I will be moved out of the house and living with my cousin and her family for a few days until I leave on Christmas Day. I still have so much to do, pack up my room, do a 2500 word assignment and get my swine flu vaccination (still not sure about this one).

So for now I will say au revior…

xoxo