What a Day!

Yesterday it snowed, which was super exciting! Elisabeth had a laugh at my frenzied dash to get my coat and boots, and I had a lot of fun once I got outside. We exercised inside with the guidance of a dvd (which has resulted in sore muscles), and in the evening I went for a walk to see a very large, ornate church. I did take a photo, but taking my mitten off to do so made my hand shiver and it came out blurry; I’ll have to go back. On the way to the church I spied Asterix on tv through an apartment window :). The Canadians are very diligent when it comes to clearing the snow off the paths and roads, but where they had not been done yet it was difficult to distinguish what was road, what was path, and what was grass.

Today I did a lot of walking (have just mapped it – 10.8km). Remember this is in the snow (making it difficult to walk), and when it was -15 degrees. I happened to bump into the Olympic Stadium and I have large blisters from my trek around the city. I also watched my first ice hockey game, which was very impressive!

Olympic Stadium

McGill won.

There are a few things I have not mentioned yet; seeing Orthodox Jews has been interesting (especially finding out the married women shave their heads and wear wigs); when it comes to taps ‘F’ means cold and ‘C’ means hot; it’s very cool seeing Dads out with their kids sledding; and they have one cent coins!

Montreal

It was an incredible blessing to be picked up from the airport and have somewhere to stay for a few days. It snowed for the first time this season a few days ago so everything is picturesque.

Yesterday was quite tricky. I think I had underestimated the extent of French culture here – and though some were accommodating in speaking English, others did so begrudgingly. I spent the day largely by myself and managed to catch a bus and the metro to a mall. Note: buses require the correct change. The mall was crazy busy for the sales, and I visited McGill to have a look around.

Psalm 33:6-7 was quite encouraging last night, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses." It was a reminder that he is all powerful and looking after me.

This morning we went out for brunch, which was lovely, and drove downtown for a few errands. I tried on a few ski jackets and pants but have not decided between a bright red thick jacket and a paler red jacket which is not so thick but more flattering. I also managed to get an adapter today, which was a relief. I get excited whenever I see an English word. This morning I saw an agency sign for CBRE which was cool, and also saw an Ernst and Young building – which was not quite as impressive as their Auckland office with its green wall, but it was nice to see something familiar.

This is the street Elisabeth lives on.

This shows two thirds of the way down to the Metro.

Underground mall - five levels, I think.

McGill entrance.

Vancouver

Where to start! I was very appreciative to have so many people see me off. Going through customs it all felt surreal – until the wrapped gift I had unthinkingly packed in my carry on was thrown in the bin; unable to even be enjoyed by the officer. Lesson learnt. Knocking my jumpers off the chair into an unseen puddle of raspberry drink was also unfortunate but these things happen, I hope it cleans out. I felt so small on the plane - away from friends and family and in the big wide world. It is very comforting to know I'm never alone. As a result of our recent trip to South East Asia I knew to bring sleeping pills, so slept nearly the whole way. It is now 1:45pm in Vancouver, the sky is overcast and the ground wet. I am super excited to be here!

Vancouver Airport