so it's been awhile since I've updated this.
the Olympics in Vancouver took up a lot of my free time over the past two weeks. the satellite dish wasn't on anything but the Olympics but that was nice. the coverage here was amazing, better than any of the stateside coverage I've ever seen. there were literally 3 or 4 channels that had 24 hour coverage.
for the most part i was impressed with the rest of the staff, there wasn't any trash talking or anything during most of the sports. hockey was another story but ya know. as much as i tried i still don't understand curling. i think everyone here tried to explain it to me but i just don't get it.
I'm still learning new things about muskoka woods here. just today i was walking into the music hall so i can sit in the staff lounge and update this and i realized that under the 2 inches of solid ice there's brick in front of the building. who knew? i was driving up to roller skating the other week and i found out that there's a helipad here! yes friends there's a helipad here at muskoka woods. altho i suppose that when your cheapest one week program STARTS at 899 [and no i didn't forget the decimal point] you have kids who can afford a helicopter ride to camp.
we've pretty much wrapped up the school groups for the winter season. most of the groups now will be here during the weekends which can be nice.
this week the Ontario winter games are coming to the muskoka region. these games are for athletes who are working towards the olympics or international competition. winners here will advance to the canada games and then possibly the canadian olympic team or canadian national team. some of the best young athletes [i'm tols ages 9-17] in the country will be here. the games will be held in different places around the region but muskoka woods will be hosting the gymnastics events [including trampoline and power tumbling] and housing about half of the athletes and we've got capacity for like 600 or 700 people. the athletes arrive tomorrow and will be staying through saturday or sunday.
next weekend a friend is coming to visit and I'm excited to see someone from home. being here has put into perspective things in my life that need to take more precedence. I've always made my friends and family one of the topmost things in my life and i that will definitely continue but i also need to be closer to the people i love. as independent as i am i don't think I'm ready to move a few states away. I've done a lot of growing and healing while here but I'm not complete yet.
i miss everyone. I'll be home in less than a month.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
olympics and such
it's been awhile since i updated this so i guess it's time.
saturday feb. 6th my family became a little smaller in size. noel glenn kilmer passed away that morning. i went home on sunday and we had the funeral on tuesday. it was good to be home and to see all of my family despite the circumstances.
i got back to camp on thursday and there was some confusion with the rooming situation but it is straightened out now and everything is starting to get back to normal.
friday i sat in the staff lounge with the other staff members and watched the opening ceremonies of the olympic games. i really enjoyed most of the ceremonies. i loved the part with the tap dancing and the fiddling altho it made me wish i was still dancing. there was some interesting commentary from the canadian staff when the torch didn't come up properly and when the door wouldn't open for gordy to take the flame out to teh outdoor cauldron.
saturday i worked the tubing hill for the afternoon again. i figured that between my trip home and the holiday today i would have enough time off. having three days off in a row here is kinda hard to fill unless you go into town.
today was family day here in canada. apparently that means that little towns [like the ones surrounding me] shut down. i went to the bracebridge walmart to buy a new belt and walmart was closed. i thought walmart never closed, ever. so i went to huntsville thinking i'd go to zeller's and a place my roommate suggested called stitches but tehy were both closed as well. thenkfully when i got off the highway i saw another walmart and i stopped there before i headed to zeller's and stitches. unfortunately walmart didn't have what i was looking for so hopefully this belt will hold together for another month or at least until i can see if zeller's or stitches have what i'm looking for.
it's interesting watching the olympics in canada. i have to keep reminding myself that they're not going to follow the stateside athletes or showcase them and make sure that we see what happens with them. it's interesting to see tha national pride here. the canadians have SO MUCH pride in their country but they're very humble about it. i think they're an amazing example of how a country should act.
well i think i'm gonn get back to watching the olympics here. we've got a 50" flatscreen TV in the staff lounge with satellite TV so it's a nice spot to watch the olympics.
i miss you all and i'm looking forward to seeing you in april.
saturday feb. 6th my family became a little smaller in size. noel glenn kilmer passed away that morning. i went home on sunday and we had the funeral on tuesday. it was good to be home and to see all of my family despite the circumstances.
i got back to camp on thursday and there was some confusion with the rooming situation but it is straightened out now and everything is starting to get back to normal.
friday i sat in the staff lounge with the other staff members and watched the opening ceremonies of the olympic games. i really enjoyed most of the ceremonies. i loved the part with the tap dancing and the fiddling altho it made me wish i was still dancing. there was some interesting commentary from the canadian staff when the torch didn't come up properly and when the door wouldn't open for gordy to take the flame out to teh outdoor cauldron.
saturday i worked the tubing hill for the afternoon again. i figured that between my trip home and the holiday today i would have enough time off. having three days off in a row here is kinda hard to fill unless you go into town.
today was family day here in canada. apparently that means that little towns [like the ones surrounding me] shut down. i went to the bracebridge walmart to buy a new belt and walmart was closed. i thought walmart never closed, ever. so i went to huntsville thinking i'd go to zeller's and a place my roommate suggested called stitches but tehy were both closed as well. thenkfully when i got off the highway i saw another walmart and i stopped there before i headed to zeller's and stitches. unfortunately walmart didn't have what i was looking for so hopefully this belt will hold together for another month or at least until i can see if zeller's or stitches have what i'm looking for.
it's interesting watching the olympics in canada. i have to keep reminding myself that they're not going to follow the stateside athletes or showcase them and make sure that we see what happens with them. it's interesting to see tha national pride here. the canadians have SO MUCH pride in their country but they're very humble about it. i think they're an amazing example of how a country should act.
well i think i'm gonn get back to watching the olympics here. we've got a 50" flatscreen TV in the staff lounge with satellite TV so it's a nice spot to watch the olympics.
i miss you all and i'm looking forward to seeing you in april.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
oldies, paychex and tubing
today was an interesting day, i got a glimpse into the life of an OREC [outdoor recreation] staffer. i woke up at 8 out of habit and read for a little while. it was 34 below outside (negative 30 fahrenheit) and i didn't want get out of my warm bed right away. when i reached a good stopping point i got dressed and went to clean turbo off so we could go into town i was proud of my trevor (the turbo trailblazer) he started on the second attempt, such a trooper. so we went on our way and deposited my first paycheck (direct deposit doesn't kick in til the second check apparently). yay! [now if i can only get some of the taxes back . . . ]
when i got back to camp i went back to home sweet hazelwood to change into my afternoon attire. a few days ago i volunteered to help out with saturday afternoon activities, last night i learned i was placed on the tubing hill - outside - in the cold - for three hours or so - with a forecast of 25 below (for those of you in fahrenheit land read negative 13). so i layered appropriately with the following: feet - normal socks, wool socks, (long johns) wool socks, HEAVY wool socks winter boots; legs - long johns [courtesy of canadian tire] , dance pants, jeans, snow pants [courtesy of canadian tire]; torso - tank top, t-shirt, old navy polo-y sweatshirt-y thing, fieldhockey hoodie, softshell jacket, winter jacket; hands - knit gloves, waterproof snow winter gloves; head - hat with earflaps [borrowed from housekeeping] sweatshirt hood, winter jacket hood; face - fleece neck muff. i felt like the kid from a christmas story who couldn't put his arms down when i tried to put on my boots i couldn't bend over to tie them. instead of being incredibly frigid like i thought it was going to be it was actually quite nice, only about 13 below (8.6 fahrenheit) so i ditched the winter jacket and heavy duty gloves. plus as an added bonus i made my first winter fire today. it was totally cheating [newspaper and lighter fluid] but i didn't really have a choice and people were already there when karen and i got to the hill so we needed to get it started.
i stayed at the bottom of the hill monitoring the bumps and filling them as needed and whistling when the run was clear for the next tuber. it was a fun day all in all and there were some AMAZING wipe outs and almost wipe outs that people pulled out. jude brought karen and i some hot chocolate after awhile which was nice to sip while i monitored the run, and since it was so cold i only burned my tongue once before it cooled enough to sip comfortably.
now as i sit here after a dinner of roast beef, 'flintstones chicken' [a chicken leg that has been skinned of meat except at the top of the leg so there's a nice clean bone handle] and salad i can hear the oldies music playing from the kitchen and the kitchen guys singing along [sometimes badly]. it makes me reminiscent of the times when i was younger and things were so much simpler. i don't think i'm going to stay for next season regardless of whether or not i get a job at camp this summer. i'm slowly beginning to realize my purpose for coming here, at least i think. i believe god wanted me to see that as much as i want to be there for my friends and as much as i need them to be there for me sometimes we all need to learn to be independent. i think i lost that somewhere along the line with john. i began taking care of him and concentrated so much on that i lost a little bit of myself. i continued that path my last semester of school because it hurt too much to concentrate on myself and what i was going through. here it's taking me longer to make the connections that usually come so naturally to me and it's forcing to deal with the issues i've bee pushing aside. i'm not necessarily overcoming all of them but i'm at least acknowledging them and some i am overcoming slowly. as much as i love the drama [yes katemonster i'm admitting it i enjoy drama sometimes (and only to a point)] that comes with being the one who is called at 3am by my friends i think God wanted me to step back. i think he wanted to ease me back into being me slowly. i know i'm still trying to find some parts of myself again and i know that some parts will be lost forever and i'm learning to be ok with that. i'm thriving here without my meds and without pine rest. it's been a long time coming but i think i'm finally getting there. i know i'll probably still need pine rest appointments sometimes or places like it but not like i used to.
i feel like i rambled away from the point i was trying to make. basically i'm coming home at the end of march. i'm not saying i'll never return to muskoka but for now i think i need to go home and deal with the issues at hand. face some of the things i've been running from.
i'll be home soon [but that doesn't mean people can't come visit].
when i got back to camp i went back to home sweet hazelwood to change into my afternoon attire. a few days ago i volunteered to help out with saturday afternoon activities, last night i learned i was placed on the tubing hill - outside - in the cold - for three hours or so - with a forecast of 25 below (for those of you in fahrenheit land read negative 13). so i layered appropriately with the following: feet - normal socks, wool socks, (long johns) wool socks, HEAVY wool socks winter boots; legs - long johns [courtesy of canadian tire] , dance pants, jeans, snow pants [courtesy of canadian tire]; torso - tank top, t-shirt, old navy polo-y sweatshirt-y thing, fieldhockey hoodie, softshell jacket, winter jacket; hands - knit gloves, waterproof snow winter gloves; head - hat with earflaps [borrowed from housekeeping] sweatshirt hood, winter jacket hood; face - fleece neck muff. i felt like the kid from a christmas story who couldn't put his arms down when i tried to put on my boots i couldn't bend over to tie them. instead of being incredibly frigid like i thought it was going to be it was actually quite nice, only about 13 below (8.6 fahrenheit) so i ditched the winter jacket and heavy duty gloves. plus as an added bonus i made my first winter fire today. it was totally cheating [newspaper and lighter fluid] but i didn't really have a choice and people were already there when karen and i got to the hill so we needed to get it started.
i stayed at the bottom of the hill monitoring the bumps and filling them as needed and whistling when the run was clear for the next tuber. it was a fun day all in all and there were some AMAZING wipe outs and almost wipe outs that people pulled out. jude brought karen and i some hot chocolate after awhile which was nice to sip while i monitored the run, and since it was so cold i only burned my tongue once before it cooled enough to sip comfortably.
now as i sit here after a dinner of roast beef, 'flintstones chicken' [a chicken leg that has been skinned of meat except at the top of the leg so there's a nice clean bone handle] and salad i can hear the oldies music playing from the kitchen and the kitchen guys singing along [sometimes badly]. it makes me reminiscent of the times when i was younger and things were so much simpler. i don't think i'm going to stay for next season regardless of whether or not i get a job at camp this summer. i'm slowly beginning to realize my purpose for coming here, at least i think. i believe god wanted me to see that as much as i want to be there for my friends and as much as i need them to be there for me sometimes we all need to learn to be independent. i think i lost that somewhere along the line with john. i began taking care of him and concentrated so much on that i lost a little bit of myself. i continued that path my last semester of school because it hurt too much to concentrate on myself and what i was going through. here it's taking me longer to make the connections that usually come so naturally to me and it's forcing to deal with the issues i've bee pushing aside. i'm not necessarily overcoming all of them but i'm at least acknowledging them and some i am overcoming slowly. as much as i love the drama [yes katemonster i'm admitting it i enjoy drama sometimes (and only to a point)] that comes with being the one who is called at 3am by my friends i think God wanted me to step back. i think he wanted to ease me back into being me slowly. i know i'm still trying to find some parts of myself again and i know that some parts will be lost forever and i'm learning to be ok with that. i'm thriving here without my meds and without pine rest. it's been a long time coming but i think i'm finally getting there. i know i'll probably still need pine rest appointments sometimes or places like it but not like i used to.
i feel like i rambled away from the point i was trying to make. basically i'm coming home at the end of march. i'm not saying i'll never return to muskoka but for now i think i need to go home and deal with the issues at hand. face some of the things i've been running from.
i'll be home soon [but that doesn't mean people can't come visit].
Thursday, January 28, 2010
finnigan and the SNOW!!
the tilleys [who are part of the orec leadership] own a beautiful golden retriever named finnigan. he's a beautiful dog who is always willing to let you pet him and so well trained you wouldn't believe he's only 9 months old. he doesn't need a leash, comes when called knows not to come into the staff dining room [that doesn't stop him from standing on the threshold of the office and looking adorable and sad tho]. he's definitely the camp dog. it's really horrible that no one likes him or pets him and it's terrible that he hates the snow. i'm kidding this dog is DEFINITELY not neglected and he LOVES the snow.
Melissa and finnigan
finniganthe snow has finally commenced here. and by that i mean it started on sunday night and hasn't stopped! monday and tuesday weren't bad it was flurries on and off but only and inch or two each of those days. yesterday and today have been the big dumpers we've gotten at least 2 feet over the past 48 hours. the poor maintenance guys have done nothing but plow, shovel and snow blow then entire camp everyday. despite the cold weather there have been some icicles forming and dripping. to prevent people from getting hit by an icicle that could fall we put orange cones under some of them. well with the col weather this happens:
orange cone denoting icicle covered in ice from said icicletonight the low is 25 below. the high for tomorrow is 16 below. needless to say christie is going to be cold over the next few days. thankfully my job is mostly indoors.
i got my first pay check today so saturday i'm going to put more gas in my car and drive to bracebridge to deposit it and hopefully figure out why i can't access my account on-line. then i'll come back here for lunch and work a few hours for outdoor rec getting some extra money and seeing if this is a job i might like to join next season. i got word today that if i want to stay for another season or even come back it'll have to be as outdoor rec. in fact because of me there has been a whole policy change in the company. international employees must now work either in outdoor rec or as counselors or instructors in the summer. maintenance, kitchen and housekeeping are no longer allowed. the *cough to cover up an undesirable name* officer at the border was apparently more *undesirable name-y* than i thought. due to him and his *undesirable name-ness* immigration called the company about me. i was extremely polite at the border and stayed calm but they didn't want to give me the work permit because anyone i canada can do housekeeping. at the time i thought that they had offered the job around and no one in canada wanted it but apparently not. there are some technical ways we could get around it if we tried but the company doesn't want to hurt their relationship with immigration and i respect that. i don't like ti but i respect it. i'm just not sure i can work outdoor rec for multiple reasons [pay cut, possibly not being here the whole season etc.]. so i guess it's back to the drawing board again for me. if anyone knows of anything i can start about april and possibly only work til mid-may or june [but possibly the whole summer] let me know.
miss you all. please come visit me. [i can most likely set up accommodations on-site if i'm given enough notice]
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Huntsville
today i went into huntsville. the only 'surrounding' town that i haven't been to yet. the drive to town reminds me a lot of the drive along m-22 from suttons bay to leland, windy and pretty going past water on one side or another in a few different spots. the town itself reminds me of suttons bay with all of the stores on one main drag. it's definitely a touristy town like the ones up north but it is a little different. there are one or two strip malls so it's a little bigger than the tourist towns of the north. i walked around the shops there and they seem to be a lot like the ones from up north, clothing stores with items that say muskoka all over them, antique stores, furniture stores, knick knack and souvenir shops. there's even a camping store called algonquin outfitters. it's kind of a mom and pop camping store but i like it.
while i was in huntsville i went to a store called zeller's. one of the leadership team here told me about it after reading my entry about how much i hate walmart. it seems a lot like target in the states. i almost wonder if they're the same store with a different name in each country. they both have red as their main color and i swear they use the same font on their signs as well. i saw a lot of the canadian olympic apparel. i'll have to go back and look again later a lot of the stuff was pretty good looking. i'll probably get a sweatshirt or something at least. that way i can have a souvenir of the olympics.
work is going well, i'm starting to fall into a routine. i enjoy working with cathy. she reminds me a lot of my mom in some ways and weezie and bozo in others. the maintenance guys are all pretty fun as well. each quirky and different in their own ways. i found out that muskoka woods is kind of a bigger deal around here than i thought. the first weekend of march [i think] is the ontario winter games being held at muskoka woods. this of course apparently means that we will have 300 or more athletes on camp and maintenance [including housekeeping] will be providing service from 8am to 10pm. thankfully not all in one shift we're splitting into two shifts a day, i'm pulling the 2 -10 shift because i live on property but i can live with that. it's only for four or five days. then in june the G8 is going to be in huntsville [don't ask me why there i have NO idea]. so there are going to be around 700 OPP [ontario provincial police] and secret service agents staying on property. it's too bad i'll probably be back in the states by then. otherwise i think the view around here would be even prettier. ;o)
well i think i'm going to sign off for now. i hope all is going well at home. i wish more of you had passports so you could come visit. speaking of which if you'd like to come visit just let me know and i'll work out arrangements for you to stay on property. i can switch days if i need to if you come during the week.
miss you all.
while i was in huntsville i went to a store called zeller's. one of the leadership team here told me about it after reading my entry about how much i hate walmart. it seems a lot like target in the states. i almost wonder if they're the same store with a different name in each country. they both have red as their main color and i swear they use the same font on their signs as well. i saw a lot of the canadian olympic apparel. i'll have to go back and look again later a lot of the stuff was pretty good looking. i'll probably get a sweatshirt or something at least. that way i can have a souvenir of the olympics.
work is going well, i'm starting to fall into a routine. i enjoy working with cathy. she reminds me a lot of my mom in some ways and weezie and bozo in others. the maintenance guys are all pretty fun as well. each quirky and different in their own ways. i found out that muskoka woods is kind of a bigger deal around here than i thought. the first weekend of march [i think] is the ontario winter games being held at muskoka woods. this of course apparently means that we will have 300 or more athletes on camp and maintenance [including housekeeping] will be providing service from 8am to 10pm. thankfully not all in one shift we're splitting into two shifts a day, i'm pulling the 2 -10 shift because i live on property but i can live with that. it's only for four or five days. then in june the G8 is going to be in huntsville [don't ask me why there i have NO idea]. so there are going to be around 700 OPP [ontario provincial police] and secret service agents staying on property. it's too bad i'll probably be back in the states by then. otherwise i think the view around here would be even prettier. ;o)
well i think i'm going to sign off for now. i hope all is going well at home. i wish more of you had passports so you could come visit. speaking of which if you'd like to come visit just let me know and i'll work out arrangements for you to stay on property. i can switch days if i need to if you come during the week.
miss you all.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Bad Night
sometimes i wish people here weren't opposed to asking if something's wrong when they can obviously see it on my face. i miss the feeling of family i get at JCC. i miss not being able to get anything by sarah even though sometimes it's annoying and sucks. i just want someone to care enough to ask or try to get to know me. to want to know about my personal life and the things i left in michigan and so forth.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
heavy pockets and not in the good way
Canada has too many coins. I understand having a one dollar coin it’s nice to get one now and then but we mainly use a one dollar BILL. Paper. Not as heavy or loud. Seriously I have 11 dollars in coins right now. 8 of them are in two dollar coins. I hate coins in the states and now I have to carry around more? Not fun.
This weekend we have a group called CBOQ on camp. Conference Baptist of Ontario and quebec. 5 or 6 hundred people on camp, JCC doesn’t get that in a summer. I worked today, mostly checking bathrooms and doing kitchen laundry. Tomorrow is technically my day off but I think I’ll prolly go around and at least empty some of the garbages in bathrooms that were getting full tonight. Shouldn’t take me long.
I looked in the tuck shop for the first time today. That’s what they call the camp store here. I wanted to see what kind of muskoka woods apparel they have. I looked at the price on a sweatshirt that I thought looked nice and it was 75 dollars! That’s insane! Nice ones in the states are like 50 tops and the Canadian dollar is supposed to buy more than the American dollar right now. Holy cow. So I don’t think I’m gonna get myself any muskoka woods apparel unless there’s a decent staff discount.
On the plus side I am finally getting internet in my room. So I’m laying across the width of my bed with my head against my window typing this out. I’m rather impressed with myself since I can’t really see the keyboard and I’m not having too many spelling errors. Somewhere along the line I must have gotten good at typing.
Tomorrow afternoon Bex, a girl from new Zealand and I are going to go into parry sound again. She wants to get a new phone and judging from the fact that it’s only 9:30 and I’m bored I figure I’ll tag along and see what parry sound has to offer. As long as I stay away from the DVDs at wal-mart I should be fine.
I finished my application for JCC yesterday. I’ll mail it out on Monday provided I find an envelope to use. There were just too many headaches trying to submit it on-line. So hopefully I’ll get a job at JCC again this summer and I’ll be back in the states at least for the summer. I’m still looking at other camps keeping my options open, but I’m hoping to get at least one more summer in at JCC.
I hope all is going well for everyone at home, and I hope you’re enjoying these updates. I’ll try to keep ‘em coming. Let me know what you’d like to hear more about or what pictures you’d like to see etc. and I’m still looking for ideas for a staff night. So far I’m thinking Motown music, Arabic food, cherry pie and maybe a movie set in Michigan or something. I dunno I think with some help I can do better so seriously if you’ve got ideas let me know.
This weekend we have a group called CBOQ on camp. Conference Baptist of Ontario and quebec. 5 or 6 hundred people on camp, JCC doesn’t get that in a summer. I worked today, mostly checking bathrooms and doing kitchen laundry. Tomorrow is technically my day off but I think I’ll prolly go around and at least empty some of the garbages in bathrooms that were getting full tonight. Shouldn’t take me long.
I looked in the tuck shop for the first time today. That’s what they call the camp store here. I wanted to see what kind of muskoka woods apparel they have. I looked at the price on a sweatshirt that I thought looked nice and it was 75 dollars! That’s insane! Nice ones in the states are like 50 tops and the Canadian dollar is supposed to buy more than the American dollar right now. Holy cow. So I don’t think I’m gonna get myself any muskoka woods apparel unless there’s a decent staff discount.
On the plus side I am finally getting internet in my room. So I’m laying across the width of my bed with my head against my window typing this out. I’m rather impressed with myself since I can’t really see the keyboard and I’m not having too many spelling errors. Somewhere along the line I must have gotten good at typing.
Tomorrow afternoon Bex, a girl from new Zealand and I are going to go into parry sound again. She wants to get a new phone and judging from the fact that it’s only 9:30 and I’m bored I figure I’ll tag along and see what parry sound has to offer. As long as I stay away from the DVDs at wal-mart I should be fine.
I finished my application for JCC yesterday. I’ll mail it out on Monday provided I find an envelope to use. There were just too many headaches trying to submit it on-line. So hopefully I’ll get a job at JCC again this summer and I’ll be back in the states at least for the summer. I’m still looking at other camps keeping my options open, but I’m hoping to get at least one more summer in at JCC.
I hope all is going well for everyone at home, and I hope you’re enjoying these updates. I’ll try to keep ‘em coming. Let me know what you’d like to hear more about or what pictures you’d like to see etc. and I’m still looking for ideas for a staff night. So far I’m thinking Motown music, Arabic food, cherry pie and maybe a movie set in Michigan or something. I dunno I think with some help I can do better so seriously if you’ve got ideas let me know.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Wal-Mart
most of you that know me well know that i hate wal-mart and refuse to shop there unless i absolutely have to, like there's honestly no other place to get something I'd rather pay double than go to wal-mart. unfortunately here in Canada they don't have Meijer or Kmart or even target so wal-mart is all I've got. after getting my bank account today [I'll get to that later] i went to return light bulbs to wal-mart because i had gotten the wrong size. while i was there i picked up a few other things. as i walked through the store i realized something. wal-marts here are not a dirty, unorganized and full of freakish people [for examples of that last one go to peopleofwalmart.com like they are in the states. here they are respectable and clean and nice like Meijer or target are int eh states. i still don't like their business practices but hopefully knowing that my choices are limited to wal-mart will limit the money i spend while I'm here.
one thing I've noticed about the great white north here is the roads. they get more snow here that we do even at school but their roads are sooo much nicer! i was talking with some of the girls about it here because i noticed that around camp there seemed to be sand on top of all the snow. they explained to me that here in Canada they don't use salt anymore. they use a salt spray but not salt in rock form like we do. it's the rock form of the salt that tears up our roads. they will also put sand down on top of the snow for traction and it works quite well around camp. i can walk on a patch of straight ice but if there's sand on top of it i don't slip. and we all know that i would be the one who is talented enough to break a bone so badly i need surgery in a foreign country.
today was relatively warm, a lot of the ice that's around camp melted today. it was actually in the positive numbers temperature-wise. Cathy [the full-time housekeeping staff] and i were going around camp today in just fleeces and we were fine. [aside from all the cleaning they threw at us last minute.] the outdoor rec staff wasn't happy about this because they have to lead activities like tubing, snowshoeing and other things that require decent amounts of snow but i was glad to get the 3 inches of ice off the steps to my cabin since i nearly wiped out this morning because of the melting making it slippery. o and just a tip to everyone after a day off it's not only important to remember to reset your alarm but to also turn it on, i may have forgotten the second part of that and was a little late to work this morning, but Cathy was still in ferndale [the staff dining hall] when i got here so i wasn't too late, even tho i woke up when i was supposed to be getting here.
there's this tiny town i go through on my way into bracebridge. it seems like it's only about 4 houses on each side of highway 141. the town is called Raymond. when I'm driving back from bracebridge the sign for Raymond has in small letters above Raymond the words 'everybody loves'. so the sign for Raymond on the way back from bracebridge reads 'everybody loves Raymond' and i get a kick out of it every time i see it.
today i had my appointment to set up my bank account and I'm proud to say that I've opened my very first bank account with no one as a co signer. this is scary but it's a good step. as much as i hate to admit it i think that when i get back to the states [assuming i stay there for awhile] I'm gonna have to get a credit card. I'm gonna start small, prolly with just a 500 dollar limit or something but i figure I'm gonna need to start building up credit. so as long as i have a job i think it may be time for me to start doing that. i wanted to wait til i had my 'career' job but i don't know when that will happen so it's something to think about.
I'm still excited to see what God has in store for me here and in my life. i know there's a reason he has brought me here. I've already learned a lot about being the new kid and being the only one living on property that works a specific job but i don't think that's the reason he brought me here. depending on what happens and how the rest of the months go and what happens with Michigan i can see myself working summers and falls or springs in Michigan and winters here. it's not necessarily an ideal life but the jobs are what i feel called to do and after all as much as money would be nice I'd rather reap the benefits of working at places like these. i don't know many other people who feel such a family like connection with the people they work with. i don't have that here yet but it's getting there. Cathy was telling me today about when her husband had a brain hemorrhage. she found out at work and most of the people at camp were at the hospital that day sitting with her making sure she was ok and taking meals to the family members that had come in. i don't know many people who work in offices that have that kind of family commitment to each other if something like that happens. i don't know if it's the christian base or if it's the seclusion of living on camp property either way it's definitely different and in an AWESOME way.
I'm starting to settle in and feel more at home here. I'm joking around with people more and i feel like the Christie you all know is coming out, I've been pretty shy lately [i know most of you didn't know it was possible].
i still miss everyone but i think I'm finding my niche here little by little.
one thing I've noticed about the great white north here is the roads. they get more snow here that we do even at school but their roads are sooo much nicer! i was talking with some of the girls about it here because i noticed that around camp there seemed to be sand on top of all the snow. they explained to me that here in Canada they don't use salt anymore. they use a salt spray but not salt in rock form like we do. it's the rock form of the salt that tears up our roads. they will also put sand down on top of the snow for traction and it works quite well around camp. i can walk on a patch of straight ice but if there's sand on top of it i don't slip. and we all know that i would be the one who is talented enough to break a bone so badly i need surgery in a foreign country.
today was relatively warm, a lot of the ice that's around camp melted today. it was actually in the positive numbers temperature-wise. Cathy [the full-time housekeeping staff] and i were going around camp today in just fleeces and we were fine. [aside from all the cleaning they threw at us last minute.] the outdoor rec staff wasn't happy about this because they have to lead activities like tubing, snowshoeing and other things that require decent amounts of snow but i was glad to get the 3 inches of ice off the steps to my cabin since i nearly wiped out this morning because of the melting making it slippery. o and just a tip to everyone after a day off it's not only important to remember to reset your alarm but to also turn it on, i may have forgotten the second part of that and was a little late to work this morning, but Cathy was still in ferndale [the staff dining hall] when i got here so i wasn't too late, even tho i woke up when i was supposed to be getting here.
there's this tiny town i go through on my way into bracebridge. it seems like it's only about 4 houses on each side of highway 141. the town is called Raymond. when I'm driving back from bracebridge the sign for Raymond has in small letters above Raymond the words 'everybody loves'. so the sign for Raymond on the way back from bracebridge reads 'everybody loves Raymond' and i get a kick out of it every time i see it.
today i had my appointment to set up my bank account and I'm proud to say that I've opened my very first bank account with no one as a co signer. this is scary but it's a good step. as much as i hate to admit it i think that when i get back to the states [assuming i stay there for awhile] I'm gonna have to get a credit card. I'm gonna start small, prolly with just a 500 dollar limit or something but i figure I'm gonna need to start building up credit. so as long as i have a job i think it may be time for me to start doing that. i wanted to wait til i had my 'career' job but i don't know when that will happen so it's something to think about.
I'm still excited to see what God has in store for me here and in my life. i know there's a reason he has brought me here. I've already learned a lot about being the new kid and being the only one living on property that works a specific job but i don't think that's the reason he brought me here. depending on what happens and how the rest of the months go and what happens with Michigan i can see myself working summers and falls or springs in Michigan and winters here. it's not necessarily an ideal life but the jobs are what i feel called to do and after all as much as money would be nice I'd rather reap the benefits of working at places like these. i don't know many other people who feel such a family like connection with the people they work with. i don't have that here yet but it's getting there. Cathy was telling me today about when her husband had a brain hemorrhage. she found out at work and most of the people at camp were at the hospital that day sitting with her making sure she was ok and taking meals to the family members that had come in. i don't know many people who work in offices that have that kind of family commitment to each other if something like that happens. i don't know if it's the christian base or if it's the seclusion of living on camp property either way it's definitely different and in an AWESOME way.
I'm starting to settle in and feel more at home here. I'm joking around with people more and i feel like the Christie you all know is coming out, I've been pretty shy lately [i know most of you didn't know it was possible].
i still miss everyone but i think I'm finding my niche here little by little.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
rosewood cottage
rosewood cottage is one of the VIP guest accomodations
view from the rosewood porch
one of the four bedrooms, each one with a full bathroom attached
another view of the living room
bears?
so on our treks today cathy and i took out the trash we had collected. since we had more today than yesterday we couldn't just sneak it into the kitchen garbage. the way muskoka woods is set up they have 1,000 acres, most of this land is not built on and is across highway 141 from the main camp. [highway 141 isn't a highway as we think of it, it's more like m-22 up north.] anyway there is an underpass that we take the ranger on to get to the other side of the highway. as i'm driving the ranger through the underpass cathy is telling me that in teh winter it's ok to take the trash out by myself but come spring i need to take someone with me because of bears. yes folks apparently i am that far north. i'm in bear country. right now they are all hibernating but i'm told that they have been known to walk right up to the office if they want. i didn't realize it but it does make sense i've seen a couple of moose crossing signs when i go into bracebridge.
since i have to work this saturday it looks like i'm gonna get thursday off. which is nice i jsut wish that i already had my bank account open so i could have a canadian debit card. i'm afraid to use my fifth third card because i don't want to get slammed with charges and fees for using it internationally. i'll just have to check out huntsville and parry sound some other time.
i'm gonna post some pictures of one of the vip guest accomodations that i cleaned today.
since i have to work this saturday it looks like i'm gonna get thursday off. which is nice i jsut wish that i already had my bank account open so i could have a canadian debit card. i'm afraid to use my fifth third card because i don't want to get slammed with charges and fees for using it internationally. i'll just have to check out huntsville and parry sound some other time.
i'm gonna post some pictures of one of the vip guest accomodations that i cleaned today.
Monday, January 11, 2010
actually working
so today i met kathy the 'muskoka mom' as some people put it. she's the other housekeeping person on staff here that isn't contracted out. [we have people from service master that come in to clean some areas but i'll get to that] she is a wonderful lady who loves her job here and can be sarcastic and funny so we get along well.
service master is a cleaning company that comes out and cleans the main building which houses three dining halls, 6 bathrooms, a basement rec room and the main office. they also clean all the areas that the guests stay in. kathy and i clean the music hall, VIP guest housing, the field house and do the laundry from the kitchen, VIP guest housing and service master.
today we started cleaning the VIP housing from this weekend but we don't have to have those done til monday so we worked on catching up on laundry and cleaned the field house. things seem to be settling in here a bit. it still feels weird to have my job be so laid back and not go go go. it's also weird to have set hours to work that are relatively strict. i so used to just working until i'm done even if that means 3am. on the plus side i get to drive a ranger when kathy isn't here [not the ford truck ranger the souped (sp?) up golf cart gator type ranger, i'll post a picture of it soon] and i can also do my laundry in the housekeeping machine so i don't need to buy laundry detergent! yay!
i set up an appointment on friday to open my bank account, i still can't believe i need an appointment. wednesday apparently there are some people going out to dinner in huntsville, one of the cities i have not checked out yet so maybe i'll go in with them. as long as the place takes american cash i'm good. there have also been talks about a winter festival where you can skate down a frozen canal [altho this would require me to learn how to ice skate and after my skateboarding experience i'm not sure i wanna tempt fate, we all know how injury prone i am.]
there is one thing i need help with. as a staff we have decided to have community nights like once a week where someone plans a night for the staff to hang out and do something together in order to bond or just have fun whatever. i know that canada is pretty much the same as the u.s. but i was hoping someone would have an idea of something that is really american to do with the staff here for one of these community nights. it can even be something that is really dearborn/detroit or michigan like. i just thought it would be fun to do something to show them where i come from.
i've also got lines on a couple of churches in the area that i might fit well in so we'll see how that goes. i'll probably try one this weekend. we're supposed to be starting our small groups up soon, those will meet twice a week and we have cadence which is like our staff worship time every sunday night.
service master is a cleaning company that comes out and cleans the main building which houses three dining halls, 6 bathrooms, a basement rec room and the main office. they also clean all the areas that the guests stay in. kathy and i clean the music hall, VIP guest housing, the field house and do the laundry from the kitchen, VIP guest housing and service master.
today we started cleaning the VIP housing from this weekend but we don't have to have those done til monday so we worked on catching up on laundry and cleaned the field house. things seem to be settling in here a bit. it still feels weird to have my job be so laid back and not go go go. it's also weird to have set hours to work that are relatively strict. i so used to just working until i'm done even if that means 3am. on the plus side i get to drive a ranger when kathy isn't here [not the ford truck ranger the souped (sp?) up golf cart gator type ranger, i'll post a picture of it soon] and i can also do my laundry in the housekeeping machine so i don't need to buy laundry detergent! yay!
i set up an appointment on friday to open my bank account, i still can't believe i need an appointment. wednesday apparently there are some people going out to dinner in huntsville, one of the cities i have not checked out yet so maybe i'll go in with them. as long as the place takes american cash i'm good. there have also been talks about a winter festival where you can skate down a frozen canal [altho this would require me to learn how to ice skate and after my skateboarding experience i'm not sure i wanna tempt fate, we all know how injury prone i am.]
there is one thing i need help with. as a staff we have decided to have community nights like once a week where someone plans a night for the staff to hang out and do something together in order to bond or just have fun whatever. i know that canada is pretty much the same as the u.s. but i was hoping someone would have an idea of something that is really american to do with the staff here for one of these community nights. it can even be something that is really dearborn/detroit or michigan like. i just thought it would be fun to do something to show them where i come from.
i've also got lines on a couple of churches in the area that i might fit well in so we'll see how that goes. i'll probably try one this weekend. we're supposed to be starting our small groups up soon, those will meet twice a week and we have cadence which is like our staff worship time every sunday night.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
pictures
sunset in royal muskoka dining hall
the view from my bedroom window
view from my cabin porch, there's another line of cabins then lake rosseau [ross-oh]it's not delivery it's . . .
most people would answer that with 'digiorno' however in canada i've learned that it's 'delissioso.'
i went into town again today to set up my bank acocunt and invest in some snow pants. i get to td canada trust to find out that i need to make an apointment to set up a bank account. i of course can't do this yet because i don't know my work schedule. however i was guaranteed by the bank that if i call on monday they will fit me in next week. i'm beginning to think i will never get my bank account set up.
this afternoon was rough. i was pretty homesick. after i got back from town i went back to my room and read for a bit then took a short nap and went to dinner. after dinner i tagged along with the OREC [outdoor recreation] staff to B3.
B3 is canada's largest indoor skatepark. tonight i learned two things there. number 1 ballerina balance does not a skateboarder make. on the second trip across the floor [what was deemed level two] we were supposed to push off and then put our back foot on the skateboard. i definitely fell flat on my butt it was relatively graceful and didn't really hurt as much as i thought it would. apparently all my ballet training has made it almost impossible for me to skateboard b/c i keep wanting to put my feet together instead of spread them out. so dont' worry mom i probably won't come back with a skateboard doing any major tricks. number 2 it's AMAZINGLY FUN to run towards a vert ramp with full pads fall into the ramp and slide back down to the floor.
i went into town again today to set up my bank acocunt and invest in some snow pants. i get to td canada trust to find out that i need to make an apointment to set up a bank account. i of course can't do this yet because i don't know my work schedule. however i was guaranteed by the bank that if i call on monday they will fit me in next week. i'm beginning to think i will never get my bank account set up.
this afternoon was rough. i was pretty homesick. after i got back from town i went back to my room and read for a bit then took a short nap and went to dinner. after dinner i tagged along with the OREC [outdoor recreation] staff to B3.
B3 is canada's largest indoor skatepark. tonight i learned two things there. number 1 ballerina balance does not a skateboarder make. on the second trip across the floor [what was deemed level two] we were supposed to push off and then put our back foot on the skateboard. i definitely fell flat on my butt it was relatively graceful and didn't really hurt as much as i thought it would. apparently all my ballet training has made it almost impossible for me to skateboard b/c i keep wanting to put my feet together instead of spread them out. so dont' worry mom i probably won't come back with a skateboard doing any major tricks. number 2 it's AMAZINGLY FUN to run towards a vert ramp with full pads fall into the ramp and slide back down to the floor.
i'm still getting razzed about how mcuh i bundle up in these frigid temperatures. however, i think i'm SLOWLY getting used to the FRIGID temperatures here. it's been between 10 and 15 below [celsius]. i'm told it may get to 20 and 25 below. last winter it got all the way down to 30 or 35 below. so if you're reading this PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE pray for temperatures that aren't too much lower.
best quote of the night: "note to self get a bigger coat" matt after seeing the end of bridget jone's diary.
Friday, January 8, 2010
new adventures
Today brought its own interesting adventures. When I woke up I realized I needed to make a trip to the drug store. On my way into town [the nearest towns are all half hour away] I realized half way there that I didn’t have my license. Then I realized that I didn’t have my passport or birth certificate to open my bank account. Finally I get to town and I go to fill my car up I realize my credit card is with my drivers license. Thankfully I have the cash I was going to use to open my bank account and the gas station takes American.
The rest of the staff got in today and they all seem pretty cool. I feel like a bit of an outsider because most of them have been here before and know each other. Plus they’re all outdoor recreation staff and I’m just housekeeping. We did play some awesome games tonight and I think I’m gonna have to bring tube dodeball and tube tag back to the states.
As I’m sitting in the staff lounge watching hockey I’m paying attention to the commercials and so far there are three basic types of commercials [in order of how often they appear] beer, Tim Horton’s and Olympics. And the Olympic commercials are far fewer than the other two.
I’ve also found that in Canada they have some different flavors of potato chips. Apparently lays makes a smokey bacon flavor, as much as I love bacon this just doesn’t taste right you can’t put bacon flavor into a powder form. Doritos also has a sweet chili heat flavor, they’re pleasantly spicy but I don’t think they’re something I’d eat a lot of.
The meals here are pretty good. I don’t know that the food is as good as Marilyn’s or Becky’s but it’s not bad. They have had fresh fruit at every meal [I don’t know how with all the frozenness but oh well] and tonight they tried to hide some veggies in the rice.
Tonight I’m feeling a little homesick and I find myself wondering if I can last the three months but then I remember that if I can make it through the past six months I can make it through anything plus it might just be a bad night.
Well the maple leafs lost but the rallied pretty well in the third. I think I’m gonna go to bed. I volunteered for breakfast duty tomorrow morning at 7.
The rest of the staff got in today and they all seem pretty cool. I feel like a bit of an outsider because most of them have been here before and know each other. Plus they’re all outdoor recreation staff and I’m just housekeeping. We did play some awesome games tonight and I think I’m gonna have to bring tube dodeball and tube tag back to the states.
As I’m sitting in the staff lounge watching hockey I’m paying attention to the commercials and so far there are three basic types of commercials [in order of how often they appear] beer, Tim Horton’s and Olympics. And the Olympic commercials are far fewer than the other two.
I’ve also found that in Canada they have some different flavors of potato chips. Apparently lays makes a smokey bacon flavor, as much as I love bacon this just doesn’t taste right you can’t put bacon flavor into a powder form. Doritos also has a sweet chili heat flavor, they’re pleasantly spicy but I don’t think they’re something I’d eat a lot of.
The meals here are pretty good. I don’t know that the food is as good as Marilyn’s or Becky’s but it’s not bad. They have had fresh fruit at every meal [I don’t know how with all the frozenness but oh well] and tonight they tried to hide some veggies in the rice.
Tonight I’m feeling a little homesick and I find myself wondering if I can last the three months but then I remember that if I can make it through the past six months I can make it through anything plus it might just be a bad night.
Well the maple leafs lost but the rallied pretty well in the third. I think I’m gonna go to bed. I volunteered for breakfast duty tomorrow morning at 7.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
day 1
bright and early this morning i got up to start a new chapter in my life.
i was on the road this morning by 8:30 heading for muskoka woods and 'sports resort' [i.e. summer camp] in rosseau, ontario. i got to the border and was confident until the guy behind the desk said: 'this is the wrong form' inner monologue: o crap! i filled out the ones they told me to, at least i thought i did, i swear i did! ok stay calm, be polite tell them what diane told you. 'i was told to fill out these forms, they are the ones sent to me by the camp and i was told that if there were any problems to call the front office.' officer: 'well i'm not gonna call them.' o boy. great i get the guy with an attitude. 'go sit down and let us look through this.' then they call me back over 'we don't see how you qualify. this job can be filled by someone in canada how did you hear about it? are you a christian like this organization? they're stretching this pretty thin.' 'i'm sorry sir i was just told to fill out this paper work and that if there were problems to have you call the front office of the camp.' 'ok well is this the number?' 'yes' 'go sit while i call them' after thirty minutes or so. 'i'm gonna issue you the work permit but they're stretching this pretty thin.' 'i'm sorry sir but thank you for all your help i really appreciate it.'
so i continue on my journey, making sure to watch my speed since i have to pay attention to the little numbers and not the big ones. i also changed my gps to measure using km since it's got an odometer on it too it was easier to use that one than the little numbers. i stopped about noon at a 'service center' and got some chicken nuggets at wendy's [canada you just got a point for having wendy's]. so instead of rest stops in canada they have these service centers which are basically what you find on a toll road, gas, food, bathroom, so you don't have to get off the highway. i like it i think it's easier. anyway i continued on my journey again with my GPS guiding me [thank you mom] and just as i'm starting to think i might make it to camp on one tank of gas i double check my miles to empty and my miles to go [well km at this point] and i'm off by like 10. fail. so i stop at another service center for gas. this service center had a drive through mcdonald's but it was in like a tunnel and the gas pumps were in like a tunnel too there was a building on top of them it was weird but whatever. i also learned my first lesson from canada at this stop. DON'T BE OUTSIDE THE CAR IN -3 DEGREES WITHOUT GLOVES FOR MORE THAN 30 SECONDS!!!! my fingers hurt by the time i got back in the car, but i warmed them up and they seem to be doing fine now.
i finally get off the highway and by this time i've had a super sized biggby coffee and a fuze so i REALLY gotta pee. i was hoping there would be a gas station or something i could stop at but no such luck. as my GPS tells me i've got 300 meters to muskoka woods on the right i look to my right and see an unmarked driveway and think that can't be it, it's too close so i keep driving and there's NOTHING so i start freaking out and looking for a place to turn around when i come around the bend and see a gigantic sign for muskoka woods and i breathe a sigh of relief. i get through the gate and go into the office introduce myself to the elusive melissa [the person i've been in contact with] and ask for the bathroom because did i mention i REALLY REALLY have to pee. anyway after i get back from the bathroom josh shows me to my 'cabin' which is more like the townhouse at grand valley except that it has 5 bedrooms, each one of them has a half bath and the downstairs has two of the bedrooms plus a bathroom with three showers ans two toilets and a small living room.
i'm sharing a room with kandace. the room is roughly the size of my dorm freshman year at grand valley but it's shorter because of the half bath and i think it's a bit narrower. anyway kandace seems cool and easy to get along with and the other girls i've met seem pretty cool as well. the big surprise for the returning staffers was the plasma screen in the staff lounge it's gotta be like 30 or 40" maybe 50. they are all psyched for lost and guitar hero. personally i'm hoping numb3rs and ncis will have some awesome explosions for the big screen.
i'm told we get internet access in our cabin but there was a big storm so it's down right now. i'm sitting in the staff dining room right now. so there's still internet access i'm thinking that the signal booster got blown off a roof or something.
anyway i think i'm gonna head back and go to bed. it's gonna be a relatively early morning tomorrow and i'm tired from the long drive. i'll try to keep this updated as much and as often as i can. i'll get some pics of the place too and get them posted.
i miss all of you tons and if i could have brought you with me i would have but this is a chapter i need to at least start on my own. i know god is with me and he is the one i need to focus on right now.
from the canadaian north goodnight.
i was on the road this morning by 8:30 heading for muskoka woods and 'sports resort' [i.e. summer camp] in rosseau, ontario. i got to the border and was confident until the guy behind the desk said: 'this is the wrong form' inner monologue: o crap! i filled out the ones they told me to, at least i thought i did, i swear i did! ok stay calm, be polite tell them what diane told you. 'i was told to fill out these forms, they are the ones sent to me by the camp and i was told that if there were any problems to call the front office.' officer: 'well i'm not gonna call them.' o boy. great i get the guy with an attitude. 'go sit down and let us look through this.' then they call me back over 'we don't see how you qualify. this job can be filled by someone in canada how did you hear about it? are you a christian like this organization? they're stretching this pretty thin.' 'i'm sorry sir i was just told to fill out this paper work and that if there were problems to have you call the front office of the camp.' 'ok well is this the number?' 'yes' 'go sit while i call them' after thirty minutes or so. 'i'm gonna issue you the work permit but they're stretching this pretty thin.' 'i'm sorry sir but thank you for all your help i really appreciate it.'
so i continue on my journey, making sure to watch my speed since i have to pay attention to the little numbers and not the big ones. i also changed my gps to measure using km since it's got an odometer on it too it was easier to use that one than the little numbers. i stopped about noon at a 'service center' and got some chicken nuggets at wendy's [canada you just got a point for having wendy's]. so instead of rest stops in canada they have these service centers which are basically what you find on a toll road, gas, food, bathroom, so you don't have to get off the highway. i like it i think it's easier. anyway i continued on my journey again with my GPS guiding me [thank you mom] and just as i'm starting to think i might make it to camp on one tank of gas i double check my miles to empty and my miles to go [well km at this point] and i'm off by like 10. fail. so i stop at another service center for gas. this service center had a drive through mcdonald's but it was in like a tunnel and the gas pumps were in like a tunnel too there was a building on top of them it was weird but whatever. i also learned my first lesson from canada at this stop. DON'T BE OUTSIDE THE CAR IN -3 DEGREES WITHOUT GLOVES FOR MORE THAN 30 SECONDS!!!! my fingers hurt by the time i got back in the car, but i warmed them up and they seem to be doing fine now.
i finally get off the highway and by this time i've had a super sized biggby coffee and a fuze so i REALLY gotta pee. i was hoping there would be a gas station or something i could stop at but no such luck. as my GPS tells me i've got 300 meters to muskoka woods on the right i look to my right and see an unmarked driveway and think that can't be it, it's too close so i keep driving and there's NOTHING so i start freaking out and looking for a place to turn around when i come around the bend and see a gigantic sign for muskoka woods and i breathe a sigh of relief. i get through the gate and go into the office introduce myself to the elusive melissa [the person i've been in contact with] and ask for the bathroom because did i mention i REALLY REALLY have to pee. anyway after i get back from the bathroom josh shows me to my 'cabin' which is more like the townhouse at grand valley except that it has 5 bedrooms, each one of them has a half bath and the downstairs has two of the bedrooms plus a bathroom with three showers ans two toilets and a small living room.
i'm sharing a room with kandace. the room is roughly the size of my dorm freshman year at grand valley but it's shorter because of the half bath and i think it's a bit narrower. anyway kandace seems cool and easy to get along with and the other girls i've met seem pretty cool as well. the big surprise for the returning staffers was the plasma screen in the staff lounge it's gotta be like 30 or 40" maybe 50. they are all psyched for lost and guitar hero. personally i'm hoping numb3rs and ncis will have some awesome explosions for the big screen.
i'm told we get internet access in our cabin but there was a big storm so it's down right now. i'm sitting in the staff dining room right now. so there's still internet access i'm thinking that the signal booster got blown off a roof or something.
anyway i think i'm gonna head back and go to bed. it's gonna be a relatively early morning tomorrow and i'm tired from the long drive. i'll try to keep this updated as much and as often as i can. i'll get some pics of the place too and get them posted.
i miss all of you tons and if i could have brought you with me i would have but this is a chapter i need to at least start on my own. i know god is with me and he is the one i need to focus on right now.
from the canadaian north goodnight.
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