Christmas (I know...it's late)

I wanted to write a bit about my Christmas holidays because either everyone assumed I went back to Winnipeg, or that I stayed in Québec City. I did neither for that matter.

I ended up taking a halfway route and ended up in Toronto. What awaited me in the "centre of the universe", you ask? Some relatives I haven't seen in a while, and some new ones I hadn't seen yet.

It was a good compromise, it cost less than half of a return ticket to Winnipeg (or Regina if I chose to visit my parents first). Also, I wouldn't be stuck in Québec City while everybody else was celebrating Christmas with their relatives and then some.

Anyway, more about my Christmas. The weather was super balmy. I believe it was above zero the whole time I was there (definitely a first in my memory, of course I don't remember my baby years in England). Yet everyone was worrying when I didn't put on my jacket *rolls eyes*.

The family gathering was fun, though having to watch the first 15 mins. of Cars 30+ times in 3 days did get a little tiresome. Oh, toddlers...There was a traditional turkey dinner, and I held my own against the men of the poker table. I think I either slept or played Warioware Twisted the rest of the time.

Boxing day sales in Toronto aren't as insane as Winnipeg, but I think that was a result of going to lesser-known malls. Also Pacific Mall has nothing more than bootlegged movies and bubble tea now. There used to be video game and computer shops, but they make less business and they moved elsewhere. Amazing how things change in 3 years.

Pierre Trudeau Airport only has about an hour and a half of quiet time to sleep. And get a bench quickly or you'll have to set up chairs.

NTS: Never set up an early flight when you need to take an overnight bus to get to the airport.

Lastly, I love you big K, M, and little K. Hope to see you all soon.

Exciting News!!

If I was a decent events blogger, then I wouldn't be posting out of chronological order. But alas, I feel that this is news that I have to share post haste.

For those that aren't aware, there was a recent dance weekend called QSRV held right here in Québec City. I had so much fun learning balboa and shag, as well as hosting old friends, eating wonderful food, and listening to great music. This all on 6 hours of sleep. Not bad. Not bad at all.

But that isn't the news. It's just part of what I should've posted about already.

So two days after that weekend, still experiencing the high of a weekend well spent, I was telling a friend how ideal I feel my life was at that moment. I found work, my french is vastly improving, I get to explore the city from time to time, and I get to dance. It's how I pictured my break from Winnipeg.

The next night, I open my e-mail to find an interesting message. An invitation to Troupe Ruby Porto? Wait...is Benjamin serious? Inside were details about costs, the other members, schedules, and catch-up sessions. And he wanted a response as soon as possible. One of the catch up sessions was that night. I read this half an hour before my fast lindy hop class and just as I was making supper. Needless to say I barely cooked my food on time as I wanted to call people, tell the family upstairs, and sort things out in my head.

What about work? What about money? What about other exchanges? Do I have the drive to actually go through with that much training? Could I leave in August like I still planned?

Thankfully for the most part, it's been taken care of. And yes, I still plan to join the troupe. It'll be so exciting. Ce sera très trippé!


If you asked me 4 months ago if I was going to join a troupe, I would've said never. There was no reason for me to take the pre-req of Jive as noone in Winnipeg dances it. Also, the prospect of doing aerials and going back to not using them afterwards didn't thrill me.

But now that I look at it, it's an excellent experience. An opportunity to learn, embrace, express, touch, see and hear all things swing dance. Now here's to hoping the next 6 months won't be too gruelling ;).

Montréal Smackdown

I'll be spending most of my time before work today to blog, so enjoy. I was going to update people last week, but the power went out and my landlord didn't know how to fix the router. I don't really know how to fix it either, though all I can say is play around with all the wires and electric cords and it'll work eventually.

But I apologize for that, and for that short spiel. On to swing dancing.

So at the beginning of December, I decided to dish out $148 for the weekend workshop in Montréal. Now you might ask yourselves, that's a ton of money for a weekend event, but if you're passionate about a particular hobby, I think you'll better understand. Also, it included a very dancer-friendly concert with none other than the renowned Barbara Morrison, and workshops with world-class instructors Skye Humphries and Frida Seigerdahl.

This was definitely my first experience with instructors of their caliber, and they impressed me with how warm they were towards whom they were teaching. There's definitely something about teaching in a circle that's special I think. Perhaps it's because the circle uses the least surface area to cover the most area, or that it's a symbol of continuity, but I digress, I'm putting too much into it.

For the most part, it wasn't the moves that stuck with me more than the fundamentals that they were trying to teach with those moves. I can definitely say I still suck at jazz steps. So what did I learn? I won't say, except for one jazz step in which I forgot that my body stretched that way. It felt overexerted for a couple days. Rather, I'll tell the swing dancers that they should go to these events and find out for themselves. Oh, and take notes during/after each class. If there is a certain move that you like, it's nice to know that you can refer to a sheet when/if you do forget it. Also, what you have to do in those moves and the fundamentals associated with it, so you don't just have the footwork and no way to lead it.

L'Espace Dell'Arte was a little small for my liking compared to the class/concert size, though I can say that for the most part it was alright. Apparently it was bigger before the renovation, but it was also a delapidated restaurant, not an events centre.

The concert was amazing! Barbara Morrison and the band that played behind her (sorry I don't remember) were, like I said, very dancer friendly. I've seen a few bands play for swing dances, but this is definitely at the top of the list. Though, I'll have to add that this the first internationally renowned artist I've seen too. She ended up dancing in a couple jams. That made me ecstatic! I certainly don't have the guts to do that yet. Music was played at all tempos, and the pacing was excellent. You could literally dance all night as opposed to stopping every few songs. It also introduced me to the horseshoe formation to allow the band to see a jam. That's really thoughtful.

Mmmmhmmmm, I could keep on talking but it'll just seem like rambling after this. Time for lunch! Nothing more french than a baguette with option of terrine meat spread/roasted garlic/camembert cheese except with a cup of coffee.

Traveller's Delight

There a certain awe that can be found in people that travel. The whole idea of flying the coop and seeing something new.

Though there is certainly a difference between visiting a place and experiencing it. So you ask, what do you mean? Well here's my two cents, based on my experiences thus far.

When one travels with a group, there is a tendency to stick to that group the whole time. Now this is only natural, and for the most part good. When travelling, however, this can lead to an isolation from the culture that one is trying to discover. Here are two examples.

So say, you want to go somewhere and you don't know how to get there. Your friend then insists on taking out the map. This, however, could have been a great opportunity to ask a local where to go, but moreover what they enjoy about their country.

Another example is being in a tour group. Obviously it's fitting to follow them around and make sure you don't miss their bus. Though, they always provide a break time in between the end of the tour and boarding the bus. DON"T MISS THIS CHANCE! When I was in high school, the french class organized a spring break through Europe. Needless to say less than half of the students were in that class. Anyway, we were in Germany (I want to say Rotterdam...but I'm not sure, anyway it was a castle town), they provided a 45 minute break for lunch. Most of the students decided to hang out together and find a restaurant nearby. However, I chose to walk around the block I was familiar with. I'd probably add not to walk more than 5 blocks from where you're familiar with, or you might get lost. I ended up finding a weapon museum in a little subtle alleyway. It was a refreshing change from the castles and churches we've been discovering for 8 days already. Even though I spent only 10 minutes in there before running back to the bus, it was fun. It was different. And I also got to meet some fun girls from Red Wing, Minnesota who happened to be touring with the same company =oP. Of course, nothing became of that since I was only 15 and they were definitely of the 18+.

So that's involving groups. I want to be a little more current now when it comes to individuals. I've been staying in Québec now for four months, but it wasn't until a month ago that I really started to engage with people. I thank that mainly to my job. For the three months before that, sure I went out and did things, but that was in the minority compared to how much time I spent cooped up in my house using the internet (majority English sites, no less). Now I know Le Capitole is a really swanky Theatre House/Restaurant/Cabaret/Hotel due to the Jardin Mobile staff party which I'll talk more about later today.

That's when it comes to living somewhere. Travelling for a weekend is the last thing I want to talk about. Take an extra day off from the regularly scheduled life and try to use that day to explore the city with friends (close friends or new ones made that weekend) if possible. I've been to Minneapolis and Montréal for dance workshops/lindy hop exchanges and I can honestly say I don't know anything about those cities except the dancers are nice (in more than one way ;o)). All I did was dance, eat and sleep. There wasn't enough time to check out landmarks, go downtown, etc. I have to admit I was in Montréal with a tour group 8 years back, but I don't really feel like I experienced the city then either.

That's all I had to really say about the Traveller's Delight. Be sure that as a traveller, you do try and engage the locals. It makes a world of difference, pardon the pun. My french has improved a lot since that month, and I now finally feel like I'm living in Québec as opposed to a hostile uncomfortable environment.

Thanks for reading this, everyone! =o)

Mon Travail

Right, as my astute friend Andrea has pointed out to me, I have not made any mention of my job. I suppose I should get on that then.

What was I looking for in a job while in Québec?
1) The opportunity to speak to the Québecois in a non-pressure situation (no phones or cashiers for me, please).
2) Something to whittle away the days (full-time work).
3)That's about it. I'm not very picky, am I?

Anyway, after sending a good couple dozen resumés out, I wait for about a week and a half before my first and only call-back. Let's note here, that unlike my intention to send out resumés by the end of October, I actually started at the beginning of December. Yes, I was THAT lethargic.

Now you must be asking yourself why he's running on like this. FYI, this certain blogger hasn't updated quite like promised and is just making up for it now.

Onto the job, which I don't really have much to say about. I work at a grocery store, much like an IGA, or a Safeway, or something to that degree. Heck, I didn't even know what my job entailed once I got accepted. I for the most part nodded along. The manager mentioned something about a warehouse, and whether I could make it to work at 8:00am. The previous post talks more of that.

So this idea of working in a warehouse, instilled in my mind that there was a lot of manual labour. How far off I was. It turns out this warehouse is, of course, just a few fridges containing all the produce. Also, most of my daily activities reside in the fruits department and the cashier. Stocking fruits, checking for the spoiled ones, helping clients carry their bags, and generally making sure the public has not wreaked havoc on the place.

I've now been working there since Dec. 19th. It's nice to have a job again. Plus, I've been able to listen to the locals in the fullness of their speech. No toning down of accents, insistence to speak English, or trying to include me in every conversation. Life is good...if only half the rain turned to snow, it'd be a Wonderland for me.