Camping experience

The weekend after finals, a group of people from my floor had planned a trip to go camping. We originally wanted to camp in Jasper, but camping season hadn't started yet and the only one we could find was in Banff. Some of us were very worried because a lot of people were saying it was going to be very cold and not the right time for camping. Nevertheless we went camping! This was my first time camping (if you don't count a school trip), and I was very excited - it was also my first road trip without family.

There were five of us, and truth be told not all of us were very close to each other, but we made the weekend really fun! It took us about 5 hours to get to Banff, and we started out pretty late too, so by the time we arrived it was about 5pm. We set up the tent in no time (before it got dark) and ate dinner at Banff town. Arriving back, it was getting a little cold (about 4 or 5 degrees) and we got the fire pit going. The fire probably helped us to forget how cold it actually was, but we were reminded when we went into the tent to sleep. It was pretty tight for five of us, and very uncomfortable with all the layers I was wearing. I think I slept the least, but my friends were saying they didn't sleep much either though snores could be heard throughout the night. The biggest problem was 1. how tight and uncomfortable I was and 2. my feet and hands were really cold.
The next night we decided to sleep indoors, and originally booked a space at a nearby YHA, but our leader/driver found a chalet which was cheaper in a neighbouring town (about 30 mins away). That was really nice, and we even got to see a fox at night!

So during the time we were there, we visited most of the lakes, ate a lot of food, and had tons of fun. We cooked (or rather mostly I cooked) dinner and breakfast at the chalet. And on the way back we went from Banff to Jasper and drove through the magnificent Canadian Rockies! It was such a beautiful drive, and thanks to our friend, because he was the only one who drove! First 4 hours through to Jasper, then a break for dinner and another 3 hours into the night to Edmonton where we arrived at 1am. It was such an experience with many breath taking views and much bonding in the car. Though my other three friends were like little piglets sleeping at the back every time we were in the car.

It also turned out that the theme for our road trip became 'contemplating life', and the word 'contemplation' came up a lot. This was because we would spend quite some time in silence just looking into the fire pit, and our talks leant towards, 'what is life?' Plus the song 'what is love' came up on the radio, which had only three phrases throughout the song. I don't know why but that was pretty much our theme song too, we would just randomly start singing that song whenever. This trip was so much fun, and is what road trips are about, listening to songs and contemplating life.

Another job?!

My previous post, as you can see below, is about me getting my first job ever. And now, I have another one! It isn't in a formal setting or anything, but still I am getting paid to do it - dog walking! It totally came out of the blue and I was caught off guard when two - TWO people contacted me to walk their dog.

A few months ago I registered on this website, Pawshake, as a dog walker hoping to walk someone's dog and be able to play with them at the same time. Then after forgetting about that, I received two e-mails about a day apart two weeks ago. The first person lived pretty far away from me, and I wasn't about to commute so far just to walk a dog, especially since I already have my other job. But the second person who contacted me lived a few streets away, and was actually doable.

So I went over to their house to meet the dogs and get things figured out, but this is such a good deal. I'll be walking/throwing snowballs (though snow has mostly melted now) for their 2 year old labradoodle, and get to play with their 2 month old French breed puppy as well! He's just a ball of fur and excitement! This is seriously the best job EVER. If I could, I would probably just walk and play with dogs as a living. It pays the same/better than my YMCA job.

Only thing is, I've started this last week and every time I've been rushing back to class. So I managed to get a bike! It definitely gets me to and from there faster but I still think I'll take the bus there because riding is so tiring with a heavy backpack on my shoulders. Still glad I got myself a bike though, because Spring is here!

First ever job!!!

I got a job! I actually applied at the end of last semester, just before my winter break, and it took about two months to process everything, but I got offered a job at a YMCA child care centre! Before receiving the call, I was having doubts about whether I could actually work part-time while still being a student. You see, this is my first ever job. But of course, it's the fear of the unknown that was giving me the jitters, and I need the experience so I left it up to fate. Everyone needs to start somewhere.

I actually had my first day on the 5th of February, a few weeks back and have since been working three days a week, three hours a day. However, starting from this week, it'll be reduced to twice a week because I have two basketball leagues starting and that takes up some of my nights, so I need time off work so I can get some schoolwork done. =D

It really is a good experience I feel, since I do want to work with children in the future - though probably not this many, and this definitely gives me a feel for it. There's about 60 enrolled, but split into two rooms, and though they can be angels, getting them to listen and clean up is a horror. It also is interesting to see theories that I've learnt about in my psychology classes come to life.

I'm not earning much, but then again I'm in it for the experience. And it's thrice as much in my home currency, so yay!

*The opinions expressed in this post have no relation to the YMCA organization and are solely my own thoughts.

Jasper Weekend!

So this was a while ago, but I had the opportunity to go to Jasper for the weekend. I was debating quite seriously about this, because it was quite an expensive trip and it wasn't even for the weekend, it was for two days one night. Adding to that, I had a midterm exam the Monday after. But I have never been to Jasper before and once there, it was so definitely worth it. The pictures will show you just how beautiful it was.

I woke up at 3AM, earliest in my life and we left at 5AM. There was about 50 of us in total maybe. I had three other friends with me (from the same floor) and it was nice to hang out. Took about 4+ hours to get there and we went straight to Marmot Ski Resort. I'm not much of a skier, but after spending 4 hours on the hills I eventually learned how not to fall. =] Mission accomplished.

That night we went ice skating on a frozen lake. Much easier than skiing, but still, I haven't had much practice with it. We were only there for a bit, but it was cool. I was surprised I wasn't dropping from exhaustion.

The next day we went snowshoeing up a mountain and arrived to the breath-taking view of the Canadian Rockies! It is no joke how tiring snowhoeing is, but so worth the climb up. On the right (below the skates) is a picture of the snowshoe which you kind of tie your shoes/boots in.














After that and a lunch break back in town, we went ice-walking in the Maligne caves. It sounds a little scary and dangerous, but it wasn't too bad. Apart from one or two times experiencing a heart-attack slip, it was pretty steady. I was honestly expecting more of the caves though, it felt like we only grazed the surface of it. Still, it was amazing. And thank the heavens that the weather those two days were great. I was actually sweating quite a bit, because I was afraid I'd be cold and wore quite thick clothes. (Ski pants are so comfortable tho!)

 As you can see, my Jasper weekend trip was WONDERFUL! Definitely go visit if you get the chance. I'd love to go back and see more of the Rockies, perhaps in the Spring/Autumn. 

Edmonton Adventure Finale

The last week of my winter break, and I managed to go to the remaining few places on my checklist. Let's have a cheer for managing to visit every place that I had planned to go to!

Adventure #7: Snowtubing

On Tuesday, I went snowtubing with two other friends, and as usual, we had to walk a bit to get there. But it was so definitely worth it. I hadn't thought the slope would be so steep, but it is quite, and though it felt like we might have flown into the river, we didn't. Definitely worth a go (and many more) if snowtubing is available where you are.

Adventure #8: Candy Cane Lane + New Year Fireworks

Then on Wednesday, we went to Candy Cane Lane, which is basically eight blocks of houses decorated for the holidays. My expectations were pretty high since I had heard such great things about it, but it mildly met my expectations. There was definitely some impressive decorations, but most were normal and some really disappointing (i.e. no decorations whatsoever).

And then we went to Churchill Square for the New Year countdown and fireworks. Never again. The place was PACKED, with only inches of space to move. I'd rather stay in and watch a movie, like I've been doing for the past few years thank you very much. But I guess since it was my first New Year's abroad and with friends, it was nice to experience it. And now that I have, never again. Plus the fireworks were all right. Some were pretty pathetic, but there were some nice ones too.


So my winter break is officially over. Had my first day back at school today, let's bring it!

Edmonton Adventure Continued!

Adventure #4: Alberta Aviation Museum + Legislature Grounds

Along with Farah, my adventure buddy, we set off for the Aviation museum around 12.40pm on Monday, and we got lost. Well we didn't actually get lost, but we didn't get off at the right stop, because I had thought there would be another transit, but there wasn't. So we took about a 20 minute ride further away from our stop, and a 20 minute ride back to where we were supposed to get off. Then another 15 minutes to actually walk and get to the museum. And it didn't seem worth it. Just a bunch of war planes, which I guess was kept in good condition, but that was about it. Took a load of photos and that seemed all there was to it. Well, at least I can say I've been there now.

Then we decided to drop by the Legislature around 5pm and see all the beautiful decorations. The lights were set up well and because it gets dark early now, it was a good time to stop by. We also saw people entering the building but there was pretty tight security to get in, and we weren't that bothered to go through all that to find out what was happening.

 

 

Adventure #5: Muttart Conservatory

This was a great adventure. And we didn't get lost on the way (though we almost missed our stop again). Not as far as the aviation museum was, but we still had to walk a little while to get there. It was good though, because the weather wasn't so cold and there is beauty in nature. There are four pyramids and each pyramid hosts different plants from different climates. Being from a tropical country myself, I can say that the tropical pyramid definitely felt like home. It was also really cool to see all types of plants and flowers, and it was really pretty.

 

Adventure #6: Canadian Christmas Dinner

Having no plans on Christmas day, I was gratefully surprised when a teacher I didn't even know invited some of us to her house for a Christmas dinner. She was my RA's teacher and I hadn't even met her before. I went with three others, one was another one of her students, but the rest of us weren't. This is kindness you can only find in Canada people. Well maybe not, but it's rare elsewhere. Knowing that there were some students who were staying back on campus during Christmas and deciding to give us a meal and share the joy with us, that is what Christmas is about ladies and gentlemen. It was fun and though a bit nervous and awkward at times, the night was a success. The food was delicious and we had some good laughs.



Adventure #6.5: Boxing Day

My first experience of boxing day, and though I was not that crazy to go to the stores at 7 in the morning, I went nonetheless. And I kind of get what the fuss is all about. Stores have major discounts, and though I went to a lot of stores and stayed at the outlets for about 2.5 hours, I only bought two items from the same store. I got a good deal on a very good jacket that I simply love. And I'm trying not to spend so much, but since then I've shopped twice. Once on Sunday and again today. New Years Resolution? I'm not going to spend money on clothes anymore until the summer, when my parents come visit.

 

Happy New Year! May 2015 be even better! 

 

 

 

Edmonton Adventure!

I started my Winter break a week earlier than most people. The last of my finals was on the 12th of December, and unlike most people, I had no travel plans. Home was too far away for such a short break, and I didn't really feel like going anywhere. Then, I figured that I might as well visit the places of the city I'm in! I'm always hearing that Edmonton is "Deadmonton" with nothing going on, but that's not true. I found a site that tells of various activities and events around the city, and my goal for the duration of my break is to go to as many of these places as possible.

Adventure #1: Edmonton River Valley Zoo

I started last Sunday, two days after my last final. I went to the zoo with a friend and luckily I met another friend who had three in his group because we had to walk part of the way to the zoo along an isolated path in the dark. My flash makes it seem really creepy, but it was just dark.
The reason we went at night was because the zoo had this festival of lights thing going on, so obviously we had to go when it was dark in order to see the lights. But it wasn't very impressive and I was hoping to see more animals - especially the red pandas but they were hiding inside. =[

Adventure #2: Art Gallery of Alberta

 On Wednesday, I decided to go for a little cultural learning and went to the art gallery downtown. It was really interesting and the art on display was certainly worth a look or two. I've never been one to enjoy art that much before, but since taking a basic art course my eyes have been opened to the world of art.

Adventure #3: Capitol Theatre

There's a small theatre in Fort Edmonton Park and conveniently, the way to get there was to stop at the same place I got off to get to the zoo. But I didn't have to cross the river to get there, and I went during the daytime with a friend. The show we went to watch was called It's a Wonderful Life: Radio Show, it wasn't the traditional theatre with acting, but more of voice acting. Though the actors and actresses were in front of us, it was done so that it gave the pretence of a radio show. They were reading from scripts and when they weren't speaking they sat on the couch behind the microphones. It's a pretty small stage but they manoeuvred it well and they had sound effects that was made manually. That was cool to watch, and the synchronization was impeccable. (On the left of the picture above, you can see a table with bottles and glasses, that area was where they made all the sounds from.)

Fort Edmonton Park itself seems pretty small and doesn't seem to have much. It did look like the buildings themselves were two-dimensional and felt like a set of a movie or something. Maybe because it was winter break and nothing was open that gave off that feeling. People say it's a bustling place in the spring and summer. I shall be back then!



I'm not going to count this as an adventure, but more of an outing. I went to Chinatown today with two friends to eat Dim Sum! A traditional Sunday brunch type of meal for Chinese people - though now any day of the week works fine for us. And as always when I have dim sum, I ate way too much. The thing is, you don't feel full until the end and you realize you still have lots of food on the table. Anyway it was worth it! Haven't had dim sum since I got back from home, and the food was good.

However, we had a bit of drama added to our meal. There was this drunk guy at the table next to ours who at first kept staring at my friend, so I offered to change seats with her. We didn't realize he was drunk then but after awhile, when the manager refused to get him another beer he started making a fuss. I don't know why they didn't get rid of him sooner, because he came over to our table twice and started talking nonsense. This is why you don't go to Chinatown at night people. Daytime is already scary and dangerous enough. I was hoping they would give us the meal for free, or at least a discount for having our lunch disturbed, but we weren't so lucky.

Two more weeks of adventures to go! I may post again next week, lots of stuff planned! Oh, and if you're interested in the site I get the events and stuff from, here it is: http://exploreedmonton.com/

Have a Merry Christmas!