Part 1! All updates after 31/03/19 are part of part 2!

31-3-19

Half Way Through!

It's been one month since I got here. 28 days down, 28 days more to go. I think I'm doing alright. I'm feeling good and I'm having a good time. This entire experience is absolutely fantastic. I've experienced so much in the last 28 days, it's insane. 

It started snowing last night! It's sooooo pretty (but soooooo cold). The weather was terrible today though, it was really bad. It was just snowing and raining all day long. I went to McMichael, it's a museum with only Canadian artists. It was really nice. One of the volunteers offered to take me there, and we had a great time. She showed me around the museum (she's a member, so knows the way) and then she showed me Downtown Toronto from her point of view. She knows everything about Toronto. Really, it was insane. She could tell me something about every street, every building, everything. It was very impressive. She was also a very nice person to be around with, very relaxed and we got along very well. It was nice.

I saw the universities of Toronto, the legislative building, the city hall, a lot of things that I hadn't seen yet. We then went to dinner at a Canadian restaurant, Swiss Chalet. They serve burgers and fries, it was really good. 

We went back and that was that. I had a very nice afternoon, I really enjoyed spending time with her. It was fun!

I had to study for my test tomorrow (maths B) and I feel confident about chapter 2 (derivatives), but not very confident about chapter 5 (just paragraphs 1 & 2). Those were about fractions and  equations like: y = 0.5(5X^-1 + 1.5X^-1.25)^-1.61. And I make too many little mistakes with that. It's just all very messy. 

Anyway, I'll be okay, I'm so tired that I'm going to sleep now. I know that this is a very short post for a day where I went out, but I just can't write anymore and my mind is filled with mathematical equations. Thanks and good day!

27-3-19

Test Week: Day 3

Another day, more tests. I wanted to write: "another day, another test", but I took more than 1 test so... I first had biology. I went alright. I don't have a fantastic feeling about this, but it won't be a 3 either, I think...

Then I had a break and then it was time to go to the swimming pool! It was nice, I really like the IET-programme. The volunteers are very nice and one of them even offered to take me to one of their national museums or something. We're going there this Sunday :) 

Then I had my French test... That didn't go so well. It was a reading test, so I honestly expected it to go easier, but I couldn't focus. I read sentences over and over again and I had no idea what it said. Not because I didn't know the words, but just because they didn't have any meaning, you know what I mean? I had to read it 3 times or more to understand it. I don't think that I have an insufficient though, but this won't be a great mark either.

Then I was free to go. I went back, texted some of my friends and watched an episode of Lucifer on the bus. I called my mum and little brother this morning. That was nice, I hadn't spoken to them in a while. The test week kept me busy all week.

This is probably not the most interesting week to read about, it's just mainly me, learning for tests, like an average teenager. Tomorrow I got physics and Social Global Studies, they worry me a bit. While I was studying, I suddenly remembered something that I have to learn for physics from when I was still in the Netherlands, but it isn't in my textbook. I knew it had something to do with the G, but I didn't really remember what exactly. So I went Googling. Apparently G stands for conductance and it is the opposite of resistance. Makes sense right? No. (Actually, it did make sense after I did some research). I did feel a little bit smart when I found it though.

But then I found a document with all the "goals" we have to learn for physics and the formula for conductance was in there, so I felt a little bit dumb. But hey! I found it and know it very well now. 

I hope you all have a good day! (What do you think of the background by the way? Isn't he cute??)

23-3-19

Next Week is Test Week

It was such a beautiful day today: the sky was blue (the sky is actually always blue, sometimes there are just clouds in front of it. Today there were no clouds hanging above Toronto), the sun was shining (the sun is alway shining, sometimes there are just clouds in front of it. Today there were no clouds hanging above Toronto) and it was just beautiful. And what did I do? Study.

Jup, I spent a large proportion of my day studying for the upcoming testweek. I just can't comprehend that I have a test week next week, you know? It's like it won't happen, but it will, so I should study hard. It's just so difficult to study when it's so beautiful outside and all you want to do is go Downtown and see the world, and experience life. Okay, I'm being overly dramatic, but still...

Eventually I had to go outside. I walked to the Walmart (it's 1 km or so) and I just wandered around. It was already 16.00, so there was no point of me going Downtown (it takes me more than an hour to get there), but I decided that I'll go to Yorkville tomorrow. Apparently that is the place to be.

I didn't just study today, I also watched the final episode of Brooklyn 99, and Jake and Amy are just... I just... I can't... It's too emotional... And I've no idea what I'm going to watch next. My life is ruined (I know, I know, I'm being overdramatic, but B99 is... is... I got now words for it). 

Anyway, I had the time to call my parents today and they were having dinner. It was so funny, it felt like I was having dinner with them. I also had the time to call Sophie, but the battery of my phone didn't think so. It died. It used more energy than it could be charged, and Sophie and I were rudely interrupted. I'm still angry at my phone.

I got a bit nauseous at the end of the day, but now I'm feeling better. I don't know what it was, probably the emotional trauma of B99 and of my phone betraying me. Not the best day, I must admit, but it could have been worse. 

Thank you & have a lovely day :)

22-3-19

Guess What?

Fridays are my longest days at the hospital, although still quite short when compared to my school days. I start at 9.00 am and I finish around 15.00. I always take the bus, and it's crazy on the road around those times. I saw some deer on my way to the hospital, that made me very happy. :)

I start in the Ronald McDonald playroom. It was very nice.  I played some Mario Kart, I smashed it (I didn't, but whatever). I did some arts and crafts and then my time was up. I had about a 45 minutes break, before I had to go to the swimming pool to change.

I got some Tim Hortons during my break, and guess what: I won another cup of coffee. I'm so freaking happy. 

With the IET-program (the swimming program) all volunteers are assigned one child. I was the only volunteer today, but still. "My" child was very nice, he was very outgoing and he found it very funny to splash around. That was quite difficult in the beginning, because he didn't really want to do what he was told. Eventually I just let him splash around to tire him out, and it worked: he started listening (sort off). :)

Usually we have 2 classes, and it also said so on my schedule, but the classes are changed around, so now I finish around 14.00 on Fridays. I actually liked that today, because there is still a lot that I have to do for the testweek. This also meant I could call my mum and dad on a normal time (it's 5 hours later there), which was nice. Although the busses didn't really go on time. I arrived at the bus stop, and then I found out it was delayed by 9 minutes, which meant I would miss my next bus (I have to take 2 busses). The traffic was soooooo bad, we literally didn't move for 5 minutes. When I finally got to the other bus stop, the bus drove by and didn't stop because the bus was too full, that was terrible.

But I still had time to talk to my parents and my little brother, and I could also call Sophie, whom I hadn't spoken properly in ages, and I could also learn for my tests in the testweek. Above all that, I found out I had to learn 3 paragraphs less than I thought for chemistry. Today was a good day. Thanks!

Bye! :)

19-3-19

Tuesday

I didn't start until 12.55 pm, so I could have a lay-in. This was nice, since I couldn't really sleep last night. I didn't sleep until 12.00 pm, so I was happy I didn't have to get up at 7.00 am. I wanted to be there around 12.25 pm, but I overestimated the time it takes me to get there. I was already there at like 12.15. This was fine, I needed to talk to my supervisor anyway, it's testweek next week. Oops.

Since I have an extra subject (maths D), I've got a day with 3 tests. Normally, it would be impossible to have both a biology test and a maths D test on the same day in a test week, because maths D and biology don't fit in the same profile. Of course that doesn't count for me, as I thought it would be a good idea to take maths D as an extra subject (I like it, but in moments like these...). So Wednesday I've got 3 tests but on Friday I've got no tests at all, which doesn't make sense. It won't fit in my volunteering schedule anyway, so I want to postpone my maths D test to Friday. 

Okay, let's forget about test week stuff and focus on..... Volunteering! I helped out at the swimming pool today. It was different than Swim Camp. Swim Camp was a bit more advanced swimming, the children were also a bit older (I'd say a year of 10). But with this, the level is a little bit lower because the children are about 5-7 years old, I think. It was therefore a bit more complicated, but in the end it worked out. 

I help in two classes, and in every class all volunteers are assigned one child. In the first class, I had quite an "easy" child. She could talk and swim, and I only had to support her a couple of times. In the second class, I had a child that didn't really talk. I found this quite challenging, because how am I going to communicate with her? It took me a brief moment to find a solution. If I wanted to know her opinion on something, I would just give her 2 options: do you want the pink ball? Or do you want the yellow ball? And I would hold them in my hands so she could grab the one she wanted. It was a challenging task, but a satisfying one, and eventually I got the hang of it. 

There are 3 other volunteers, and they are really nice. They helped me out when I needed something and we chatted a bit when we had time. My supervisor was also very kind. She gave me some instructions and answered all my questions and also gave me some tips about how I could communicate with a child that doesn't speak much. It was nice, I had a good day.

I hope you had a good day too!

17-3-19

Week 2

Two weeks ago, I arrived in Canada. The last two weeks have been insane! I have done so many fun things: Swim Camp, Niagara Falls, Downtown Toronto and much more. I've been here for "just" 2 weeks and I've experienced more things than I've ever had in my entire life. It's so cool!

Today was St. Patrick's Day in Canada (and Ireland, England and some other places) and I hoped to see some events or parades or anything. Unfortunately, for most of the events you had to be 19+ and the parade was last week. In the morning I did some homework and called some friends and family and later I decided to go Downtown, hoping that I could see some St. Patrick's events there.

I took the bus and subway to Eaton Centre and walked around a little bit. Eaton Centre is huge. Like, seriously huge. I've been there once before, and I still haven't seen more than 30% of the centre. It's gigantic & I love it! I walked around, went into a few stores (there's a Disney store which was cool, but expensive) and they also got a H&M. I didn't buy anything though (except for a coffee) but it was fun to walk around.

Eaton Centre is partially underground, so eventually I decided to go up and see what else is out there. It looked so cool! There were some huge screens hanging on a building (like in New York), people were walking everywhere, there were some street performers and it was just great. It was late though, so I didn't walk around there much, but I'll go there next time! 

I went back around 6, had dinner and read another Dutch book (& my last book for a while). I did some preparations for tomorrow and now it's time for bed! Good night everybody :)

16-3-19

Kensington Market & Art Gallery of Ontari

It's Saturday! Meaning I had a day off, which was nice after such a long week of hard work. I called some friends and family and then I decided to go to Kensington Market (advised by one of my coordinators). On my way there I saw a squirrel and the CN Tower. Both were very nice to see. I liked Kensington Market, but most of the "stores" were food stores, and I already had some food on me. I didn't buy anything. 

Kensington Market is Downtown Toronto, so I walked around a bit and then went to the Art Gallery of Ontario. It was very nice, I liked it very much. There was an exhibition of Impressionism: The Age Of Industry. There were paintings and sculptures of Monet, Pissarro and Degas (Degas is my favourite, because of the serie White Collar and because his paintings are incredible, the ballerina ones). 

Edgar Degas:

Henri Rouart devant son usine

There wasn't just "old" art, there were also some modern art pieces in the Art Gallery. They were fun to see. I could see the CN Tower from the gallery as well, and the view was stunning. Around 3.00 pm I decided to go back. When I got back, I called some more friends and read another entire book (I've a deadline). This book was kind of scary. It was written from the perspective of a guy who's slowly losing his memory. I can't imagine what it would be like to not be able to remember something. I didn't like it. The book was well written and the storyline was great, but scary. I need to read one more book for Dutch for my test in the test week, oops.

They have Harry Potter here on Netflix, so I watched it. I had a great & tiring day, so I should probably go to sleep. Have a good night :) 

15-3-19

Day 5

I think I had more than 8 hours of sleep today. It felt great. I went to the hospital, got some coffee (Tim Hortons, paid it with the gift card I won yesterday) and started with the preparations of today. We made catapults and I think I've found my talent. We did some swimming and then we had a break. It was really nice, I chatted with some other volunteers and then I talked to my coordinators and called Sophie (we didn't have a good connection though, so it didn't last very long). 

Then..... it was movie time! We watched How To Train Your Dragon. It's a good movie (they say movie here and not film, took me some time to get used to it). Then we did some more swimming, although we didn't do a lot of "real" swimming. We basically took a lot of pictures and played some games, since today is the last day of Swim Camp :( 

They had written a little card for me and one of the kids even gave me some chocolates. It was really sweet. I stopped by the volunteer resources office for a bit, and they gave me (and the rest of the volunteers) some Tim Hortons treats, it was soooooo good. They gave me some tips about what I should do for St. Patrick's day (an Irish holiday that is being celebrated this Sunday). 

The snow is almost totally melted, it's raining the whole time. It's kind of strange to see grass now. I've gotten used to the white landscape. Today has also been the first day that I really understood that I'm in Canada. It didn't really seem real before, but now it does... Probably because I had a lot of homework to do. I finished reading a book for Dutch, the book was alright. I didn't really like it, because there was no tension whatsoever in there, but it was written in a very good way (it was really short haha). 

Sooo, this was the end of my first real week. It was super great. The people are so nice and kind here and I loved working with our group. It's tiring, but very satisfying. I get to see all of their progress and that's just so nice. It's been great! Have a nice day :)

12-3-19

Day 2

My second day at the Holland Bloorview Hospital didn't start so well. I wanted to go a little bit earlier, to be extra on time, but then I had to take a different bus and also the wrong bus. Jup, I took the wrong bus and I was late. I was late for the first time in ages. I was soooo embarrassed. My supervisor was all cool about: yeah, no problem, everyone has been there, I understand. But still, I was so ashamed. I'm just going to erase that from my memory... 

Other than that (what do you mean by that? nothing happened), I had a great second day. I'm starting to warm up a bit and I'm feeling more and more comfortable by the second. The children are lovely and very fun to work with. It's also very nice to see their progress, it's nice knowing that I'm doing something useful. 

The day went by quickly. We did a lot of sports activities. We did a lot of swimming of course, and we also "hit the gym". We played dodgeball and football (they say soccer here though) and I was super tired at the end of it. 

I ended around 16.00, but then I had to do my French test... It actually went quite alright. Not extremely good or anything, but better than I expected. I did my test and then my coordinator introduced me to the vice president of the cultural department. He was very kind and he gave me some useful tips about what I should do while I'm here in Canada. 

Then I went back (I took the right bus this time) and had some dinner. It was kind of late, so I didn't have a chance to call any friends or family, but I think I'll have more time tomorrow. 

It's been a long day and I'm knackered (I'm picking up on some phrases here, it means extremely tired) so I'm going to bed.

Have a nice day! Thanks :)

11-3-19

First Day

I had my first real day today. It was great! I got up at 6.50 (ouch) and I took the bus to the hospital. When I was walking to a bus stop, I saw a squirrel! It was so cute, it was a great start of my day. I first had to go to the Occupational Health Centre for another TB testing. I'll know more on Wednesday.

Then I went downstairs to the swimming pool. When I got there, there was nobody. I was like: what the *peep* ? Eventually this really nice guy came up to me and asked me if I was looking for something. So I told him that I was a March Break volunteer, blah, blah, blah and then he told me that they didn't have any volunteers...

Okay *peep* *peep* *peep*. I didn't say anything out loud of course, but my thoughts were not very appropriate. I said something like: "That's strange? I'm sure that I'm going to volunteer here in the swimming pool." And then he said: "ohhhh you're in the aquatic program?? Right okay, you first have to go upstairs."

I swear, that was the worst moment of my life. I laughed it off, but still... Anyway, a very nice lady brought me upstairs to the right room and it turned out alright. I've a really nice group. There are only 4 children, but I like that: more bonding time and at least I get to know them. I'm the only volunteer in the aquatic program, so there isn't really anyone from my age group, but my supervisor(s) are very kind. 

I learned quite a lot of stuff today: new terms, new facts about the bus, but one thing that really stood out was that a disability is not alway visible. I saw quite a lot of people that looked... "normal"? That's not really the right term I think, but I saw a lot of people who were apparently disabled, but didn't really show any physical disabilities. I found that quite interesting, because I always (not always, always, it's a hyperbole, fancy word yeah?) assumed that disabilities could be seen from afar. 

So, I got a life lesson all: don't assume anything. Don't think that because someone doesn't show any physical disabilities, means that they don't have any disabilities at all. Because some people might be struggling with a disability that you can't see, and I think it's really important to know that disabilities don't always show. 

I met some girls during lunch break and I think I made some friends? Like, they're not close friends or anything, but at least some people to talk to, which is quite nice. (Sophie, don't worry, I could never replace you). The day went by sooo fast, I had a really good time.

And then I came back to my host family and I had to learn for my French test tomorrow. Which I'm totally going to fail (of course not, I'm Hannah Lagerweij), but I am worrying a bit about it. It's quite hard to study for a test if you don't go to school (it doesn't really seem real). I was able to hand in my BSM report though and I think the end product is really good (and long, it's 12 pages, oops) . Let's hope my teachers find it good.  

I had a great first day at the Holland Bloorview Hospital, and I can't wait for tomorrow!

Good day! 

9-3-19

Niagara Falls

This has been the best day of my life. I went to see Niagara Falls and it was even more beautiful than I imagined. Really, it was stunning. I went by train to Burlington, where I had to wait for an hour for the bus, so I got some coffee at Tim Hortons, it was delicious. Then, I took the bus to Niagara Falls...

It took me a while to find the waterfalls, I didn't exactly know where to go. The Niagara Falls are situated in the city: Niagara Falls. Eventually I found a large tower, the Skylon Tower. You could go up there for like 14 Canadians Dollars, so I did. That was absolutely beautiful. It really was. I still can't believe I've actually seen the waterfalls. The view was sooooo pretty. If you're ever in Canada, go to Niagara Falls. It's worth it. Even if you have to travel 3+ hours to get there, I promise.

After 45 minutes I went down again. I wanted to walk along the waterfalls, but I had some problems with finding the route down. I had to walk through the centre of Niagara Falls, and it was hilarious. They have all these little attractions and activities. Niagara Falls isn't just about the waterfalls, the city is also very nice. 

I walked along the waterfalls, and it was so beautiful. You must see it with your own eyes, because it really was a magnificent view. It took me ages to walk the whole path, because I stopped every few metres to take pictures. It was really pretty. The weather was beautiful as well. It was very sunny and warm (some ice was even melting). I really picked the best day to go.

I was walking back to the bus station along the waterfalls and then I realized: the other side of the river is America. I was soooooo super close and I couldn't *peep* go. I was 30 metres away from the border, but I didn't (still don't) have my visa yet. I'm getting one, so at the end of my stay here, I will go again and then also pass the border. I just want to be able to say: "I was in America today, how was your day?" You know? That would be cool. 

I went back, but I didn't really understand what the things on Google Maps meant, but apparently you can't use a Presto card to go on a Megabus. So I had to wait an hour for the next bus. Eventually it took me 4 hours to get back, but it was worth it. Really, if you're ever close, go there. It was awesome!

8-3-19

Easy Day

I didn't have the most interesting day actually. I woke up at 7.30, that was interesting. It's the latest I've woken up since I got here. I called my mum, watched some Netflix, watched some more Netflix and then I got some breakfast. I went back to my room and I did...... homework! YAY :) It makes me so happy every single time. But actually, this isn't so bad yet. I have to create a trainingsplan for sports class. It's a lot of work and I might have started a bit later than I should have... oops, but it's going quite well. Then I had a lovely phone call with Sophie, I love you, I hope you're having a good time (without me :( impossible) and then I went to the centre. 

I needed to get some stuff and I also got some stuff that I didn't exactly need (I might have bought a huge Canadian flag and I've got no idea why, I couldn't resist). I walked around a little bit and then I took the bus back. By the way, it was -2 degrees today, I've never been warmer. 

I got some dinner and then I talked a bit with the other guests. They are very kind and we get along quite well. It was fun. And now I'm sitting in my room. Quite a boring day innit? Anyway, tomorrow is a very exciting day: I'm going to NIAGARA FALLS!!!! I'm so excited, I heard that it's frozen right now, just imagine how pretty it's gonna be. I can't wait. I do have to get up at arse o'clock in the morning, but hey, it's worth it. 

I'll just share a random fact that I learned: 

The traffic lights. It's insane. Okay, let's say there you find yourself in a situation where you're standing in front of a Canadian traffic light (in a car). The lights you have to follow are on the other side, hanging above the road. There are three of them. The left one is for turning left, the middle one is for straight ahead and the right one is for going right, nothing difficult yeah? Sounds pretty normal. Well, all of them look exactly the same. They all have the same three doths (one's green, the second one is orange/yellow and the last one is red) and there are no arrows pointing in the right direction. It's... odd, but okay whatever. Then, let's say you need to turn right yeah? Okay so you wait and wait and then.... it's green and off you go. You turn to the right and then you see... people walking! But huh? The light was green! Apparently, when the light turns green for the cars that want to go left or right, it also turn white (instead of green) for the people that are walking there. It's freaking insane. The first time I walked there, I was like: what the hell is happening?! I swear I could walk. As a pedestrian, you don't stop walking. Just keep walking. Don't stop. The cars will wait or go around you, really. 

I don't know. I found this quite strange.

Anyway, thank you for reading. I appreciate it. It's not been the most interesting day, but tomorrow I'm going to Niagara Falls! Have a nice day :)

7-3-19

Downtown Toronto

Soooo. I finally became a real tourist: I went to Downtown Toronto. It was spectacular. The buildings were so high and there was so much culture. Not just Canadian culture but also cultures from all over the world. 

Let's start from the beginning. I woke up (6.50 am), had breakfast (toast with peanut butter ---> they use cheddar cheese as normal cheese and that just hurts my Dutch heart) and did some homework. Because apparently, school doesn't stop when you're not there. Yeah, I was a bit shocked too. I had some phone calls (Soof... why didn't you call me?) and then I decided to go. It was about 11.30 and it was freezing cold outside. Okay, that's not true. Well it is, it was -6, but it was warmer than it was the last 3 days. 

I took the bus and the subway (they don't say underground here, that's weird) and I finally figured out how it all works. Okay here we go: the large roads are called avenues (knew that), the smaller roads are called roads (no shocker there either) but everything is based on a compass. So it would be westbound blah blah blah. So I arrived at a station, ready to take the subway and then I had no idea where to go. The only thing I saw was: take blah blah blah (can't remember exactly which one) and that's it. So do I go westbound? Eastbound? I don't know! So I decided to use my brain a little (the sole reason I'm even here) and looked on Google Maps if I had to go west or east and I found the right subway in one go! I'm so proud, I feel like a real local know :) 

Okay, boring stuff over... No, not really. So I waited on the platform and I stood perfectly still and the doors of the train (?) stopped right in front of me! I felt so badass, I could just walk in a straight line and get in. And it didn't happen just once, it happened twice! So freaking badass. 

Okay.... now for real: the fun stuff. I wanted to see the CN tower (world's tallest free-standing structure until 2007), but I couldn't really find it. Google Maps abandoned me and I was on my own. I saw a sign that said: Maple's Square. I liked the sound of that and decided to follow it. And surprise: I found the tower. It was sooooo pretty. Like, wow. It was huge. It was incredible. It was breathtaking. Really, if you've never seen it, you should. I wanted to go up there, but it was my top nr. 1 on my Canadian tourist bucket list, so I decided to save it for later.

I found a Starbucks and I was starstruck by the tower (see what I did there?) and very hungry, so I might have gotten a very delicious sandwich. Then I just wandered around a little bit. I didn't exactly have a concrete plan, so I decided to just wing it.  I was looking around, and around, and around. Then I was dizzy (Dizzy's the name of my cat by the way). I couldn't really find anything that looked like I could just walk in there though. Eventually I found........ The Path.

The Path is a very long path (yeah duhhh) but I mean very long. It's a 30-kilometres underground path and it's connected with more than 75 buildings. It's huge and it's a cultural hub. It's got everything, it was absolutely amazing. I found the Eaton Centre, which is the largest shopping centre I've ever seen. There are three different levels. I only covered maybe half of one and it took me more than an hour and I didn't go into a single shop. I just looked around. I swear, it's bigger than Amsterdam (not really, but close. Amsterdam is 219,3 km² and the centre covers 150,00 ---> 0.15 km²). 

I went to a very famous coffee shop in Toronto: Tim Hortons. It was delicious. I got my first ever bagel. I liked it. It was then like 4.00 pm and I needed to do some necessary shopping. So I went back to a shopping centre near my host family. I bought a monthly Presto card (unlimited travelling with public transport) and some hand cream. My hands were sooo dry, that it actually hurt when I put it on (the cold is killing me piece by piece). 

I went back, had dinner, did a bit of chillin' and then some homework. I'm now very tired though, so I'm gonna go to sleep. Have a nice day! 

(The background is my own picture by the way)😊

5-3-19 Day 3

Nice Quiet Day

Hi! Again, I woke up around 7.00 am. I guess I'm still a bit jet-lagged. I wanted to go to Downtown Toronto today, but then I saw the weather forecast and then I saw the actual weather outside (hint: it might have something to do with snow) and I was like: no, I'll just go to the Walmart close by to get some stuff. 

Around noon I decided to take a chance. The snowing stopped and then continued 5 minutes later, but I decided to go anyways. I searched on Google Maps: Walmart and walked to the closest one. It was soooooooo cold. I don't think I still have fingers (just kidding, how would I be typing this? With my toes?), it was freezing cold outside. Anyway, it was 1.0 mile (1.3 km) walking to the nearest Walmart and I think it took me less than 20 minutes? I'm quite proud of that because the roads were literally frozen. I'm not joking, there was a layer of ice on the sidewalks and I'm surprised that I didn't fall at all. 

I was walking towards the Walmart when I saw a Metro shop. I was there on Sunday as well and I knew there was a store close to the Metro that I needed to visit, so I went around the Metro and I found a huge shopping centre. Well, okay maybe not huge, but there were at least 20 stores. After I did a bit of shopping (I got a Canadian banner, it's so pretty. I feel like a tourist now... right I am one) I went to Walmart. I did some necessary shopping there and went back to my host family. 

I did some more homework and called my mum and my best friend Sophie and then I had some dinner. It was quite nice: some rice, fish and broccoli. And now I'm here. I had a lovely day. Tomorrow I will hear whether or not I have tuberculosis (spoiler alert: I checked my arm myself and I don't have tuberculosis) and then I have my first training session as a volunteer. 

I learned that the Canadians say "have a good one" a lot. It means something like: have a good day. So... Have a good one!

3-3-19 Day 1

First Day!

I saw the ocean today. It was very pretty. I saw the ocean from 32,000 feet and I still loved it. It was the first time that I've ever seen the ocean. I've seen seas, lakes and other waters before, but I must admit: there is something special about oceans. There are only 5 of them in the world. I've seen the Atlantic ocean today and I'm planning on seeing all of them!

Sooooo... I arrived in Canada! I was very nervous and so were my parents :) We had to be at the airport at 7.00 am in the morning. My best friend (Sophie) was there to say goodbye and she also stayed the night over. I don't think we slept more than two hours. We watched Baywatch at like 4.30 am (great way to start the day). Yes, it rhymes. When we arrived at the airport, we found our way to the luggage drop-off. I got my boarding pass and then it was time to say goodbye. 

I found the right gate... eventually. I first found the wrong gate, oops. I had to go to gate G11, but I followed the sign that said G1-G10. It turned out alright, I realised my mistake within 2 minutes. I found out that my flight was delayed by an hour. No biggie, that can happen. Then my flight suddenly wasn't delayed and when I got on the plane, I heard that all airplanes have to take off on the same runway (something with the direction of the wind or whatever). We took off two hours later than originally planned, oops again. Nobody sat next to me on the airplane, which was nice because that meant I had two seats for myself. But that also meant that I had nobody to talk to. The flight took about 8 hours and I landed around 14.00. I'm still not really used to the time difference, it's so funny. 

I met my host family, she is a very lovely lady. I haven't really talked to her son yet, but I think he's very nice. I have talked a bit with the two other guests and they are very kind. Before we really went home, we went to the Walmart to buy some stuff. I needed a new sim card so I can call here in Canada and go on the internet and stuff and we also got me a Presto card, which is a card you can use for public transport. I was so tired that I immediately went to sleep when we got back.